Office of Chief Counsel, IRS, seeks enthusiastic individuals to serve taxpayers fairly and with integrity by providing correct and impartial interpretation of the internal revenue laws and the highest quality legal advice and representation for the IRS. Please click "Learn more about this agency" to find out more about Chief Counsel's various offices, to view some of the workplace attributes that Chief Counsel's workforce rates most favorably, and to hear from employees themselves.

Duties

The IRS Office of Chief Counsel's Honors Program is a highly competitive program available primarily to third-year law students, graduating LL.M. students, and eligible recent law school graduates. The program offers entry level positions that provide the opportunity to acquire significant training and experience in area assigned. The positions are open to individuals each year who have superior academic qualifications or relevant experience to the work of the Office of Chief Counsel. Appointments will be made to a Law Clerk position at the GS-11 or GS-12 level for 14-months. Participants may be converted to an entry level Attorney position after admittance to a State Bar and demonstration of satisfactory employment during the interim period of 14 months from original appointment. If admitted to a State Bar prior to entry on duty as a Law Clerk, a General Attorney (Non-Tax) GS-11/12/13 (with promotion potential to the GS-14) offer may be extended. As a Law Clerk/Attorney with the Office of Chief Counsel you will work for Associate Chief Counsel, General Legal Service (GLS). GLS employs approximately 76 attorneys and 7 paralegals, and has both Field Office Divisions and a National Office component. Whether you are in a field office or National Office position, you will receive substantial training and responsibility. GLS serves as in-house counsel to the IRS and the Office of Chief Counsel and provides legal services over a broad spectrum of non-tax matters, including labor and employment, ethics, fiscal, appropriations, procurement, contracts, technology, and other general government matters. As a customer-focused organization, we provide our clients with the highest quality legal advice and advocacy to minimize legal risks, reduce litigation exposure, promote legal compliance, and advance our clients' objectives. We are one GLS. We embrace teamwork and embody our core values: United in Purpose, Committed to Excellence, and Dedicated to Each Other. We are recruiting for both our National Office and our Field Office Divisions throughout the country. Descriptions of the type of work performed in National Office and Field Offices are detailed below. National Office GLS is recruiting for our National Office Branches located in Washington, DC, which include Claims, Labor & Personnel Law (CLP), Ethics & General Government Law (EGG), and Public Contracts & Technology Law (PCTL). Claims, Labor & Personnel Law (CLP): Attorneys in CLP provide legal advice and representation on a wide variety of complex issues, including labor-management relations, personnel, and EEO matters; the interpretation of civil service laws and regulations; government representation; the Federal Tort Claims Act; and other related "non-tax" matters. CLP also provides program coordination to Field Office Divisions in all of these matters; participates in negotiation of collective bargaining labor agreements of national scope; and litigates arbitrations and unfair labor practices involving agency-wide issues. Ethics & General Government Law (EGG): Attorneys in EGG provide ethics opinions, advice, and training on issues arising under the federal conflict-of-interest statutes, related government-wide and agency-specific regulations, and other rules. EGGalso issues advisory opinions to agency officials on non-tax laws, regulations, and decisions governing the management of federal agencies with respect to matters such as appropriations and fiscal law, delegations of authority, records and property management, the Federal Advisory Committee Act, intellectual property, and a wide range of other general government issues. Public Contracts & Technology Law (PCTL): Attorneys in PCTL provide advice on complex legal issues on a wide variety of procurement matters involving the interpretation of applicable laws and regulations; advise on contract formation and administration, licensing and intellectual property issues, interagency agreements and memoranda of understanding, and handle litigation before the Government Accountability Office and the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals. Area Counsel Field Office Divisions GLS is recruiting in the following Field Offices located in Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Farmers Branch (Dallas), TX; Los Angeles, CA; New York (Manhattan), NY; San Francisco, CA; and Washington, DC. Field Offices: Attorneys in the GLS Field Offices provide advice, support, and litigation representation for IRS and Chief Counsel management in administrative fora and in arbitration, with the majority of case work centering on labor, equal employment opportunity (EEO), and personnel law and assisting the Department of Justice in federal courts on such matters, as well as for suits against IRS employees, and may assist with processing claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act. Target Start Date: August - September 2025

Requirements

• Refer to "Additional Information."
• Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Law school students and recent law school graduates who are eligible for participation in the IRS Chief Counsel Honors Program include: Third-year law students who will graduate from an ABA accredited law school by the required graduation timeframe: between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025, OR Students pursuing a LL.M. who will graduate from an ABA accredited law school by the required graduation timeframe: between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025, OR Recent graduates from an ABA accredited law school who within 9 months of graduating law school began participating in eligibility preserving activities. Eligibility preserving activities include Judicial clerkships, related graduate programs (including LL.M. programs), or qualifying legal fellowships. Additional information on eligibility preserving activities is detailed at the end of this section. Applicants Admitted to a State Bar: Applicants who have already been accepted into the State Bar are not eligible to apply to the Honors Program (Law Clerk) announcement and must apply to the Honors General Attorney (Non-Tax) for consideration: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/799734100. To qualify for this position of Honors Program Law Clerk, you must meet the qualification requirements listed below by the closing of this announcement: Basic Requirements for Honors Program Law Clerk: Must attend or have recently graduated from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. To qualify for the Law Clerk at the GS-11 grade level, you must be a Third Year Law Student AND meet one of the following by the closing date of the announcement: A class ranking in the top 25% of J.D. program, OR A J.D. cumulative GPA of 3.35 or higher, OR If the school does not have class rank or GPA, a minimum LSAT of 160 is required. To qualify for the Law Clerk at the GS-12 grade level, you must be a LL.M. candidate/graduate AND meet one of the following by the closing date of the announcement: A class ranking in the top 25% of J.D. program AND/OR a J.D. cumulative GPA of 3.35 or higher, OR A class ranking in the top 25% of your class in the LL.M. program AND/OR a LL.M. cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher, OR If neither J.D. nor LL.M. program has class rank or GPA, a minimum LSAT of 160 is required. Note: See "Required Documents" section for GPA/Class Rank/LSAT supporting documents. Attributes of an Ideal Candidate are as follows: Special high-level recognition for academic excellence in law school, such as selection to Order of the Coif, receipt of the American Jurisprudence Award, or CALI Excellence for the Future Award in related courses; or top grades in classes related to the position to be filled, Evidence of background or experience in the position to be filled, such as taking relevant law school classes or participation in law school clinics, Work or achievement in the law school's law review or other recognized law journal, Success in a moot court or mock trial competition or membership on a moot court or mock trial team. Eligibility Preserving Activities are defined as: Full-time activities starting after law school graduation that can preserve a law school graduate's eligibility for the Honors Program. The following are eligibility preserving activities: judicial clerkships, related graduate programs (including LL.M. programs) or qualifying legal fellowships. Qualifying legal fellowships must have a formal sponsor (e.g., a public service organization, a foundation, a bar association, a corporation, a law school, etc.), an established legal mission (e.g., purpose, type of work), and be publicly advertised as a fellowship at the time the candidate applied to the fellowship. Breaks between consecutive eligibility preserving activities cannot exceed 120 days. Participation in the eligibility preserving activity must be active through at least December 1, 2024 (may run later). Law school graduates who received their J.D. prior to October 1, 2021 are ineligible.

Education

All applicants must be attending or graduated from an ABA-accredited law school.

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Contacts

• Address Office of Chief Counsel, IRS Staffing and Classification Branch 1111 Constitution Ave, NW Washington, DC 20224 US
• Name: Corri Munro
• Phone: 469-801-1028
• Email: [email protected]