General Attorney (Non-Tax) Employment and Labor Law at U.S. Department of the Treasury in Washington, DC

Summary

The Role of the Office of Chief Counsel, IRS, General Legal Services, is to serve as in-house counsel to the IRS and Office of Chief Counsel, providing legal services over a broad spectrum of matters, including labor and employment, ethics, fiscal, appropriations, procurement, contracts, and technology. Please click "Learn more about this agency" to find out more about Chief Counsel's various offices, and to hear from employees themselves.

Duties

The Office of Chief Counsel, General Legal Services (GLS) employs approximately 84 attorneys and 7 paralegals.

As an Attorney in the Claims, Labor and Personnel Law Branch, you will:

Provide legal support to the Office of the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service and to the Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service, and components reporting to those offices.
Provide legal assistance and advice in the administration of the labor-management relations program established under the Civil Service Reform Act, including providing advice, assistance and litigation in arbitrations, unfair labor practices, and the negotiation of collective bargaining labor agreements of National scope.
Provide advisory opinions and advice, both written and oral, on issues arising from labor-personnel and EEO matters, the interpretation of civil service laws and regulations, government representation, the Federal Torts Claim Act, and other related "non- tax" matters.
Provide legal assistance and advice to management officials and represent the IRS and Office of Chief Counsel in adverse action and equal employment opportunity cases before the Merit Systems Protection Board, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other employee appeals.
Provide assistance in the investigation of grievances under the agency grievance procedure; and prepare law and fact letters in labor, personnel and EEO litigation.
Provide legal assistance and support to the Department of Justice or Assistant U.S. Attorneys in Federal Court litigation.

This is not an all-inclusive list. If selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform the duties of the position and will receive training to help you grow in the position.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Refer to "Additional Information"
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Must be a U.S. Citizen or National

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements detailed below by the closing date of this announcement. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application.

To qualify for this position of General Attorney (Non-Tax), you must meet the qualification requirements listed below by the closing of this announcement:

Basic Requirements for General Attorney (Non-Tax):

Possess at least the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; AND
Applicants must be an active member in good standing of the bar of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

GS-12 Experience Requirements:

1 year of general professional legal experience from any area of expertise

GS-13 Experience Requirements:

1 year of general professional legal experience from any area of expertise; plus
1 year of professional General Legal Service (GLS) related legal experience

GS-14 Experience Requirements:

1 year of general professional legal experience from any area of expertise; plus
2 years of professional General Legal Service (GLS) related legal experience

Professional Legal Experience is defined as: Experience involving litigation and complex legal questions relevant to personnel and labor law requiring extensive research, analysis, and evaluation.

At least one year of this experience must be equivalent to the work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service for the grade you're applying to.

Note: Only experience gained after Bar Admission may be credited as Professional Legal Experience.

Education Substitution: An LL.M. degree in the field of the position may be substituted for the one year of the general legal experience listed above.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applicants will be considered based on their overall background as it relates to the position to be filled. Interviews may be held at the option of the office. All application materials and interviews, if conducted, will be used in the final evaluation and selection process.

Referral: Professional Order will be used to refer and select eligible candidates. Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference eligibles will be listed at the top of the certificate in alphabetical order and considered before non-preference eligibles. All other candidates will be listed in alphabetical order. If you are among the top qualified candidates, you may be required to participate in a selection interview. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview, such as travel to and from the interview site.

Required Documents

A complete application includes 1. A resume, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

All applicants are required to submit a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view .

In addition, applicants are required to submit:

An unofficial or official transcript(s) for your J.D. degree or LL.M. degree (an official transcript is required if you are selected)
An 8-10 page legal writing sample
A memorandum of interest summarizing your interest in the position

Current Chief Counsel Employees are also required to submit:

A copy of your most recent, signed, completed annual performance appraisal which includes the final rating. If it is not dated within the last 12 months or if you have not received a performance appraisal, please explain why in your application.

Education Documentation: For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. See "Education" for more details.

Certificate of Good Standing: A certified original copy of your certificate of good standing from your State Bar will be required if you are selected.

VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Office of Chief Counsel considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing dates of service and type of discharge. Ten-point preference eligibles must also submit an , along with the required documentation listed on the back of the SF-15 form. For more information on veterans' preference, view .

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.