Additional IRS Office of Chief Counsel Positions

If you are interested in working for the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, and you have at least one year of experience, you may want to look at the newly posted positions on the USAJobs.com website. Some of the positions posted last week have been amended, and new positions have been posted.

Newly Posted IRS Lateral Positions

The IRS will be hiring for 100 or so lateral positions throughout the country in a relatively short period of time. Several of the positions were posted today; others will be posted within the next week. If you are interested in working for the IRS, please check the USAJobs.com site every day for the next few days to see if any of the positions are of interest to you. Note though, that most of the positions will only be open for a short time period, so if you want to apply, you will have to do so immediately. It is my understanding that all of the positions require that you have at least one year post-JD experience.

Registration

The Spring 2009 registration deadline has come and gone. Please let me know which courses you'd like to take as soon as possible. T514 - Drafting Estate Planning Documents is no longer open for enrollment. If you are not planning on attending classes this quarter, you must notify either Gloria or me (Allison) as soon as possible, otherwise you may be dropped from the program.

Please let either Gloria or me know which classes you'd like to take by returning this form or dropping one of us an email with your selections. If you are going to send an email, please include the course number and your student identification number in the email. Also, please do not email Heather or Sam with your registration information. Let me know if you have any questions.


Spr09reg

Portland Networking Event

For those of you interested in working in Portland, we will be hosting a networking event on Friday, May 1, 2009, from 4:00 - 6:00 PM at Miller Nash's Portland office. This will be an excellent opportunity to meet active members of the Portland tax bar. Please let me know if you plan to attend. Valerie Sasaki, a tax program alum and senior associate at Miller Nash, has graciously offered to put on a networking workshop on a Saturday morning prior to the event for those attending. I will coordinate this with her once I have the list of student attendees.

T510 Friday Pick up

If you are picking up the T510 exam on Friday, March 13 and returning it to me Saturday, March 14 make sure you pick up the exam between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Thanks for your patience everyone and I'll see you at your course evaluation tonight if you have any additional questions.

Exam Numbers

Just a reminder: you must have your exam number before you show up to take an exam.

To get your exam number please visit http://www.law.washington.edu/students/, then click "Current Exam Number" under the "Exams" heading. You will be prompted for your NetID and password.

Thanks!

New Form for Exams

I just wanted to remind everyone that if you are planning to use your computer during the exam, you must read the computer use policy .

All students using a computer for an exam must turn in a Student Computer Use Form in their exam envelope. For each exam you take with a computer, you must turn in a new form.

Spokane Estate Planning Position

The following job posting is listed in this week's WSBA postings:

Small (2 attorney) Spokane estate planning law firm looking for an attorney to work in probate, trust administration and medicaid. A strong worth ethic and a desire to develop a practice in a small firm are required. A tax or accounting background would be helpful but not required. Please send cover letter and résumé to classifieds@wsba.org, Attn: Reference Code #670. Or mail inquiry to WSBA Bar News Code #670, Bar News Classifieds, 1325 Fourth Ave., Ste. 600, Seattle, WA 98101-2539.

Estate and Gift Exam

I just wanted to remind those who are planning to pick up the T510 exam on Friday, March 13, and return it on Saturday, March 14, you must pick up the exam after 1:00 p.m. and before 4:00 p.m. I will only be in the building between those hours on Saturday.

You can pick up your exam from Academic Services in room 360, and return it to me in room 433.

Thanks!

More Useful Resources

As I've mentioned before, the law school's Career Planning Office posts several interesting articles and other information on their blog that may be of interest to the tax students, so I highly recommend that you check their blog on a regular basis as well: http://uwlawcareerplanning.blogspot.com.

Also, because so many industry sectors are hurting from the state of our economy, there are many interesting articles related to careers and job searching on the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal websites.

Job Search Workshop Overview

The following summarizes some of the recommendations and points made during last week's job search workshop.

NETWORKING: Most positions are found through networking. Use all possible networks available: social clubs, family friends, professional associations, etc. Students can join any section of the WSBA for $8.00 per section. While you won’t have voting rights unless you are an active member of the bar, you will have the opportunity to meet the active members and impress upon them your investment and interest in the tax and business communities.

Informational interviews are the best way to assess the market within the particular area of law you want to practice. Conduct a Martindale search to find attorneys that practice in the area of law you are interested in and that you have a connection with you, be it the same college, law school, professional or social organization, etc. Find something to connect you to that person, and then contact them. This is not the time to ask for a job, but rather, to find out about the tax community in general and what they do. If you are unsure about how to answer some of the questions that are typically posed to you during an interview, use these opportunities to pose such questions to them. With informational interviews, the tables are turned and you are the interviewer.

PAPER: Ensure that all written materials are neatly presented and free of typos. Even if your application is stellar, having typos or a difficult to read resume may mean the difference between whether or not you are granted an interview. This is your first opportunity to show that you are organized and detail oriented: two skills that are instrumental for practicing attorneys. Your resume should also highlight your community involvement, as that is indicative of whether, down the road, you will likely be able to develop your own practice.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: Questions such as “Why law?”, “Why Seattle?”, and “Why this firm?” are all geared toward one thing: assessing whether you will stay with the firm. Firms spend significant resources training you, and are therefore concerned about retention. Prepare answers to these questions with that concern in mind. You should be able to demonstrate that you are passionate about the law and your chosen geographic location.

CREATIVITY: In a recent WSJ Article titled “Taking a Career Cue from Hollywood” (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123506769093324881.html), the author highlighted the successful Hollywood trend, “If the right opportunity isn’t coming your way, create it for yourself.” More than ever, showing ingenuity and creativity will serve you well. If you’re interested in a particular firm, research the firm’s structure and see if you can find an opening where your particular skill set will serve them well. If they’re concerned about your lack of experience or perhaps whether they will be able to keep you busy, suggest that they hire you as a contract attorney or on a trial basis. This strategy, however, works best after you have had a face-to-face meeting with someone in that firm, which is where networking comes into play. If you simply send a letter or email, in this economy, it may (and likely will) get ignored. If, however, you have already met with someone from the firm, that person may rally behind you and convince the firm to give you a chance.

Amended Spring Registration Form

The registration form below reflects the enrollment change in Drafting Estate Planning Documents. It also reflects the correct days Advising Private Business Owners will be meeting (Tuesday and Wednesday):

Spr09reg

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Feel free to email me (Allison) or Gloria with your registration. Please include the course number (t5##) and your student number in the email.

T514 - Drafting Estate Planning Documents

It was not mentioned on the registration form, but T514, Drafting Estate Planning Documents will have a limited enrollment of 30 students. If more than 30 people register for the course, there will be a lottery to determine who will be registered. If you want to be in this course, I would recommend turning in your registration as soon as possible. The lottery will only consider registration forms turned in on or before March 13. As a reminder, registration forms are due Friday, March 13.