Office of Chief Counsel Honors Program Applications

For those of you applying to the Office of Chief Counsel through the Honors Program, you will need to submit your application materials, which are listed below, to me no later than 5:00 PM, Tuesday, September 29. DO NOT email or fax the materials to the national office, as stated below. Interviews will be held on Thursday, October 15.

Only those students currently enrolled in the tax program can apply in this manner; recent graduates may still apply through the Honors Program, but they must submit their application materials directly to the national Office of Chief Counsel rather than to me. Please note, however, that in order to be eligible for the Honors Program, recent graduates must have less than one year of legal work experience. If they have more, then they must apply through postings on USAJobs.com.

The following is the information provided on the Office of Chief Counsel's website:

Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service

With the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) as its client and 1,500 attorneys on staff, the Office of Chief Counsel is the preeminent employer of tax attorneys in the country. In addition, our General Legal Services Division hires attorneys for non-tax positions, as well. Our attorneys are valued assets and the legal experience provided in Chief Counsel is unlike any other. We have approximately 650 attorneys located in our National Office in Washington, DC and 850 attorneys in field offices throughout the US.

Chief Counsel attorneys provide top-quality legal advice and representation to the IRS in the administration of the nation's tax laws. Chief Counsel field attorneys litigate interesting and challenging issues that range from taxation of individuals to complex international entities. Attorneys in the field find themselves working on exciting and challenging issues involving litigation, corporate law, criminal tax law, disclosure law and international taxation.

Chief Counsel attorneys in the National Office draft regulations and rulings, and provide legal guidance to taxpayers, the IRS and the Treasury and Justice Departments. Attorneys have an extraordinary opportunity to develop expertise and sharpen technical skills. Furthermore, both field and National Office attorneys have the opportunity to work with a variety of tax practitioners and distinguish themselves within the greater tax and legal communities.

Working as an attorney for the Office of Chief Counsel offers a unique opportunity to serve the public interest by providing correct and impartial interpretation of the Federal tax laws without bias in favor of either the taxpayer or the government.

In addition, one of our business units, General Legal Services, focuses on personnel and labor law. This business unit is the part of Chief Counsel responsible for providing legal advice on, and litigating, non-tax administrative law issues such as EEO matters, labor and employee relations, personnel matters, ethics, procurement, fiscal and appropriations law and laws relating to information technology management.


Chief Counsel Honors Program
The IRS Chief Counsel Honors Program is available primarily to third-year law students and graduating Tax LLM students who have less than one year of post-JD legal work experience. Our entry-level positions provide the opportunity to acquire significant training and experience in tax law (or personnel and labor law in our General Legal Services Division). Honors Program positions at the IRS Office of Chief Counsel are open to individuals each year who have superior academic qualifications or relevant experience to the work of Chief Counsel. Appointments under the Honors Program are made at GS-11, Step 8 for JD applicants, and at GS-12, Step 4 for LLM applicants. These positions are available in our offices nationwide.

Honors Qualifications

Class rank top 20% preferred
Work or achievement in the law school’s law review or other recognized law journal;
Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, such as selection to Order of the Coif or receipt of the American Jurisprudence Award in related courses; or top grades in related course work (e.g., “A” grades in tax courses);
Winning a moot court or mock trial competition or membership on a moot court or mock trial team;
Significant participation in legal public service (e.g. public sector or non-profit organization internship, work in tax clinic as a VITA volunteer, etc.); significant legal tax related or other relevant experience while in law school (e.g. law firm internship; IRS Chief Counsel summer internship, clerkships, or other work which has substantially contributed to the candidates preparation for the position);
Citizenship requirements: Applicants must typically be a US citizen or a citizen of a country allied with the United States in a current defense effort. More detailed information regarding hiring of non-US citizens by the federal government is available at http://www.opm.gov/employ/html/Citizen.asp.
Chief Counsel Office Locations
Birmingham, AL; Anchorage, AK; Phoenix, AZ; Laguna Niguel, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Oakland, CA; Sacramento, CA; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; San Jose, CA; Thousand Oaks, CA; Denver, CO; Hartford, CT; Washington, DC; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Jacksonville, FL; Miami, FL; Atlanta, GA ; Honolulu, HI; Chicago, IL; Downers Grove, IL; Indianapolis, IN; Louisville, KY; New Orleans, LA; Boston, MA; Baltimore, MD; Detroit, MI; St. Paul, MN; Kansas City, MO; St. Louis, MO; Omaha, NE; Las Vegas, NV; Newark, NJ; Buffalo, NY; Long Island, NY; New York, NY; Greensboro, NC; Cincinnati, OH; Cleveland, OH; Oklahoma City, OK; Portland, OR; Philadelphia, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Nashville, TN; Austin, TX; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Salt Lake City, UT; Richmond, VA; Seattle, WA; Milwaukee, WI

How to Apply
Complete application packages are composed of a resume; a photocopy of your official law school transcript; an 8 -10 page writing sample; a completed Form 6524, “Office of Chief Counsel Application;” and a completed Form OF-306, “Declaration for Federal Employment.” Copies of the Forms 6524 and OF-306 may be downloaded from our website at http://jobs.irs.gov/mn-attorney.html or requested by emailing attyapplications@irscounsel.treas.gov. Application materials not previously submitted to your career services office should be brought to the on-campus interview.

The Office of Chief Counsel, IRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Selection for positions will be based solely on merit without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, martial status or other differences.

United States Tax Court Law Clerk Program

For those of you interested in clerkship opportunities with the United States Tax Court in Washington, D.C., please review the information provided on the Tax Court's website by going to http://www.ustaxcourt.gov/lc_program.htm. Under the "Application Procedure" section, you will find a link to the list of judges currently recruiting clerks. Most judges hire early Fall, so you will want to check back often to see who is hiring. While these clerkships are very competitive, they are worth applying for. Both Professor Scott Schumacher, Director of the Federal Tax Clinic, and I clerked at the Tax Court, and we both tremendously enjoyed the experience. Please feel free to contact either one of us with any questions you may have.

IRS Chief Counsel Honors Program

For those of you interested in working for the Office of Chief Counsel, please note the following:

1. This year, we will have a separate application process. Application materials (http://www.jobs.irs.gov/car_other_atty_honors.html) will be submitted to me during the first week in September (I will let you know the exact date as soon as I have it), and I will forward them on to the national recruiter in Washington, D.C.

2. Representatives from the Seattle office will come on campus to talk with interested students sometime during the second week in September. While this will be after the application materials are due, it will be before interviews are conducted, so I strongly encourage anyone who has applied to attend.

3. Only those students who have worked less than one year may apply through the Honors Program. Those of you who have more experience can apply for any posted positions on USAJobs.com.

If you have any questions, please let me know. You can email me at hla3@uw.edu or call me at 206.616.3361. And, as always, I am available to review your cover letters and resumes.

Part-time Employee Benefits Position

This position was recently posted on the WSBA website:

ERISA/employee benefits attorney: Song Mondress, PLLC is seeking an ERISA/employee benefits attorney. The position is part-time with a strong potential to grow to full-time, and will primarily involve work on tax and technical compliance issues related to retirement and health and welfare plans. Prior ERISA experience is strongly desired, but candidates with significant tax experience will be considered. Candidates must have outstanding academic credentials and work references. We have a sophisticated ERISA, tax, fiduciary, and litigation counseling practice in a small-firm environment, representing major corporate, multiemployer, and governmental benefit plans, and institutional service providers. All inquiries will be kept confidential. Please submit cover letter and résumé to: Hiring Committee, Song Mondress PLLC, 720 Third Ave., Ste. 1500, Seattle, WA 98104 or sm@songmondress.com.