Summary

The Civil Division, Tax Litigation Branch is seeking qualified attorneys currently working for the Federal Government to serve as Assistant Directors in the Branch's Trial Section. Assistant Directors provide leadership and oversight on complex tax litigation matters and assist in the management and supervision of attorneys and staff within the Branch.

Duties

Help

Attorneys in the Tax Litigation Branch, Trial Section, represent the United States in litigation in federal and state courts across the country. These cases involve a wide variety of substantive legal areas, including federal tax law, bankruptcy law, constitutional law, commercial and state property law, as well as unique evidentiary, procedural, and jurisdictional issues. The Trial Section is divided into regional groups, plus the Court of Federal Claims Section.

The Assistant Director helps the Deputy Directors and Director of the Trial Section to manage the regional groups. This includes handling personnel, budget, and administrative matters, as well as supervising trial attorneys, paralegals, and other section staff. The Assistant Director may assume the duties of the Deputy Director in the Deputy Director's absence. The Assistant Director works closely with trial attorneys, coaching them to develop their tax and litigation skills, reviewing and editing their written work, and advising them on case development and strategy. The Assistant Director also works closely with paralegals and other administrative professionals, coaching them to develop their skills and reviewing and evaluating their work.

The Assistant Director ensures that trial attorneys' legal work is of the highest quality, and the work is done effectively and efficiently. This includes working with section attorneys to develop appropriate legal theories, ensuring thorough fact development, making persuasive arguments, and developing sound trial strategies. The Assistant Director analyzes proposed settlements and concessions, and takes final action on settlement or concession proposals when delegated settlement authority.

The Assistant Director sometimes personally handles important and difficult cases. In addition to complex civil litigation, the Assistant Director will work on Branch-wide projects or initiatives. The Assistant Director will be involved in the Branch's work on comprehensive tax enforcement. This includes coordinating with criminal tax enforcement attorneys and becoming familiar with the doctrines and practices involved in comprehensive tax enforcement.

This is not a remote location position. You will be required to work in person five days a week.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• Must complete a Background Investigation to include drug testing
• Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable
• May require completion of a 2-year trial period. (Please refer to the trial period statement under Qualifications.)
• May be required to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance with eligibility for Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access depending on organizational assignment / duty location.
• Financial Disclosure: If selected, you will be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
• This position has supervisory/managerial responsibilities. A one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period is required upon selection. This may be waived if you have successfully completed the supervisory/managerial probationary period.

Qualifications

Interested applicants must possess a J.D., or equivalent degree, be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and be an active member of the bar in good standing.

Applicants must also possess at least four years of post-J.D. legal experience to qualify at the GS-15 level.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Experience handling tax controversy matters, including civil litigation in the federal district courts, federal bankruptcy courts, or the Court of Federal Claims;
• Experience investigating and litigating factually and legally complex civil cases;
• Knowledge of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Evidence, and the Judicial Code (Title 28, U.S.C.);
• Knowledge of the policies and practices of the Department of Justice, the Civil Division, and the Internal Revenue Service applicable to civil tax enforcement;
• Ability to communicate effectively and clearly, both orally and in writing;
• Demonstrated ability to work well with attorneys and other employees, including providing coaching, training, guidance, and assistance; and
• Demonstrated commitment to gaining new skills, knowledge, and experiences and applying them to enhance results.
• For the regional trial sections, experience handling bankruptcy litigation, and knowledge of the Bankruptcy Code and the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure.
• Significant trial experience, including handling major bench and jury trials.
• Demonstrated ability to work on organization-wide or cross-section projects or initiatives.
• Prior work experience, of at least three years, in a Department of Justice role that included civil tax litigation.
• Experience and familiarity with automated litigation support resources, including Relativity, IPRO, Sanction, Case Map, Time Map, and Synthetic Search Databases.
• Significant familiarity with automated case management systems and document management systems.

Trial Period Statement

As a condition of employment for accepting this position in accordance with section 11.5 of Executive Order 14284, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov.

OR

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications

All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.