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Posted June 24, 2026

General Attorney (Tax) - Senior Counsel (INTL)

Office of Chief Counsel, IRS
Birmingham, AL Full Time
Compensation: $147,945 to $197,200 Annually
Reference: OfficeofChiefCounsel,IRS873298600

With nearly 1,700 attorneys, IRS Chief Counsel is the largest tax law firm nationwide. Our attorneys are among top tax law practitioners and some of the very best legal minds found anywhere. Together with the IRS, we serve the public by applying the tax code with fairness and integrity. After pausing hiring in 2025, we now seek new law graduates and experienced attorneys to join us.

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Learn about our Legal Divisions 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.

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). The Associate Chief Counsel, International, located in Washington, DC, is comprised of over 100 attorneys. These attorneys provide legal advice (to Exam, Appeals, and other divisions of Chief Counsel), technical guidance, and litigation support (to the Field Counsel divisions of Chief Counsel-L&A and SL-and to the Department of Justice) on matters involving the international provisions of the United States revenue laws, including all matters relating to the activities of non-U.S. persons or entities within the United States and the activities of U.S. or U.S.-related persons or entities outside the United States. The attorneys support uniform interpretation, application, enforcement, and litigation of the international provisions of the U.S. revenue laws, and all bilateral and multilateral tax treaties and agreements to which the U.S. is a party. The office participates in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as a delegate of the United States.

As a General Attorney (Tax) - Senior Counsel for one of INTL's seven branches, you will have the following responsibilities in your assigned branch:
  • Perform technical review of some of the office's most complex, important or novel case/project assignments, particularly those with broad or potentially controversial ramifications.
  • Independently plan, develop, and complete complex legal work products without review, and provides technical guidance and review of other staff work products.
  • Serve as team leader on large-scale INTL guidance and publication projects that may include representatives from other Counsel Divisions or IRS offices. Direct and coordinate work of other team members and oversees all related administrative and logistical matters.
  • Research complex issues and trends affecting INTL legal services and determines likely legal ramifications on INTL programs.
  • Ensure the legal or administrative consequences of potential actions to handle these issues are fully considered and write decision papers to determine Counsel's position on these matters.
  • Prepare final comments/recommendations on behalf of the office. Identify the need for, develop and draft new procedures and regulations to implement, new or amended legislation to ensure that policies are consistent with the intent of the law and are administratively sound and economical in operation and to enable INTL to effectively meet its mission.
This is not an all-inclusive list.

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 (Tax) - Senior Counsel you must meet the qualification requirements listed below by the closing of this announcement:

Basic Requirements for General Attorney (Tax) - Senior Counsel :

  • 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-15 Experience Requirements:

  • 1 year of general professional legal experience from any area of expertise; plus
  • 3 year(s) of professional legal tax experience

Professional Legal Tax Experience is defined as: development, interpretation, and administration of the international tax provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, including experience in one or more of the following areas:

  • tax treaties, international tax rules affecting individuals, and withholding taxes
  • anti-deferral provisions, such as subpart F, the NCTI regime, and passive foreign investment companies
  • foreign tax credits and sourcing of income
  • cross-border mergers and acquisitions and international tax aspects of partnerships
  • international tax issues related to banking, financial products, and insurance
  • transfer pricing and FDDEI
  • exchange of information, other information gathering, and issues related to territories

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 (GS-14).

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 (i.e. tax, GLS-related, or P&A- FOIA/Disclosure related field) 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.

Time in Grade Requirement for GS-15: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-14).

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