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General Attorney (Tax) - Senior Counsel (INTL)

Internal Revenue Service

Lake Forest, CAFull-time$148–197K/yrPosted 1 day ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$148–197K/yr
Location
Lake Forest, CA
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Active Bar Membership

Job overview

The IRS Office of Chief Counsel seeks a General Attorney (Tax) - Senior Counsel for an International branch. The role handles complex international tax legal work, including technical review, independent development of legal work products, team leadership on guidance and publication projects, and research into legal issues affecting International programs. The office advises IRS divisions and supports litigation involving international revenue laws and tax treaties.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Technical Legal ReviewLegal ResearchLegal WritingProject LeadershipTeam CoordinationInternational Tax LawTax Treaty LawInternational Tax RulesWithholding TaxesAnti-Deferral ProvisionsForeign Tax CreditsIncome SourcingCross-Border MergersInternational Tax PartnershipsInternational Banking TaxFinancial Products TaxInsurance TaxTransfer PricingFDDEITax Information ExchangeTerritorial Tax Issues

Qualifications

LL.B. Or J.D.Active Bar Membership1 Year General Legal Experience3 Years Professional Legal Tax Experience1 Year GS-14 Equivalent ExperienceLL.M. In International Tax or 1 Year General Legal Experience52 Weeks GS-14 Federal Service

Full job description

Summary

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. Click to learn more: IRS Office of Chief Counsel Careers Site Meet Our People Learn about our Legal Divisions

Duties

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. 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 (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 (International Tax) 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).

Education

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). How You Will Be Evaluated

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: All 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. Other Information

We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. Relocation expenses are not authorized. This is a Non-Bargaining unit position. We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules. The salary range indicated in this announcement covers multiple locality areas. Your salary will be adjusted based on the post of duty for which you are selected. Conditions of Employment Continued: May be subject to a 1-year trial period. All newly appointed employees to the competitive (or excepted) service are subject to a probationary (or trial) period. During this time, your performance, conduct, and suitability for continued employment will be evaluated. You will not automatically convert to permanent status at the end of the probationary (or trial) period. Your supervisor must affirmatively determine that continued employment is in the best interest of the Federal service. If no certification is made before the probationary (or trial) period ends, your appointment will be terminated. You are encouraged to actively engage with your supervisor, seek feedback, and understand role expectations. Additional guidance and support will be provided during onboarding. Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so. Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer. Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel. File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on. Undergo an income tax verification. The employment of any candidate, including a current employee or a new hire, selected for this position may be conditional upon classification and/or audit of federal tax returns. This audit may include up to 2 years of returns. This position requires that the successful candidate undergo personnel vetting, which includes a background investigation and enrollment upon onboarding into "Continuous Vetting." Enrollment in Continuous Vetting will result in automated record checks being conducted throughout one's employment with Treasury. The successful candidate will also be enrolled into FBI's Rap Back service, which will allow Treasury to receive notification from the FBI of criminal matters (e.g., arrests, charges, convictions) involving enrolled individuals in near real-time. There are three key documents that contain important information about your rights and obligations. Please read and retain these documents: Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights, for those who undergo an FBI fingerprint-based criminal history record check for personnel vetting, which includes Rap Back, FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI (this is the same statement used when your fingerprints are submitted as part of your background investigation), and SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov), (applicable to those who hold a sensitive position or have eligibility for access to classified information)"

How this job compares

Set against the 2,079 open Attorney jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 3, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$148–197K/yr
  • California median$140–197K/yr212 salary ranges
  • US median$112–186K/yr1,321 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $173K, is 4% above the California median midpoint ($166K) — in the middle half of Attorney salary ranges in California.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 301 open Attorney jobs in California and 2,079 across the US. 6% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in California
Experience
This posting asks for at least 4 years of experience; Attorney postings that state a minimum ask for 4 years at the median (1,436 postings).
Education
1,272 of the 2,079 open Attorney jobs (61%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 3, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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