Legal Careers
Senior Level Attorney
The Tax Division is advertising for Senior Level Trial Attorneys/Senior Litigation Counsel. Candidates should have substantial criminal tax litigation and trial experience, a passion for litigation, a deep interest in public service, and the ability to work both collaboratively and independently. The selection will be made to fill a position in the Criminal Enforcement Sections. Extensive travel may be required.
The Tax Division invites qualified attorneys within the Department of Justice to apply for this position.
Those candidates who applied to the February/March vacancy announcement do not need to re-apply unless you would like to update your submission. If you applied and are no longer interested, please send an email notice to Tax.Applications@usdoj.gov indicating you are withdrawing from consideration.
This position may be located in Washington, D.C., Dallas, TX, or other current Tax Division duty station.
The Tax Division ranked as the second best organization in the Department of Justice, and 16th of 459 agency subcomponents throughout the Government, in the Partnership for Public Service's 2023 "Best Places to Work."
We seek to create a work environment and organizational culture that reflect the diversity of American society, and to foster the success of every employee by valuing and building upon the unique skills and experiences that each individual brings to the workplace.
As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.
A Senior Level Trial Attorney specializing in criminal matters is responsible for litigating a docket of the most complex criminal tax cases handled by the Division. The work involves prosecuting cases involving complex legal issues or fact patterns, exceptionally large sums of money and/or technical or novel interpretations of the law on such subjects as money laundering, complex corporate transactions, the use of sham corporations and other nominee entities to evade taxes, the diversion of corporate profits, the transfer of assets to offshore banks, and the promotion of complicated tax evasion schemes. Anticipated initial assignments include litigation in the federal district courts involving financial fraud, fraudulent abusive tax shelter activity, offshore tax evasion, identity theft, and other similar national priority enforcement areas.
A Senior Level Trial Attorney is responsible for managing multiple teams of attorneys, fostering an inclusive work environment, and for overseeing and coordinating the development of legal positions and strategies in each of the cases under his or her supervision. A Senior Level Trial Attorney assists attorneys on the team in developing their litigation skills and serves as a mentor to attorneys throughout the Division. A Senior Level Trial Attorney should demonstrate a commitment to continual learning, improving their skills and to learning and trying new techniques in trial, written and oral presentations and advocacy.
A Senior Level Trial Attorney reports to the Section Chief of the Criminal Enforcement Section to which he or she is assigned. He or she handles litigation matters and other special assignments or projects assigned by the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Criminal Matters or a Section Chief. A Senior Level Trial Attorney may be assigned to matters in the Civil Trial or Appellate Sections.
This vacancy announcement may be used to fill additional positions if they become available.
MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS
- Skill as a prosecutor. Includes written and oral advocacy skills; experience and skill in litigating complex criminal tax cases in federal district court; the ability to use the technology and skill available to make the investigation, case development, and trial process as efficient and effective as possible; and skill in assessing a case in order to develop a comprehensive investigative plan, and to determine the staffing, support and other resources required.
- Skill in managing attorneys and agents. This includes experience and skill in developing and enhancing relationships with key stakeholders (e.g., the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Internal Revenue Service).
- Experience and skill mentoring and providing training. This includes experience and skill in coaching, mentoring and/or developing attorneys and administrative professionals.
Applicants for these positions must have a law degree from an ABA-accredited law school and be an active member, in good standing, in the bar of a state, a territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
The selectee may be required to undergo an upgraded security investigation and obtain a clearance.
Applications should be submitted by email to Tax.Applications@usdoj.gov. The application package should include a resume, a copy of your most recent performance evaluation, and a written summary of no more than four pages which addresses how you meet the mandatory qualifications/competencies for the position.
The Tax Division is also advertising Division-wide for Senior Level Attorneys for the Civil Trial Sections. A separate application must be submitted to that advertisement if you wish to apply those positions.
Applicants eligible for veteran’s preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their application package.
A panel of Tax Division managers will review the applications and interview the most qualified candidates.
The current salary range for Senior Level Trial Attorneys positions is $147,649 to $221,900. The salary determination for a newly appointed Senior Level Trial Attorney will be set within this range and take into account the candidate’s current GS salary and the candidate's experience and qualifications for the position. It is unlikely that the salary will be set below the candidate’s current GS salary level.
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Department Policies
Equal Employment Opportunity: The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex - including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status - or because of age (over 40), physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor. The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice. For more information, please review our full EEO Statement.
Reasonable Accommodations: This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.
Suitability and Citizenship: It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee’s Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years. The three-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement. This is a Department security requirement which is waived only for extreme circumstances and handled on a case-by-case basis.
Veterans: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service- connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that their retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).
USAO Residency Requirement: Assistant United States Attorneys must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.
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