Legal Assistant (OA)

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Summary

Office of Chief Counsel, IRS, seeks enthusiastic individuals to serve taxpayers fairly and with integrity by providing correct and impartial interpretation of the internal revenue laws and the highest quality legal advice and representation for the IRS. Please click "Learn more about this agency" to find out more about Chief Counsel's various offices, to view some of the workplace attributes that Chief Counsel's workforce rates most favorably, and to hear from employees themselves.

Duties

The mission of the Office of Chief Counsel is to serve America's taxpayers fairly and with integrity by providing correct and impartial interpretation of the internal revenue laws and the highest quality legal advice and representation for the Internal Revenue Service. The Associate Chief Counsel, Finance and Management (F&M) organization supports the administrative, financial, and managerial programs of the Office of Chief Counsel and Deputy Chief Counsel on all management matters for the organization nationwide. F&M is also responsible for providing support services to all of Chief Counsel's field offices located in over 50 cities nationwide. As a Legal Assistant (Office Automation (OA)), you will perform a variety of clerical, technical, and administrative tasks while providing legal support to attorneys and paralegals. Practice areas may include general litigation, tax litigation, criminal tax, and advisory services performing the following duties: Utilize basic office software such as Outlook (including eFax), Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Desktop Publishing, Access, SharePoint, and Adobe Acrobat to prepare legal documents and correspondence. Prepare and assemble documents, including necessary transmittal forms and envelopes, in accepted office format pursuant to court rules for timely mailing, submission to courts and service of others as appropriate. File Chief Counsel court pleadings and follows steps to document that they have been filed or logged with the appropriate recipient. Review outgoing correspondence and documents to ensure proper signature and conformance to style and format requirements and procedural instructions, and necessary attachments and enclosures. Review mail related to the assigned functional area and input the appropriate tracking data into case management information system. Receive visitors and phone calls. Ascertain nature of requests and directs callers to appropriate staff, or personally provides the information desired when routine or procedural matters of the office are involved. This is not an all-inclusive list. If selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform the duties of the position and will receive training to help you grow in the position.

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 Legal Assistant (OA), you must meet the qualification requirements listed below by the closing of this announcement: Basic Requirement for Legal Assistant (OA): Office Automation Skills: This position requires office automation skills. Some examples of office automation software include electronic spreadsheets, database management, desktop publishing, electronic calendar, and electronic mail. Typing Requirement: This position requires a typing proficiency of at least 40 word per minute (WPM) based on a 5 minute sample with 3 or fewer errors. Applicants may meet this requirement by passing the appropriate performance test, presenting a certificate of proficiency from a school or other organization authorized to issue such certificates by the Office of Personnel Management local office, or by self-certifying their proficiency. Performance test results and certificates of proficiency are acceptable for 3 years. For GS-05: Specialized Experience: Your resume must detail at least one year of specialized experience which includes: Performing administrative and clerical processes to include preparing and/or reviewing documents with legal implications (e.g., court documents, real estate documents, contracts, insurance or benefits claims, mortgage or loan applications, tax forms, or other types of legal documents); maintaining file systems; and obtaining needed information from files or general reference sources. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-04). OR Education: Four years of education above the high school level obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. OR Combination of Education and Experience: You may qualify by a combination of experience and education. Options for qualifying based on a combination are identified in the online questions. For GS-06: Specialized Experience: Your resume must detail at least one year of specialized experience which includes: preparing, receiving, reviewing, and/or verifying legal documents; maintaining legal office records and systems; and locating and compiling data or information from legal files and other data sources. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05). OR Education: A half year (i.e., 9 semester hours) of graduate level education directly related to the work of the position. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) OR Combination of Education and Experience: You may qualify by a combination of experience and education. Options for qualifying based on a combination are identified in the online questions. For GS-07: Specialized Experience: Your resume must detail at least one year of specialized experience which includes: analyzing & reviewing information and preparing a variety of legal documents; reviewing documents for regulatory requirements and inputting into case tracking systems; using automated software to produce legal related reports, documents, correspondence or related materials; and assisting with trial preparation needs. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-06). OR Education: One full year of graduate level education directly related to the work of the position. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) OR Combination of Education and Experience: You may qualify by a combination of experience and education. Options for qualifying based on a combination are identified in the online questions. NOTE: If qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application package. 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.

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)

Additional 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 bargaining unit position. We offer opportunities for telework. 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: Subject to a 1-year probationary period (unless already completed). 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. Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S. Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel. 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)"

1,634 (72%) Chief Counsel employees took the 2023 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey and most rated critical workplace characteristics favorably - view a selection below. If you seek a professional environment where employees rate their supervisors highly, are treated with respect and supported in their efforts to balance work and other life issues, and collaborate with colleagues to produce meaningful work, consider Chief Counsel. Sample of High-scoring 2023 FEVS Questions (percent favorable): My supervisor treats me with respect (93%)- supports my need to balance work and other life issues (93%)- listens to what I have to say (91%) - supports employee development (90%)- I have trust and confidence in my supervisor (88%). Employees in my work unit produce high-quality work (94%)- share job knowledge (92%)- cooperate to get the job done (91%)- support my need to balance my work and personal responsibilities (87%)- respect people's differences (87%)- make me feel I belong (86%)- care about me as a person (85%). My organization is successful at accomplishing its mission (90%)- I am given a real opportunity to improve my skills in my organization (86%)- I recommend my organization as a good place to work (85%)- I can be successful in my organization being myself (83%). To learn more, click the links below: IRS Office of Chief Counsel Careers Site Meet Our People Learn about our Legal Divisions Come Join the Department of the Treasury and Invest in Tomorrow.