Tax Counsel

NYC Department of Finance (DOF) is responsible for administering the tax revenue laws of the city fairly, efficiently, and transparently to instill public confidence and encourage compliance while providing exceptional customer service.

DOF’s Legal Affairs Division serves as the in-house legal department for DOF, providing professional and comprehensive legal advice and services supporting a full range of city tax and other revenue-related matters. Legal Affairs Division attorneys and staff handle various legal issues, including real property taxes and exemptions, business income and excise taxes, collections, parking violations, treasury, land registry, Conciliation Bureau conferences, FOIL, and employment law.

Legal Affairs is seeking a self-motivated Tax Attorney to join the Tax Advocacy and Resolution Unit. The position will be responsible for handling conciliation cases, as well as addressing other City business income and excise tax related issues. Tax attorneys in Legal Affairs provide a broad range of legal counsel and services in support of the agency’s tax administration, including advising representing the Audit Division, and the agency in resolving cases before the Conciliation Bureau, as well as collaborating with the Director and supporting the Law Department on tax matters in litigation.

Reporting to the Director of Tax Law, the selected candidate’s duties and responsibilities will include, but not be limited to the following:

• Review, analyze and draft tax-related legislation, policies, regulations and statutes.
• Revise tax forms and instructions to ensure they accurately reflect applicable tax laws and agency policies.
• Prepare short written responses to legal questions from practitioner phone calls, email and asks through eServices.
• Work with our agency's managers and staff in the operating divisions, with the public, and with other agencies of City and State government, including the City's Law Department on agency litigation.
• Participate in division and agency projects.
• Prepare petitions or cases for administrative hearings, such as real property income and expense penalty hearings.
• With appropriate supervision and direction, represent the agency at administrative hearings, the Conciliations Bureau and in other forums as may be needed.
• Assist in providing counsel to the agency's operational staff.
• Perform complex legal research and draft memorandum, legal responses, policy statements, letter rulings and other documents as needed.
• Research and draft legal responses to claims or actions filed against the agency as needed.
• Handle matters or projects in any area as determined by the General Counsel or other Division manager or director.
• Research and draft taxpayer letter rulings on business income and excise tax matters.
• Assignments may include legal work relating to City business and excise tax issues, Conciliations, real property income and expense filings and other areas as needed. This may include working directly with the public based on the division's operational needs.

Additional Information: In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.

This position may be eligible for remote work up to 2 days per week, pursuant to the Remote Work Pilot Program agreed between the City and the Collective Bargaining Unit representing employees serving in the civil service title.

This position will require employees to have access to Federal Tax Information (FTI) and is subject to an additional background investigation before appointment. The candidate(s) will be required to pass the FTI background investigation as a term and condition of employment.

Minimum Qualifications

• Admission to the New York State Bar; and either "2" or "3" below.
• One year of satisfactory United States legal experience subsequent to admission to any state bar; or
• Six months of satisfactory service as an Agency Attorney Interne (30086).

Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.

In addition to meeting the minimum Qualification Requirements: To be assigned to Assignment Level (AL) II, candidates must have one year of experience at Assignment Level I or two years of comparable legal experience subsequent to admission to the bar, in the areas of law related to the assignment. To be assigned to AL III candidates must have two years of experience in Assignment Levels I and/or II or three years of comparable legal experience subsequent to admission to the bar, in the areas of law related to the assignment.

Preferred Skills

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong research and writing abilities.
• Ability to successfully balance multiple assignments and projects are also needed.
• Flexibility with taking on new assignments and participating on varied projects on an as needed basis.
• Demonstrated interest in public service and experience with the NYS and NYC business income and excise tax matters and audit issues will be considered, as will be an LLM in taxation or enrollment in an LLM program.
• Ability to write clearly and concisely and communicate complex legal issues in a simple, clear, and readily understandable manner.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is not required for this position.