STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE BRANCH JOBS

Tax Attorney 3 (Bankruptcy / Civil Litigation / Appellate)

Recruitment #240203-0165AR-001

Introduction


Are you an attorney looking to level up in state service? If so, read below and apply today!

The State of Connecticut, Department of Revenue Services (DRS), is seeking to hire three (3) Tax Attorney 3s in the Litigation Division of the Legal Services Bureau.

These positions will work under the direction of, and have an opportunity to learn from, DRS’ Tax Litigation Director and DRS’ General Counsel.  The Tax Attorney 3 is a supervisory level position at DRS, located in the Litigation Division. Each Tax Attorney 3 will be responsible for the day-to-day supervision of one of the following three subject areas: Civil Litigation, Bankruptcy Litigation, and the Appellate Subdivision.

These hybrid positions are full time on first shift, Monday to Friday, from 9:00 AM until 5:30 PM, and are located at DRS Headquarters in Hartford, Connecticut

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU
In addition, the State puts an emphasis on:
  • Providing limitless opportunities;
  • Hiring for diversity and fresh perspectives;
  • Performing meaningful work and;
  • Encouraging a healthy work/life balance!
POSITION HIGHLIGHTS
As a Tax Attorney 3 in Civil Litigation you will:
  • Supervise and train attorneys in the Litigation Subdivision with all aspects of civil litigation, primarily consisting of tax appeals, including drafting routine motions, assisting with drafting written discovery, pretrial briefs and motions for summary judgment, and assist in the preparation of trials;
  • Handle all aspects of litigation including drafting responsive pleadings, conducting discovery, arguing motions, and preparing for and taking testimony at trial;
  • Supervise the provision of legal guidance and litigation support to the Department's Appellate Subdivision with respect to its review of administrative tax protests;
  • Prepare memoranda of law and recommendations regarding the most complex tax and administrative matters.
As a Tax Attorney 3 in Bankruptcy Litigation you will:
  • Supervise and train attorneys and paraprofessional staff in the Litigation Subdivision with all aspects of bankruptcy litigation and collections litigation;
  • Coordinate the Commissioner's interests in bankruptcy litigation with the Office of the Attorney General;
  • Assist in the preparation and review of bankruptcy claims;
  • Assist in the development of procedures to govern the Litigation Subdivision's compliance with federal law;
  • Prepare memoranda of law and recommendations regarding the most complex collections and administrative matters.
As a Tax Attorney 3 in Appellate Subdivision you will:
  • Supervise staff in the Appellate Subdivision with all aspects of administrative protests;
  • Ensure the Appellate Subdivision staff comply with written procedures to ensure timely and equitable disposition of administrative protest;
  • Ensure the timely and orderly progression of administrative protests through assisting in the development of additional procedures and holding staff accountable to those procedures;
  • Prepare memoranda of law and recommendations regarding the most complex protests and administrative matters.
DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE SERVICES
The mission of DRS is to instill public confidence in the integrity and fairness of tax collection; achieve the highest level of voluntary taxpayer compliance; continuously improve agency performance; contribute to the fiscal and economic well-being of the state; and provide a positive and professional workplace. 

Our employees are dedicated to public service and have many opportunities for personal and professional growth!

             

Selection Plan

TO APPLY
  • In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on this job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application.
  • The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
  • Ensure that your application is complete and detailed before submitting it. In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process. You will not be able to make revisions once your application is submitted into the JobAps system.
  • All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION AFTER YOU APPLY
  • This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the questionnaire's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.
  • Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process.
  • Note: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.
  • The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from branch to branch but it does not impact your state service credit.

For technical questions regarding the filling of your application, please contact Benjamin Beaudry at Benjamin.Beaudry@ct.gov.

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In the Department of Revenue Services this class is accountable for assisting the Tax Legal Director in the supervision of the Legal Division.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

  • Schedules, assigns, oversees and reviews work of staff; 
  • Provides staff training and assistance; 
  • Conducts performance evaluations; 
  • Determines priorities and plans section work; 
  • Establishes and maintains section procedures; 
  • Develops or makes recommendations on development of policies and standards; 
  • Acts as liaison with other operating units, agencies and outside officials regarding section policies and procedures; 
  • Prepares reports and correspondence; 
  • Supervises handling of matters by Tax Attorneys; 
  • Supervises drafting of proposed legislation and may, at request of First Assistant Commissioner of Revenue Services, appear for Commissioner at legislative hearings on proposed legislation; 
  • Supervises promulgation of proposed regulations; 
  • Supervises preparation of rulings and opinions; 
  • Participates on panels before professional groups as departmental employee; 
  • Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

  • Considerable knowledge of
    • relevant agency policies and procedures; 
    • case law pertaining to state and federal taxes; 
    • state and federal court rules of practice; 
  • Considerable
    • interpersonal skills; 
    • oral and written communication skills; 
  • Considerable ability to
    • deal with legislators, judges and administrative officers; 
    • draft legal documents.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Four (4) years of experience in the practice of law handling tax matters.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Experience supervising and training attorneys and paraprofessional staff;
  • Experience in tax law, through course work, internship, volunteering, or work experience;
  • Experience in civil litigation, through course work, internship, volunteering, or work experience;
  • Experience conducting complex legal research and in drafting legal briefs and memoranda.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Incumbents in this class must be admitted to practice law in the State of Connecticut.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes.  As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.