Following up on my previous posts:
IRS Chief Counsel Rescinds Job Offers To 3Ls Accepted Into Honors Program
- Department Of Justice Rescinds Job Offers To 3Ls Accepted Into Honors Program
- Trump's Hiring Freeze Leaves Thousands Of Law Students Out In The Cold
Caroline Ciraolo, former Acting Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice Tax Division and tax partner in the Washington, D.C. office of the Kostelanetz law firm, is organizing help for individuals whose employment offers were rescinded by the IRS or DOJ Tax Division:
We have read LinkedIn posts encouraging those who lost their positions and sharing employment opportunities. The government's decision to rescind the offers left these folks not only without a job, but in some cases, in a new city without connections, having relocated for the position offered.
This unprecedented turn of events presents an opportunity for the tax bar to step up and lean in. A group of tax practitioners convened for a call this week to discuss pending efforts and options. During the call, we shared information regarding the law students and attorneys whose federal employment offers from the IRS and DOJ Tax were rescinded. We understand that there is a pool of approximately 200 candidates, including: law students who accepted summer internships; law and LLM students who accepted permanent positions through the Honors Program; and laterals attorneys with one or more years legal experience. We also discussed our concerns regarding forced resignations, terminations, and potential terminations of probationary and career IRS and DOJ Tax attorneys. Many of us are meeting with those individuals to discuss career opportunities, share professional contacts and networking opportunities, and offer encouragement. We applaud these continued efforts and know that the time spent is greatly appreciated!
The group was unanimous in its desire to help all these individuals, but agreed to begin with those individuals whose offers were rescinded. To that end, we are inviting potential candidates to send the following documents: (i) resume, (ii) writing sample, (iii) offer received, and (iv) notice of rescission, to taxhiring25@gmail.com. Kostelanetz will perform an initial check to see if the package is complete and provide each candidate with a link to a survey and an explanation of the process. The survey will request the following:
- Name and email address
- Source of offer (IRS, DOJ Tax)
- Nature of position offered
- Graduation year(s) (JD/LLM)
- Post-law school work experience (none, 1-2 years, 3-5 years, etc.)
- Preferred position (summer internship, full-time permanent, part-time permanent, Fellowship)
- Preferred type of employer (law firm, accounting firm, consulting firm, state/local govt, non-profit, academia)
- Preferred work (tax planning, transactional tax, tax controversy, tax policy)
- Preferred location
- Possible work arrangement (in-person, hybrid, remote)
As we will explain to the candidates, the information provided will be loaded to a spreadsheet, which will in turn be uploaded to our ShareFile each evening. Note that we are not requesting information such as birth dates, social security numbers, and salary history.
In addition to the spreadsheet, which will serve as a sortable index of candidates, the ShareFile will include separate folders titled in the name of each candidate and containing the documents that candidate provided.
Organizations will be able to use the ShareFile for the purpose of considering hiring or supporting candidates. Every organization will be at liberty to compete for candidates, and Kostelanetz LLP will not be involved in any other organization's hiring process or employment decisions.
We ask that each firm or organization interested in accessing the ShareFile respond to a survey using this link, providing us with the name(s) and email address(es) of the organization's point(s) of contact so we can provide them with access to the ShareFile.
We also ask that those accessing the ShareFile use the information therein for the limited purpose of helping these candidates find employment. For example, email addresses of candidates should not be uploaded to an organization's mailing or marketing list (unless of course those candidates choose to be so added). We are finishing up an online survey that can be completed by each organization and will send that link later today.
By way of example (and certainly not to exclude permanent offers or other opportunities), our firm (Kostelanetz LLP), is developing a 2025-2026 Tax Fellowship (a position designed to last one year), which will be offered to one or more candidates. We anticipate that it will include, among other things, the following:
- Compensation commensurate with what the candidate would have received from the IRS or DOJ
- Benefits commensurate with a full-time, short-term employee's benefits (health insurance, bar dues, ABA/Tax Section dues, etc.)
- Start date commensurate with their intended start date with the IRS or DOJ Tax
- A work schedule similar to the position offered by IRS or DOJ
- Listing the Fellow on our firm website as an associate (or law clerk if pending bar results) on a dedicated 2025-2026 Tax Fellowship page
- Reasonable time off as needed for interviews in pursuit of employment (and the ability to depart early if an offer is accepted)
We encourage you to share our plan to create the ShareFile with your networks and any individuals whose offer from the IRS or DOJ Tax was rescinded. In addition to the candidates seeking a position, possible recipients of this information (and you can simply forward this email if that is easier) include additional law firms (including those with transactional and planning practices), additional accounting firms, consulting firms, state and local government agencies, courts, corporations, non-profits, NGOs, academics, and other potential employers.
Thank you again for anything and everything you can do to assist these folks. Everything helps and makes a difference!
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