Managing Attorney, Low Income Tax Clinic (Hybrid)

Description:

II. Position Summary
A Non-Profit Law Firm is pleased to announce the opening of a Tax Managing Attorney to oversee the creation and implementation of the newly created Low Income Tax Clinic (LITC) for Monroe County Residents. The Clinic will receive referrals from and partner with Empire Justice Center's CASH (Creating Assets, Savings and Hope) and VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Programs, to provide representation to clients in tax matters and connect our client community to resources.

III. Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Represent clients before the Internal Revenue Service;
• Provide training and technical assistance to Empire Justice CASH and VITA staff;
• Advise and when necessary, represent clients who have received letters from the IRS;
• Engage in legal research and writing as required by the position and issues that arise;
• Represent clients referred from Empire Justice Center's VITA and CASH programs during audits;
• Provide technical assistance to VITA and CASH staff and volunteers on tax-related legal matters;
• Innocent spouse: File appropriate requests with the IRS to release the “innocent spouse” from joint liability;
• Improper Classification of Employee: The Senior Attorney can seek reclassification of an improperly classified employee;
• As Managing Attorney of the Tax Practice Group, oversee and implement the organization's 360-degree approach, (teach, practice, and change the law).
• Track clients contact and deliverable services in Legal Server, the Empire Justice Center case management system, and report as required by grant agreements;
• Provide advice and counsel to clients referred from Empire Justice Center's VITA and CASH programs as necessary to assess with identification of potential tax legal problems;
• Analyze and review client tax returns and IRS communications with clients and provide advice and counsel to clients as issues arise, or refer such clients, when referrals are available, and Empire Justice cannot represent the client on the issue;
• Collections: provide advice, counsel, and representation to clients with alleged tax debts. If clients disagree with the amount owed, the Managing Tax Attorney and Tax Clinic can investigate and work to correct it. If clients agree with the amount owed, the Tax Clinic can help set up an affordable payment arrangement;
• Provide advice and counsel and/or referrals to (1) clients who are separated but not legally separated and thus must file as "Married Filing Separate" and not Single and (2) clients who try to claim dependents but find someone else has already claimed them. Provide advice and information about the documentation needed to verify who is the custodial caretaker. (Clients often need assistance navigating how to collect and present this information to the IRS.)
• Other responsibilities as required by the supervisor or as needed by the organization.

IV. Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

• Litigation
• Report Writing
• Microsoft Office
• Legal Advocacy
• Client Experience
• Document Drafting
• Case Management
• Organizational Skills
• Problem Management
• Appointment Scheduling
• Management Experience
• Ability to Work on a Team
• Oral Communication Skills
• Written Communication Skills
• Juris Doctorate Degree from an accredited US law school or international equivalent
• Minimum 5 years of related work experience; we will consider fewer years of experience for a candidate who holds an LLM in Tax Law.

---