[Anonymous]

I was planning to be an auditor and then transfer to big firms’ accounting depts before being enrolled in MSA…After entering in MSA, for some reasons, I rewrote the plan. Now what I dream for is to run deeper in taxation, and hopefully to have a chance in the IRS in the next 3-6 years as a revenue agent and another 3 years as a tax attorney…The main reason I want to be in the IRS is because the available time to pursue a JD. I see no possibility of doing such thing if I am in big 4…

I have being developed my resume exclusively for the IRS: volunteer, intern, REG, some IRS certificates and licenses…

But now the question is: some voices suggest that experience from the IRS has no place in public taxation…Well, I have seen the situation different when in field work, but I am still confused that if one day, I am a tax attorney, will the revenue agent experience help? Or if one day, I come back to the public tax world, how is the value of the IRS experience?

[Anonymous]

If I was looking for a tax attorney, I'd be impressed if they'd been a revenue agent, because it would mean they knew the inner workings of the department and how to get things done. I don't know from the perspective of a hiring manager, but from the perspective of a citizen, if I was seeking a tax attorney, it'd increase his/her value in my mind if s/he had previous IRS experience.

[Anonymous]

Not sure if being an auditor with IRS will help you become an attorney there. I do know that generally IRS attorney positions are incredibly competitive right now. I interviewed with the local office for a 2L summer intern position and wasn't selected. My stats were Top 10% and Law Review from a local unranked school plus an accounting undergrad. That probably got me the interview. I felt like I did good, but not great in the interview itself.

You can check out Top-Law-Schools and Tax Talent. The law school route is a whole game unto itself. I wouldn't just assume being an auditor there helps that much, as it seems from message boards there is a strong amount of elitism from the legal/attorney division.

I remember posting a question about it, but can't find it on Tax Talent (their search function is horrible), and from what I remember: 1) most of their summer interns are not hired-on, the following summer when they graduate from law school, 2) right now IRS is hiring many BigLaw Tax attorneys (another difficult position to get).

https://www.taxtalent.com/forum/message.cfm?m=34923

https://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=205391

[Author]

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