How to hire a tax attorney

How to hire a tax attorney, step by step

Here's a step-by-step tax attorney hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a tax attorney job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new tax attorney
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a tax attorney do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a tax attorney, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect tax attorney also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of tax attorney salaries for various roles:

   Type of Tax Attorney	Description	Hourly rate
   Tax Attorney	Lawyers advise and represent individuals, businesses, and government agencies on legal issues and disputes.	$24-70
   General Counsel	A general counsel, also called a chief legal officer, is the chief lawyer in the legal department of an organization. The counsel represents an enterprise for any pending legal matters... Show more	$36-100
   Housing Counselor	A Housing Counselor works directly with clients and organizations to support moderate and low-income clients in overcoming barriers to housing and financial stability. They represent the homeowner in interventions and/or mediation proceedings with the mortgage servicer, lender, and/or other stakeholders.	$20-69

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Litigation
   • Law Firm
   • Real Estate
   • Taxation
   • International Tax
   • IRS
   • CPA
   • Appeals
   • Legal Research
   • Financial Statements
   • Legal Advice
   • GAAP
   • LLC
   • Estate Planning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the death administration department with approximately thirty-five plus estates through trust administration, Medicaid estate recovery or probate.
   • Review IRS propose regulations, advisory letters and technical advice memorandums for tax litigation.
   • Probate practice - estates and protect individuals.
   • Participate in legal document review and compliance for large complex civil litigation matters.
   • Represent individual and institutional clients in all aspects of commercial and residential real estate acquisition, financing and leasing and foreclosure.
   • Handle all aspects of discovery including preparing interrogatories, document requests, taking and defending depositions and responding to discovery requests.

   More tax attorney duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your tax attorney job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A tax attorney salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a tax attorney in South Dakota may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level tax attorney usually earns less than a senior-level tax attorney. Additionally, a tax attorney with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average tax attorney salary

   $85,681yearly

   $41.19 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level tax attorney salary

   $50,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 9, 2025

   Average tax attorney salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$118,566	$57
   2	New York	$115,349	$55
   3	Massachusetts	$115,223	$55
   4	District of Columbia	$109,692	$53
   5	New Jersey	$91,933	$44
   6	Washington	$88,662	$43
   7	Arizona	$83,216	$40
   8	Virginia	$81,712	$39
   9	Illinois	$80,834	$39
   10	Texas	$80,301	$39
   11	Tennessee	$78,729	$38
   12	Pennsylvania	$72,486	$35
   13	Florida	$70,415	$34
   14	Michigan	$69,499	$33
   15	Ohio	$66,823	$32
   16	Minnesota	$66,803	$32
   17	Oklahoma	$56,790	$27
   18	Missouri	$52,555	$25

   Average tax attorney salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld	$208,655	$100.31
   2	Mayer Brown	$196,397	$94.42
   3	Exxon Mobil	$147,394	$70.86	5
   4	D. E. Shaw group	$125,967	$60.56
   5	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$116,882	$56.19	6
   6	GW & Wade	$101,205	$48.66
   7	Ulmer & Berne	$100,472	$48.30
   8	Equifax	$99,124	$47.66	6
   9	Florida Power and Light	$98,904	$47.55	18
   10	Wells Fargo	$92,750	$44.59
   11	Woods Oviatt Gilman	$89,536	$43.05
   12	Trust Point	$87,260	$41.95
   13	GPAC	$84,233	$40.50
   14	BCG Attorney Search	$84,109	$40.44
   15	Smoker Craft Boats	$83,852	$40.31
   16	Siemens	$83,394	$40.09
   17	Procopio	$82,141	$39.49
   18	Robert Half	$81,882	$39.37	685
   19	Diedre Moire	$81,337	$39.10
   20	Phillips Lytle	$80,449	$38.68	8

4. Writing a tax attorney job description

   A tax attorney job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a tax attorney job description:

   Tax attorney job description example

   Under general supervision, assists the Tax Collector Attorney in all duties related to the Legal Section within the Office of Treasurer & Tax Collector, including section management, interpreting and carrying out existing methods and procedures relative to the legal processes of the Office of the Tax Collector; making regular important contacts with other legal representatives, court officials and outside organizations and agencies in connection with the legal aspects of the office operation; preparing and reviewing complex and important legal instruments, papers and legislation; and initiates or defends civil complaints in all courts (state and federal district) to enforce collection of delinquent tax and debt obligations within the jurisdiction of the Office. Performs other related duties as assigned.
   The essential duties and responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to:
   
   Formulates and implements litigation strategy in contested cases including pre-trial discovery, motion practice, alternative dispute resolution, and conducts court trial when necessary.
   
   Assigns and directs legal assistants in performing some or all of these litigation tasks.
   
   Analyzes bankruptcy notices and pleadings and takes effective legal action in the bankruptcy court and through negotiation with debtor counsel to maximize department recovery on tax and other monetary claims.
   
   Makes recommendations to the Bureau of Delinquent Revenue (BDR) Bankruptcy Unit for improvement in internal bankruptcy procedures, and gives specific oral and written advice on bankruptcy cases.
   
   Assumes primary responsibility for enforcing payment of third party hospital lien accounts, including Workers' Compensation Appeals Board hospital lien accounts referred to Legal Section and of first party creditor claims in probate matters.
   
   Provides legal advice to the Tax Collector and Section supervisors on collection related topics that range in complexity from short case specific e-mails to formal researched advice memoranda.
   
   Provides advice and recommendations for internal administrative procedures that facilitate the hospital lien collection process.
   
   Assumes the functions of Legal Section Manager in the absence of the Tax Collector Attorney and directly supervises paralegal(s) and other staff in the performance of duties, including public records issues, summary judgments and post-judgment collections actions.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right tax attorney for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with tax attorneys they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit tax attorneys who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your tax attorney job on Zippia to find and recruit tax attorney candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with tax attorney candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new tax attorney

   Once you've selected the best tax attorney candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new tax attorney. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a tax attorney?