Federal
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November 06, 2024
Atty Failed To Prove Theft Loss, Tax Court Says
An attorney is not entitled to deduct a theft loss for his legal expenses after a company he managed was sued for fraud, the U.S. Tax Court ruled Wednesday, sustaining the Internal Revenue Service's determination that he owed taxes and penalties.
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November 06, 2024
Transport Co. Owner Failed To Report Income, Tax Court Says
The owner of a medical transportation company didn't report $125,000 of income on his individual tax return as required of disregarded entities with sole shareholders, the U.S. Tax Court said Wednesday in a ruling that sustained a determination by the Internal Revenue Service.
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November 06, 2024
Gov't Urges 11th Circ. To Rethink FBAR Excessive Fine Ruling
The Eleventh Circuit should reconsider its decision that some of the $12.6 million in penalties the Internal Revenue Service imposed on a man for willfully failing to report his foreign bank accounts violated the Eighth Amendment's bar on excessive fines, the U.S. government said.
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November 06, 2024
NJ Employer Admits To Evading $3.5M In Payroll Taxes
A New Jersey owner of a shipping and logistics company pled guilty to having a role in a $3.5 million payroll tax evasion scheme, New Jersey federal prosecutors said.
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November 06, 2024
Tax Court To Rethink $1.9M Deduction Denial Post-Chevron
The U.S. Tax Court agreed to reconsider its denial of a $1.9 million tax break for farming sought by a Texas couple, saying it will examine whether a subsequent U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning long-standing deference to federal agencies invalidates regulations at issue in the case.
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November 06, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Revisit IRS' Rejection Of Compromise
The Ninth Circuit said it won't reconsider its August decision that a man who owed $50 million in taxes and offered to settle part of his debt was correctly denied a compromise by the Internal Revenue Service.
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November 05, 2024
Trump Victory Boosts GOP Push To Extend 2017 Tax Law
Former President Donald Trump's projected reelection early Wednesday gave GOP lawmakers a strong boost in their efforts to renew major parts of the 2017 tax law that will expire next year, further dimming Democrats' hopes of promoting tax fairness by increasing rates on wealthy corporations and individuals.
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November 05, 2024
Trump Has Official Immunity. What About His Aides?
Whether the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity extends to subordinates who follow a president's orders has become a more pressing question in the wake of Donald Trump's projected election win, according to legal experts.
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November 05, 2024
How Trump Can Quash His Criminal Cases
Donald Trump's projected victory at the polls also translates to a win in the courts, as the second-term president will have the power to end both of his federal criminal cases. And the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity would shield him from any consequences for ordering his charges to be dismissed, experts say.
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November 05, 2024
An Early Look At Trump's Supreme Court Shortlist
With former President Donald Trump projected to win the 2024 presidential election and the Republicans' success in securing the U.S. Senate majority, Trump may now get the chance to appoint two more justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, cementing the court's conservative tilt for decades to come.
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November 05, 2024
GOP's Senate Win Hands Future Of The Judiciary To Trump
Republicans were projected to take back the White House and Senate and possibly the House early Wednesday, putting the GOP in position to back Donald Trump's agenda and his slate of young, conservative judicial nominees.
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November 05, 2024
The Firms With An Inside Track To A New Trump Admin
Law firms that have represented Donald Trump and the Republican Party on everything from personal legal woes to election-related lawsuits could see the risks of that work pay dividends as Trump is projected to secure a second term in office.
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November 05, 2024
Father, Daughter Attys Ask To Avoid Prison For Tax Scheme
Father and daughter attorneys convicted of participating in a multimillion-dollar tax avoidance scheme asked a North Carolina federal court to spare them prison sentences, with the daughter saying her father should have protected her and the father highlighting his mental illness.
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November 05, 2024
11th Circ. Says IRS Summons Doesn't Violate 5th Amendment
A Florida federal court didn't err when it upheld an Internal Revenue Service summons, the Eleventh Circuit said, saying it was unconvinced by a taxpayer's argument that the summons violated his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.
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November 05, 2024
CPA Group Urges IRS To Promote Digital Asset Basis Relief
The U.S. Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service should promote a safe harbor for taxpayers that plan to allocate the unused basis of their digital assets before a Jan. 1 deadline for using the relief, a certified public accountants group said in a letter released Tuesday.
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November 05, 2024
Crypto Council Seeks Delay In Digital Asset Broker Regs
The IRS should delay the effective date of a requirement in the digital assets broker regulations that calls for identifying units of the assets in the broker's custody until the agency clarifies the provision, a global council of cryptocurrency companies said in a letter released Tuesday.
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November 05, 2024
2nd Circ. Urged To Rethink Dual Citizen's FBAR Penalties
A dual U.S.-French citizen found liable for tax penalties by the Second Circuit for hiding millions of dollars in foreign accounts asked the court Tuesday to reconsider, saying American authorities demanded she participate in a deposition that would have put her in legal jeopardy abroad.
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November 05, 2024
On The Ground: How Attorneys Safeguarded The Election
Attorneys worked tirelessly Tuesday to support citizens and election workers on the final day of voting in one of history's most contentious presidential contests.
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November 04, 2024
'Oh, Come On': 5th Circ. Doubts Intuit Ads Misled Consumers
The Fifth Circuit on Monday seemed skeptical that the company behind TurboTax duped customers into thinking they could file their tax returns for free, with judges engaging in a lengthy back-and-forth with the Federal Trade Commission over how noticeable disclosures on the ads had to be for the agency to consider them truthful.
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November 04, 2024
2nd Circ. Rejects Man's Challenge To IRS Lien For $4.2M
The U.S. Tax Court correctly found that the IRS appeals office didn't abuse its powers by approving the agency's federal tax lien to collect $4.2 million from a man with a court-ordered payment plan, the Second Circuit said.
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November 04, 2024
Ga. Tax Preparer Gets 28 Months In $5M Tax Scheme
A Georgia accountant was sentenced to more than two years in prison for his role in promoting syndicated conservation easements that resulted in a $5 million tax loss to the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
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November 04, 2024
US Must Pay Legal Fees To Challenger Of IRS Guidance
A Michigan federal judge ordered the U.S. to pay roughly $220,000 in attorney fees to a construction company that won its challenge to Internal Revenue Service penalties and overturned underlying agency guidance, rejecting a magistrate judge's recommendation that the company foot its own bill.
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November 04, 2024
Ukrainian Pleads To $11M Tax Fraud, Immigration Scheme
A Ukrainian national charged for immigration fraud and money laundering has pled guilty and could face 20 years in prison, the U.S. Justice Department announced.
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November 04, 2024
Justices Won't Hear UBS Suit Over Disclosed Account Info
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a couple's suit accusing UBS of fraudulently flagging an account to the Internal Revenue Service in violation of civil provisions under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
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November 04, 2024
Justices Let Stand Bar On Late-Filed Returns In Bankruptcy
The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it would let stand a Ninth Circuit decision finding late-filed returns prevented a taxpayer from discharging his federal tax debt in bankruptcy, rejecting the taxpayer's request to resolve what he described as a significant circuit split.
Expert Analysis
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4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year
As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.
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What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like
As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
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4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News
Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.
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Unpacking The Proposed Production Tax Credit Regulations
Recently proposed tax regulations for claiming the U.S. clean-energy manufacturers' production credit under Internal Revenue Code Section 45X are less stringent than many had feared but fail to define a fundamental eligibility requirement, say Casey August and Jared Sanders at Morgan Lewis.
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10 Considerations For Litigating A New York Tax Case
While some of New York’s recently adopted corporate tax regulations are likely to face legal challenges, aggrieved taxpayers should answer certain questions before deciding to embark on the tax litigation process, say Cyavash Ahmadi and Jeffrey Friedman at Eversheds Sutherland.
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Charting The Course For Digital Assets In 2024
Although 2023 was a tough year for the digital asset industry, upcoming court decisions, legislation and regulatory action will bring clarity, allowing the industry to expand and evolve, and the government will decide what innovation it will allow without challenge, says Joshua Smeltzer at Gray Reed.
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Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends
Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.
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Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities
Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.
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How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season
Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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Giving The Gov't Drug Patent March-In Authority Is Bad Policy
The Biden administration's recent proposal to allow government seizure of certain taxpayer-funded drug patents is a terrible idea that would negate the benefits of government-funded research, to the detriment of patients and the wider economy, says Wayne Winegarden at Pacific Research Institute.
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How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape
The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.
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How 'As Such' Changes LPs' Self-Employment Tax Exposure
In light of the U.S. Tax Court’s recent Soroban Capital Partners decision hinging on "as such" to define the statutory limited partners exemption, state law limited partnerships should consider partners' roles and responsibilities before determining whether they are obligated to pay self-employment income tax, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.