Federal

  • February 07, 2025

    Goldstein's Pro Se Filing Irks Feds Amid Murky Atty Situation

    Prosecutors have asked a Maryland federal judge to strike a pro se motion from Tom Goldstein in his tax evasion case, saying the U.S. Supreme Court attorney and SCOTUSblog publisher shouldn't be allowed to personally make arguments to the court when he is represented by several experienced lawyers.

  • February 07, 2025

    IRS System Error Leads To $43.7M In Faulty Refunds

    The Internal Revenue Service processing system's handling of dishonored checks may have caused as much as $43.7 million in erroneous refunds to be distributed, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said, though it noted the agency already has settled on a fix.

  • February 07, 2025

    Former Top Congressional Investigator Leaves Lasting Legacy

    Elise J. Bean, former chief counsel for the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, is remembered for leading landmark bipartisan congressional probes, which exposed massive tax and financial scandals with findings that helped pave the way for game-changing legislation.

  • February 07, 2025

    Florida Couple Owed $14M Tax Refund, Court Told

    A couple claiming they overpaid their taxes asked a Florida federal court for help getting a nearly $14 million refund, saying they asked the IRS for the money more than four years ago, but the agency has yet to make a decision or explain the delay. 

  • February 07, 2025

    Weekly Internal Revenue Bulletin

    The Internal Revenue Service's weekly bulletin, issued Friday, included the release of the first annual table showing the types of facilities eligible for the clean energy production and investment tax credits.

  • February 06, 2025

    State AGs To Sue Over DOGE Access To Payment Systems

    Over a dozen state attorneys general are set to file suit challenging Elon Musk and Department of Government Efficiency staffers' access to people's sensitive personal information through government payment systems, New York Attorney General Letitia James' office announced Thursday.

  • February 06, 2025

    Senate Approves Trump's Pick To Lead OMB

    The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to confirm President Donald Trump's pick — one of the authors of the controversial Project 2025, a conservative policy wish list — to again oversee the Office of Management and Budget.

  • February 06, 2025

    Dems Demand Info On DOGE's Taxpayer Data Access

    House Ways and Means Committee Democrats demanded in a letter released Thursday to know whether Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has been given access to individuals' confidential tax data.

  • February 06, 2025

    Baker McKenzie Partner Rejoins Firm From Apple

    Baker McKenzie announced that a former partner specializing in trade and customs law has rejoined the firm after serving as principal counsel and the lead adviser on global trade matters for Apple.

  • February 06, 2025

    Trump Lays Out Tax Priorities In Meeting With GOP

    President Donald Trump encouraged Republican leaders in Congress to fulfill his campaign promises to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits, overtime pay and tips and to renew the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act this year, a White House spokesperson told reporters Thursday.

  • February 06, 2025

    Democrats Pitch Taxing Carried Interest As Ordinary Income

    Democrats in the House of Representatives and Senate proposed on Thursday ending the favorable tax treatment of income from carried interest, saying they want to close what they describe as a tax loophole that unfairly benefits professional investors. 

  • February 06, 2025

    US To Appeal Block On Corporate Transparency Act

    The federal government plans to challenge an order preventing it from enforcing the Corporate Transparency Act's reporting requirements for businesses, following the U.S. Supreme Court's pause of another nationwide block on the law in a separate case, according to a notice filed in a Texas federal court.

  • February 06, 2025

    IRS Correctly Upheld Levy On $11.2M Tax Bill

    The IRS correctly upheld a levy for over $11.2 million in quarterly taxes owed by a South Carolina business, the U.S. Tax Court said Thursday, finding that it brought a collection alternative on to-be-processed employee retention credits too late.

  • February 06, 2025

    Musk's Access To Records Blocked In DOGE, Treasury Suit

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Thursday approved a consent order blocking Elon Musk and additional Department of Government Efficiency employees from accessing the federal government's payment systems, although a "special government employee" will have limited access as the Treasury Department and suing plaintiffs spar over a preliminary injunction.

  • February 06, 2025

    Family Says Tax Shelter Creator To Blame In $81M IRS Case

    Counsel for members of a wealthy extended family accused of shorting the IRS nearly $81 million by knowingly participating in an unlawful tax shelter told a Manhattan federal judge Thursday that the creator of the so-called Son-of-Boss scheme is to blame.

  • February 06, 2025

    Metals Dealer Says Partners Lost $12M In Attys' Tax Scam

    A precious metals dealer and his partners said they were fleeced of $12 million by attorneys who directed them to form a partnership and take illegal tax deductions for intellectual property, according to a complaint filed in Colorado federal court.

  • February 06, 2025

    Trump's Federal Worker Buyout Plan Put On Hold

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Thursday put on hold the Trump administration's "deferred resignation" program for federal employees, delaying the deadline for workers to accept the offer until Monday while the court weighs the legality of the move.

  • February 06, 2025

    6th Circ. Won't Reconsider Gold Broker's $3M Tax Bill

    A Tennessee gold and silver broker found liable for $3 million in tax deficiencies after he presented fatuous arguments in the Sixth Circuit that he wasn't subject to income taxes will not have his case reheard by the appellate court, the court said Thursday.

  • February 05, 2025

    Key IRS Workers Can't Do 'Resign' Deal Until After Tax Season

    Internal Revenue Service workers were notified Wednesday that employees working in positions considered necessary to the tax filing season can't accept President Donald Trump's resignation offer until mid-May.

  • February 05, 2025

    Israeli Law Firm Allowed To Amend Suit Against GILTI Regs

    A D.C. federal court on Wednesday let the owner of an Israeli law firm amend his challenge of regulations for the U.S. tax on global intangible low-taxed income, a provision of the 2017 tax overhaul.

  • February 05, 2025

    US Bill Aims To Ax Tax Incentives For Multinational Cos.

    Congress should repeal and replace federal tax measures that allow multinational corporations to reduce taxable income in the United States, including by holding assets abroad, according to two Democratic lawmakers who reintroduced a bill to that effect Wednesday.

  • February 05, 2025

    Dems Seek Further Review Of Treasury And DOGE

    Democrats are not satisfied with the answers they've received from the U.S. Department of Treasury on access granted to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to the federal payment system and are looking at other avenues to scrutinize his activity.

  • February 05, 2025

    Goldstein, Saying He's Mired In Debt, Asks To Redo Bail Terms

    Prominent U.S. Supreme Court attorney and SCOTUSblog publisher Tom Goldstein has a negative net worth of more than $3.3 million and is mired in debt to his attorneys, he said in a filing Wednesday seeking to modify the conditions of his release ahead of a trial on federal criminal tax evasion charges.

  • February 05, 2025

    Ex-Animal Hospital Owners Blame CPA For Taxes Paid Late

    A couple who owed $2.8 million in taxes after selling their veterinary hospital told an Idaho federal court that they missed the payment deadline because their accountant stopped responding to them after promising to finish their return, prompting them to hire a private investigator.

  • February 04, 2025

    External Revenue Service Could Help Solve Unpaid Duty Issue

    President Donald Trump's call for a new agency designed to collect trade revenue, billed as the External Revenue Service, may be more than a flashy concept and could tackle lingering inefficiencies associated with duty collection, experts say.

Expert Analysis

  • Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Is My Counterclaim Bound To Fall?

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    A Pennsylvania federal court’s recent dismissal of the defendants’ counterclaims in Morgan v. Noss should remind attorneys to avoid the temptation to repackage a claim’s facts and law into a mirror-image counterclaim, as this approach will often result in a waste of time and resources, says Matthew Selmasska at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • 3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture

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    Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents

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    Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

  • A Guide To Long-Term, Part-Time Employee Determinations

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    With final regulations under the Secure Act requiring 401(k) retirement benefits for long-term, part-time employees expected soon, Amy Sheridan and David Guadagnoli at Sullivan & Worcester look at how the proposed rules would shift the risk-reward calculus on excluding categories of employees, and what plan sponsors would need to consider when designing retirement plans.

  • After Chevron: Delegation Of Authority And Tax Regulators

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    The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service will face higher standards following Loper Bright’s finding that courts should determine whether agency rules meet the best possible interpretation of the tax code, as well as the scope of the authority delegated by Congress, says Edward Froelich at McDermott.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

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    As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

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    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Preserving Payment Rights

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    Stephanie Magnell and Zachary Jacobson at Seyfarth examine three recent decisions that together illustrate the importance of keeping accurate records and adhering to contractual procedures to avoid inadvertently waiving contractual rights to cost reimbursements or nonroutine payments.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step

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    From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • After Jarkesy, IRS Must Course-Correct On Captive Insurance

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision has profound implications for other agencies, including the IRS, which must stop ignoring due process and curtailing congressional intent in its policing of captive insurance arrangements, says Peter Dawson at the 831(b) Institute.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

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