Federal

  • January 21, 2025

    Senate Finance Committee Approves Trump's Treasury Pick

    The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday approved Scott Bessent, President Donald Trump's nominee for treasury secretary, sending his nomination to the full Senate for a vote.

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump Order Places IRS Under Indefinite Hiring Freeze

    President Donald Trump said a hiring freeze that he ordered at federal government agencies will be harsher at the Internal Revenue Service, with the agency requiring an extra layer of review, with no specified end date, before hiring can restart.

  • January 17, 2025

    Law360 Names Practice Groups Of The Year

    Law360 would like to congratulate the winners of its Practice Groups of the Year awards for 2024, which honor the attorney teams behind litigation wins and significant transaction work that resonated throughout the legal industry this past year.

  • January 17, 2025

    Law360 Names Firms Of The Year

    Eight law firms have earned spots as Law360's Firms of the Year, with 54 Practice Group of the Year awards among them, steering some of the largest deals of 2024 and securing high-profile litigation wins, including at the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • January 17, 2025

    Par Funding's Fraud Caused $288M In Losses, Pa. Judge Says

    Par Funding caused $288 million in losses stemming from a scheme to defraud investors who poured money into its cash advance business, a Pennsylvania federal judge said Friday, days after holding an evidentiary hearing where the government and the defendants sparred over dueling loss amounts.

  • January 17, 2025

    Feds Say Pa. Investment Adviser Stole $20M From Clients

    A Pennsylvania investment adviser's alleged misappropriation of more than $20 million worth of client funds has landed him criminal charges and civil enforcement action from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

  • January 17, 2025

    US Guidance On Amount B Carries Potential For Disputes

    Recent IRS guidance on a simplified and streamlined transfer pricing method for certain cross-border transactions, known as Amount B, suggests rulemakers want feedback on how it would work if it were made mandatory, but that approach could lead to controversy without global cooperation.

  • January 17, 2025

    Bill Aims To Extend Biogas Investment Credit Through 2025

    A bill in the U.S. House of Representatives would extend the clean energy investment tax credit available for certain biogas facilities' equipment through the end of 2025 instead of at the end of 2024, the bill's sponsors said Friday.

  • January 17, 2025

    11th Circ. Urged To Reject Biz Owners' Tax Penalty Challenge

    The owners of an electronic parts company who asked the Eleventh Circuit to reverse a tax penalty and find that Tax Court judges have unconstitutional job protections failed to link the two and are not entitled to tax relief, the U.S. government said Friday.

  • January 17, 2025

    LA Crypto 'Godfather' Admits To $36M Meta Hacking Fraud

    A Los Angeles-based cryptocurrency founder who called himself "The Godfather" will plead guilty to earning $36 million through the sale of hacked Meta Platforms advertising accounts and evading taxes on the fraudulent profits, according to federal court documents unsealed Friday,

  • January 17, 2025

    IRS Rewrites Residential Green Energy Credit FAQ

    The Internal Revenue Service made substantial changes Friday to its fact sheet for the energy efficient home improvement and residential clean energy property tax credits.

  • January 17, 2025

    Meet The Key Players In Tom Goldstein's Tax-Crimes Case

    The tax-evasion indictment of U.S. Supreme Court expert lawyer and SCOTUSblog publisher Tom Goldstein features an eclectic cast of characters linked to his purported side career as a high-stakes poker player, including law firm partners, professional gamblers, a Texas billionaire, a movie producer and an actor.

  • January 17, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Simpson Thacher, Covington

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Eli Lilly and Co. buys a precision breast cancer program, Applied Digital Corp. enters a financing agreement for its high-performance computing business, Clearwater Analytics buys Enfusion, and Lantheus Holdings Inc. buys Life Molecular Imaging Ltd.

  • January 17, 2025

    Ex-Pol's Atty Chided For Early Morning Sentencing Memo

    The lawyer for a former Massachusetts state senator convicted of tax and pandemic aid fraud was scolded by a federal judge on Friday for filing a sentencing memo at 3:30 a.m. on the day of the hearing, then showing up late to court, forcing a postponement.

  • January 17, 2025

    Co. Suggests 4 Chemicals For Taxable Substances List

    The Internal Revenue Service is seeking comments on proposals from Occidental Chemical Corp. to add four chemicals to the Internal Revenue Code's list of taxable substances, the agency said Friday.

  • January 17, 2025

    IRS Commissioner To Step Down As Trump Takes Office

    Internal Revenue Commissioner Daniel Werfel is stepping down from his position in light of President-elect Donald Trump's intent to nominate former Rep. Billy Long to replace him, Werfel said in a message to the agency's employees Friday.

  • January 17, 2025

    Vanguard To Pay SEC, States $106M Over Surprise Tax Bills

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission was joined by dozens of state regulators Friday in announcing a $106.4 million settlement with The Vanguard Group Inc. over claims that the company misled investors about the heightened capital gains taxes they would have to pay on certain retirement savings accounts.

  • January 17, 2025

    Weekly Internal Revenue Bulletin

    The Internal Revenue Service's weekly bulletin, issued Friday, included revised rules for companies that file consolidated federal income tax returns to modernize previous rules' terminology, including removing gender-specific pronouns. 

  • January 16, 2025

    Trump's Treasury Pick Calls For Permanently Extending TCJA

    Congress must permanently extend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions set to expire this year to prevent the largest tax increase in history, Scott Bessent, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Treasury secretary, told the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday.

  • January 16, 2025

    Tax Court Denies Late Pass For Identity Theft

    A California couple cannot challenge an Internal Revenue Service decision to levy their state tax refund because they missed the deadline for filing a petition by four years, the U.S. Tax Court said Thursday, rejecting their request for an extension for dealing with identity theft.

  • January 16, 2025

    DOJ Tax Chief Touts Winning Court Record On Appeals

    The U.S. Department of Justice's Tax Division won an overwhelming majority of appeals in tax cases last year by prioritizing strong legal arguments in disputes that had the potential to significantly affect federal tax administration, the head of the division said Thursday.

  • January 16, 2025

    Tax Court Rejects Explanation For Unreported Wages

    A woman owes taxes on nearly $19,000 of unreported income she said she reported on a gift tax return, the U.S. Tax Court ruled Thursday, rejecting her argument that wages reported as gifts would not incur taxes.

  • January 16, 2025

    Tax Court Tosses Some Of Ind. Couple's Deduction Claims

    The U.S. Tax Court had mixed responses Thursday related to an Indiana couple's claimed business deductions tied to a rental property as well as itemized deductions related to the husband's work as an electrician, allowing some while saying others weren't properly substantiated.

  • January 16, 2025

    IRS Explains Changing Elective Payment Accounting Periods

    The IRS provided procedures Thursday for certain entities — including Native American tribes and state governments — that aren't required to file federal income tax returns but have chosen to make elective payments and want to change their taxable years to match their accounting periods.

  • January 16, 2025

    AmEx Inks $230M Deal Over DOJ, Fed Small Biz Sales Claims

    American Express has signed a nonprosecution agreement and said Thursday it will pay about $230 million to end investigations by the Department of Justice and the Federal Reserve into the financial services company's previous sales practices for some small business customers in the U.S.

Expert Analysis

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic

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    Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • The Art Of Asking: Leveraging Your Contacts For Referrals

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    Though attorneys may hesitate to ask for referral recommendations to generate new business, research shows that people want to help others they know, like and trust, so consider who in your network you should approach and how to make the ask, says Rebecca Hnatowski at Edwards Advisory.

  • Unpacking The Bill To Extend TCJA's Biz-Friendly Tax Breaks

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    Attorneys at Skadden examine how a bipartisan bill currently being considered by the U.S. Senate to save the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act's tax breaks for research and development costs, and other expiring business-friendly provisions, would affect taxpayers.

  • 4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy

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    With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.

  • IRS Sings New Tune: Whistleblower Form Update Is Welcome

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    In a significant reform at the Internal Revenue Service's Whistleblower Office, the recently introduced revisions to the Form 211 whistleblower award application use new technology and a more intuitive approach to streamline the process of reporting allegations of tax fraud committed by wealthy individuals and companies, says Benjamin Calitri at Kohn Kohn.

  • This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener

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    As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.

  • Energy Community Tax Credit Boost Will Benefit Wind Sector

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    Recent Internal Revenue Service guidance broadening tax credit eligibility to more parts of offshore wind facilities in so-called energy communities is a win for the industry, which stands to see more projects qualify for a particularly valuable bonus in the investment tax credit context due to the capital-intensive nature of offshore wind projects, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Weisselberg's Perjury At Trial Spotlights Atty Ethics Issues

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    Former Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg’s recent guilty plea for perjury in the New York attorney general's civil fraud trial should serve as a reminder to attorneys of their ethical duties when they know a client has lied or plans to lie in court, and the potential penalties for not fulfilling those obligations, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease

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    This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.

  • Why Supreme Court Should Allow Repatriation Tax To Stand

    If the U.S. Supreme Court doesn't reject the taxpayers' misguided claims in Moore v. U.S. that the mandatory repatriation tax is unconstitutional, it could wreak havoc on our system of taxation and result in a catastrophic loss of revenue for the government, say Christina Mason and Theresa Balducci at Herrick Feinstein.

  • For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill

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    A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Trump's NY Civil Fraud Trial Spotlights Long-Criticized Law

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    A New York court’s recent decision holding former President Donald Trump liable for fraud brought old criticisms of the state law used against him back into the limelight — including its strikingly broad scope and its major departures from the traditional elements of common law fraud, say Mark Kelley and Lois Ahn at MoloLamken.

  • Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea

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    A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.

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