Federal

  • May 20, 2025

    Tax Petition Deadline Is Flexible, Advocates Tell 8th Circ.

    A couple who missed the 90-day deadline for challenging their tax bill in the U.S. Tax Court should be allowed to bring their case anyway, a taxpayer advocacy group told the Eighth Circuit, urging it to follow the Third Circuit and find that the deadline is flexible.

  • May 20, 2025

    Renewable Energy Tax Pro Rejoins Baker McKenzie In Miami

    A former Baker McKenzie attorney rejoined the firm as a partner in Miami to help grow its North America tax practice after most recently working at Dickinson Wright PLLC.

  • May 20, 2025

    IRS Nabs Partial Win In $1.5M Tax Suit Against Former US Atty

    A Nevada federal judge partly granted the U.S. government's bid for summary judgment in its suit to recover nearly $1.5 million in unpaid taxes and criminal restitution from a former Nevada U.S. attorney, according to a court order.

  • May 20, 2025

    Gas Co. Seeks IRS Clarity On Clean Hydrogen Tax Credit

    A company that markets low-carbon gasses asked the Internal Revenue Service to clarify how natural gas alternatives can be delivered to hydrogen producers in compliance with the final regulations for the clean hydrogen tax credit program, called Section 45V, according to a letter released Tuesday.

  • May 20, 2025

    Exxon Asks For 5 More Additions To Taxable Substances List

    The Internal Revenue Service asked for comments Tuesday on proposals by Exxon Mobil to add five more chemicals to the agency's list of taxable substances, bringing the company's total requests this month to 21 chemicals.

  • May 19, 2025

    Goldstein Assails 'Radical' DOJ Case, Probe Of 'Sexual Habits'

    In his most forceful attack on tax evasion charges that have roiled the U.S. Supreme Court bar, indicted appellate icon Thomas C. Goldstein is accusing the U.S. Department of Justice of embracing "breathtaking" legal theories and revealing prurient information about him "to bias the grand jury."

  • May 19, 2025

    Vanguard $40M Deal Rejected In Investors' Tax Fight

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Monday rejected a $40 million proposed settlement between Vanguard and investors, blocking the investors' attorneys from netting $13 million in fees and embracing the objections of one investor who called out the deal — meant to compensate for surprise tax bills — as worthless. 

  • May 19, 2025

    Feds Say Unions' Downsizing Suit Should Be Tossed

    The Trump administration urged a federal judge in D.C. to toss a lawsuit challenging three federal downsizing initiatives, arguing that the claims brought by labor unions representing federal employees belong before the agency charged with adjudicating such disputes.

  • May 19, 2025

    Full Tax Court Sends 'Seriously Delinquent' Debt Case To Trial

    The U.S. Tax Court decided Monday for the first time that its review of a challenge to an IRS certification of tax debt as "seriously delinquent" is not limited to the agency's administrative record, saying a trial is needed in a man's case to determine the facts.

  • May 19, 2025

    $2M Trust Inheritance Is Includable In Estate, Tax Court Says

    A $2 million distribution from a Kentucky man's estate to his widow is includable in his estate as a terminable interest, but a $300,000 distribution qualifies for a marital deduction and is not considered a terminable interest, the U.S. Tax Court said Monday.

  • May 19, 2025

    Tax Court Axes Deductions For Pakistani Gas Station Losses

    An Ohio couple couldn't provide any compelling evidence that they should be allowed to take over $127,000 in business deductions they said were tied to a gas refilling station they opened in Pakistan, the U.S. Tax Court ruled Monday.

  • May 19, 2025

    Taxpayer Data Increasingly At Risk From DOGE, Court Told

    A group of unions and advocacy organizations trying to block the White House's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing confidential taxpayer data told a D.C. federal court they fear the data is already being shared with federal agencies beyond the IRS.

  • May 19, 2025

    Cheesesteak Shop Owner's Sentence For Tax Scheme Vacated

    A Philadelphia cheesesteak shop owner sentenced to almost two years in prison for a conspiracy to pay employees under the table could get a lighter sentence after the Third Circuit ruled he was wrongly given extra time for swaying workers who were actually in on the tax scheme.

  • May 19, 2025

    US Budget Would Hike Taxes On Foreign Firms, Individuals

    Foreign firms and individuals from countries with "unfair" fiscal policies such as digital services taxes, diverted profits taxes and the global minimum tax's backstop would pay higher U.S. taxes under the spending bill approved by the House Budget Committee.

  • May 19, 2025

    11th Circ. Affirms Estate Can't Deduct $3M Paid To Stepkids

    The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of tax deductions that a corporate attorney's estate claimed for distributing $3 million to his stepchildren, saying the payments were not financial obligations the attorney had owed at the time of his death.

  • May 19, 2025

    GAO Calls For Greater Oversight Of Energy Tax Expenditures

    The Internal Revenue Service needs to have greater scrutiny over the implementation of 21 Inflation Reduction Act energy tax provisions aimed at supporting greenhouse gas emissions and other climate goals, including evaluation and fraud prevention, the Government Accountability Office said Monday.

  • May 19, 2025

    Avenatti Rips 'Draconian' Bid To Add 13 Years To Sentence

    Former high-profile attorney Michael Avenatti asked a California federal judge to reject the government's request to tack on more than 13 years to his prison term, saying such a "draconian" result would conflict with a Ninth Circuit ruling wiping out a previous sentence in the fraud case.

  • May 19, 2025

    7 Taxpayer Advocacy Panel Meetings Set For June

    Seven Taxpayer Advocacy Panel committees will meet in June to discuss possible customer service improvements, the Internal Revenue Service said in notices Monday.

  • May 16, 2025

    Trump Calls On Justices To Stay Block Of Gov't Restructuring

    President Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to pause a California federal judge's order temporarily halting agencies from implementing an executive order to plan reorganizations and reductions in force, claiming the lower court's decision has caused confusion and wasted taxpayer dollars.

  • May 16, 2025

    Korean-Language News Co. Cuts $4.3M Deal In Tax Case

    A Korean-language news publication reached a settlement with the U.S. government that will let it pay $4.3 million to resolve an agreed-upon tax judgment of $9.1 million plus interest, according to a stipulated order entered in California federal court.

  • May 16, 2025

    Congress Hitting Back After Int'l Tax Talks, US Official Says

    The House Ways and Means Committee's tax bill includes retaliatory measures against certain foreign taxes because lawmakers were dissatisfied with international administrative guidance they thought undermined their tax sovereignty, a U.S. Treasury Department official said Friday.

  • May 16, 2025

    Key House Panel Advances Budget With $3.8T Tax Overhaul

    The House Budget Committee voted late Sunday to approve the chamber's budget reconciliation package, including a $3.8 trillion tax bill that would renew and make permanent large parts of the GOP's 2017 tax overhaul law.

  • May 16, 2025

    The Tax Angle: Year-End Extenders, IRS Direct File

    From a look at the possibility of Congress passing a year-end budget and tax extenders bill to efforts to keep the IRS Direct File program afloat, here's a peek into a reporter's notebook on a few of the week's developing tax stories.

  • May 16, 2025

    Truck Co. Asks 6th Circ. To Rethink Excise Tax Reversal

    A company seeking $268 million in excise tax exemptions for its refurbished tractors asked the Sixth Circuit to reconsider its decision that the tractors might not qualify because they may have previously been sold to tax-exempt buyers, saying the appeals court mistakenly considered unrelated laws.

  • May 16, 2025

    11th Circ. Rejects Tax Debt Protest Over Judge's Expired Term

    The IRS can move forward in collecting a decades-old tax debt from a former attorney despite his claim that a judge in an underlying proceeding lacked authority because his term had expired before the proceedings ended, the Eleventh Circuit said.

Expert Analysis

  • Top 3 Litigation Finance Deal-Killers, And How To Avoid Them

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    Like all transactions, litigation finance deals can sometimes collapse, but understanding the most common reasons for failure, including a lack of trust or a misunderstanding of deal terms, can help both parties avoid problems, say Rebecca Berrebi at Avenue 33 and Boris Ziser at Schulte Roth.

  • A 2-Step System For Choosing A Digital Asset Reporting Path

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    Under the Internal Revenue Service's new digital asset reporting regulation, each type of asset may have three potential reporting destinations, so a detailed testing framework can help to determine the appropriate path, says Keval Sonecha at Sonecha & Amlani.

  • How Attys Can Use A Therapy Model To Help Triggered Clients

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    Attorneys can lean on key principles from a psychotherapeutic paradigm known as the "Internal Family Systems" model to help manage triggered clients and get settlement negotiations back on track, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.

  • 3 Steps For In-House Counsel To Assess Litigation Claims

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    Before a potential economic downturn, in-house attorneys should investigate whether their company is sitting on hidden litigation claims that could unlock large recoveries to help the business withstand tough times, says Will Burgess at Hilgers Graben.

  • IRS And ICE Info Sharing Could Drive Payroll Tax Enforcement

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    Tax crimes are historically difficult to prosecute, but the Internal Revenue Services’ recent agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to share taxpayer records of non-U.S. citizens could be used to enhance payroll tax-related enforcement against their employers, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Enviro To Mid-Law

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    Practitioners leaving a longtime government role for private practice — as when I departed the U.S. Department of Justice’s environmental enforcement division — should prioritize finding a firm that shares their principles, values their experience and will invest in their transition, says John Cruden at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • Legal Ethics Considerations For Law Firm Pro Bono Deals

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    If a law firm enters into a pro bono deal with the Trump administration in exchange for avoiding or removing an executive order, it has an ethical obligation to create a written settlement agreement with specific terms, which would mitigate some potential conflict of interest problems, says Andrew Altschul at Buchanan Angeli.

  • 10 Arbitrations And A 5th Circ. Ruling Flag Arb. Clause Risks

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    The ongoing arbitral saga of Sullivan v. Feldman, which has engendered proceedings before 10 different arbitrators in Texas and Louisiana along with last month's Fifth Circuit opinion, showcases both the risks and limitations of arbitration clauses in retainer agreements for resolving attorney-client disputes, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.

  • Notable Q1 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    The first quarter of 2025 was filled with the refinement of old theories in the property and casualty space, including in vehicle valuation, time to seek appraisal and materials depreciation, says Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler.

  • The Benefits Of Aligning States On Legal Paraprofessionals

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    Texas' proposal to become the latest state to license paraprofessional providers of limited legal services could help firms expand their reach and improve access to justice, but consumers, attorneys and allied legal professionals would benefit even more if similar programs across the country become more uniform, says Michael Houlberg at the University of Denver.

  • 10 Soft Skills Every GC Should Master

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    As businesses face shifting regulatory and technological uncertainty, general counsel will need to strengthen certain soft skills to succeed, from admitting when they make a mistake to maintaining a healthy dose of dispassion, says Douglas Brown at Manatt.

  • An Unrestrained, Bright-Eyed View Of Legal AI's Future

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    Todd Itami at Covington offers a bright-eyed, laughing-all-the-way, skydive look at what the legal industry could look like after an artificial intelligence revolution, which he believes may happen much sooner and more dramatically than we expect.

  • Tracking The Evolution In Litigation Finance

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    Despite continued innovation, litigation finance remains an immature market with borrowers recieving significantly different terms as lenders learn to value cases, which firms need a strong handle on to ensure lending terms do not overwhelm collateral value, says Robert Wilkins at Lightfoot Franklin.

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