Tax

Kentucky Tax Talk: What Appeals Board Reinstatement Means

While local customs and precedent set by the Kentucky Board of Tax Appeals prior to 2016 will likely be back upon the board's pending reinstatement, taxpayers and practitioners should be aware of several important practice and structural changes, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

Guest Feature

5 Ways Firms Can Avoid Female Atty Exodus During Pandemic

The pandemic's disproportionate impact on women presents law firms with a unique opportunity to devise innovative policies that will address the increasing home life demands female lawyers face and help retain them long after COVID-19 is over, say Roberta Liebenberg at Fine Kaplan and Stephanie Scharf at Scharf Banks.

IRS Real Estate Push Should Wake Up Foreign Investors

Two recently announced Internal Revenue Service audit campaigns targeting nonresident alien investment in U.S. real estate should prompt foreign investors to prepare for greater scrutiny as the agency works to improve tax compliance around such transactions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

NY Tax Talk: Trump Tax Returns, Revenue Rebound, Reform

In the latest New York tax news update, Craig Reilly at Hodgson Russ discusses President Donald Trump's ongoing tax return disclosure battle, a rebound in the state's post-COVID-19 revenue decline, noteworthy tax appeals cases involving Disney and Mars, and recent guidance on corporate tax reform.

Facing Policy Shifts, Oil And Gas Cos. Need Depreciation Help

As cost and policy considerations accelerate the shift away from oil and gas, legacy energy companies need the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reevaluate depreciation schedules for assets such as pipelines and gas-fired power plants, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

How The State And Local Regulatory Landscape Is Expanding

States and localities are employing creative methods to emerge as key players in regulatory enforcement traditionally dominated by the federal government, including False Claims Act investigations, unfair and deceptive acts and practices claims, and pharmaceutical sector regulation, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

Opinion

Colo. Ballot Measure Will Help Fix Property Tax Regime

If Colorado voters pass Amendment B in the upcoming election, it would repeal a now-unnecessary policy aimed at keeping residential property taxes low and serve as an important first step in providing the General Assembly with the flexibility and discretion it needs to responsibly allocate tax revenues, say Jonathan Bender and Colin Oldberg at Holland & Hart.

Outside Whistleblowers Are Critical To Exposing Fraud

Outsiders like industry experts, competitors, public interest organizations and concerned citizens often have deep knowledge, industry data and financial incentives that put them in a better position than insiders to spot fraud, say attorneys at Youman & Caputo, Fox Rothschild, Goldstein & Russell and Herrera Purdy.

Opinion

Lawyers Must Fight Voter Suppression This Election Season

Lawyers should use their unique skill sets, knowledge and spheres of influence to fight burdensome ID requirements and other voter suppression tactics that may influence the 2020 elections, and to participate in potential post-election litigation, say CK Hoffler and Allyce Bailey at the National Bar Association.

Why Online Mediation May Be Here To Stay

Videoconferenced mediation offers several advantages and helps cases settle faster and more cordially, making it hard to imagine going back to logistically difficult in-person dispute resolution after COVID-19 restrictions are gone, says Sidney Kanazawa at ARC.

Inside The IRS' Final First-Year Depreciation Tax Regulations

Daniel Kiely and Minju Kim at Mayer Brown discuss key issues and clarifications associated with the Internal Revenue Service's recently finalized regulations allowing companies to deduct depreciable assets the year the business puts them in place.

CFTC Climate Change Report Highlights Costs Of Inaction

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent report on climate change and financial markets makes it clear that while government regulation of carbon dioxide pollution may have negative consequences, letting greenhouse gas emissions go unaddressed could harm investors, asset managers and financial institutions, says Nicholas Fox at Goldberg Segalla.

Clients Have The Power To Promote Wellness At Law Firms

Law firm clients can play a role in lowering mental distress in the legal profession by seeking lawyer wellness data from firms and factoring those responses into outside counsel hiring decisions, says Jonathan Prokup at Cigna.

Opinion

Appellate Courts Should Welcome Well-Crafted Amicus Briefs

A Seventh Circuit judge's recent order granting leave for three organizations to file amicus curiae briefs in Prairie Rivers Network v. Dynegy Midwest Generation is a reminder that relevant, nonduplicative amicus briefs can provide courts with helpful perspective, important facts and legal arguments, says Lawrence Ebner at Capital Appellate Advocacy.

What Hiring Law Firms Should Consider Instead Of Grades

With law schools forgoing traditional grading due to the pandemic, hiring firms that have heavily weighted first-year grades during the on-campus interview process should turn to metrics that allow a more holistic view of a candidate, says Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.