Federal
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August 05, 2025
Simpson Thacher Adds Tax, Funds Pro From Dechert
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP announced Monday that it has continued its growth in the tax and registered funds spaces, welcoming a partner from Dechert LLP to its New York office.
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August 05, 2025
Swiss President Hustles To DC To Address 39% Tariff
Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter traveled Tuesday to Washington, D.C., for trade talks with the White House after Switzerland was hit with a 39% tariff on exports to the United States.
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August 05, 2025
IRS Floats Update To System For Fringe Benefits
The Internal Revenue Service floated rules Tuesday that would change its system of business classification for employees hoping to exclude fringe benefits and employee discounts from their gross income at tax time.
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August 05, 2025
Fed. Circ. Won't Revive Tax Whistleblower's Reward Suit
The government was not required to give a bigger whistleblower award to a former auditor who helped the Internal Revenue Service recover $180,000 in taxes, the Federal Circuit said Tuesday, affirming a ruling that a lower court lacked authority to hear her case.
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August 05, 2025
IRS Has Spent Nearly $5B Of Funding Boost In 2025
The Internal Revenue Service has spent nearly $5 billion so far this fiscal year of the funding it received under the Inflation Reduction Act, including $2.1 billion for operations support, the Treasury Inspector General For Tax Administration said in a report released Tuesday.
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August 04, 2025
Tax Court Declares Grocery Chain's In-House Insurer Ineligible
A grocery store chain's in-house insurance company did not operate as a normal insurer and therefore cannot deduct millions of dollars it received in insurance premiums, the U.S. Tax Court said Monday.
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August 04, 2025
NY Atty Found Guilty Of Duping Lender Who Backed Lien Biz
A Manhattan federal jury on Monday convicted a former compliance lawyer of pilfering from a $20 million line of credit extended to his tax-lien business by a subsidiary of Emigrant Bank.
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August 04, 2025
Duane Morris Avoids Employee's Tax Withholding Claim
A Duane Morris LLP employee cannot bring a claim that the firm failed to withhold taxes for employees who were misclassified as partners, a California federal court found, partially dismissing the proposed class action while giving her the option to amend her complaint.
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August 04, 2025
DOJ Defends IRS-ICE Data Sharing Pact In DC Circ.
The D.C. Circuit should reject four immigrant advocacy groups' push to prevent the IRS from disclosing confidential tax return information to immigration enforcement authorities, the government said Monday, arguing there's no concrete evidence that the information sharing will harm the groups' members.
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August 04, 2025
Judge Demands DOJ Explain Drop Of $47M Fat Brands Suit
A California federal court ordered the U.S. Department of Justice to explain why it wants to drop a criminal case against Fat Brands and its founder Andrew Wiederhorn after the government accused him of evading taxes in a scheme to disguise $47 million in compensation as loans.
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August 04, 2025
Tax AI Co. Blue J Raises $122M Series D To Expand
Blue J, a generative artificial intelligence-powered research platform for tax and legal practitioners, announced Monday the raising of $122 million in a Series D funding round to expand its team, product development and marketing efforts.
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August 01, 2025
New Int'l Tax Rules Heighten Discrimination Worries In States
The new federal tax law's broader tax base for international income could magnify foreign commerce discrimination concerns that are already present in states that conformed to prior iterations of the federal tax code.
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August 01, 2025
US Defends Bulk Denial Of Worker Credits At 9th Circ.
An Arizona federal court was right to deny a request by tax services firms to stop the IRS from issuing batch denials of thousands of pandemic-era worker credit claims, the U.S. told the Ninth Circuit, defending the agency's system for handling problems administering the tax credit.
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August 01, 2025
Ga. Man Faces 170 Years In Prison For $3.4M Tax Fraud
A Georgia man was convicted of filing fraudulent tax returns and claiming a $3.4 million tax refund from the Internal Revenue Service, crimes that could bring 170 years in prison, federal prosecutors said.
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August 01, 2025
Atty Seeks To End Malpractice Suit Over SEC Fraud Case
A New York lawyer is seeking a quick win on malpractice claims brought in Florida federal court by a former client who says she improperly advised him to sign a consent decree with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that resulted in a $12.1 million disgorgement judgment, arguing the client's subsequent guilty plea defeats the claims.
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August 01, 2025
IRS Adds To List Of Taxable Chemical Substances
The Internal Revenue Service added 21 chemical substances Friday to its list of those subject to Superfund excise taxes assessed to importers.
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August 01, 2025
Ogletree Launches Employment Tax Practice Group
Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC announced the launch of a dedicated practice group focused on handling employment tax matters in areas such as compliance, audits and transactions related to payroll obligations.
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August 01, 2025
Taxation With Representation: Skadden, Wachtell, Latham
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Union Pacific Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp. announce megamerger plans, Palo Alto Networks acquires identity security company CyberArk, Brookfield buys British life insurer Just Group, and Duke Energy sells its Piedmont Natural Gas Tennessee local distribution business to Spire Inc.
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August 01, 2025
Widow Can't Be Spared Husband's Tax Debt, 11th Circ. Affirms
A widow is not entitled to innocent spouse relief from tax debt she shared with her husband because the underlying income belonged to her, the Eleventh Circuit said, affirming a U.S. Tax Court ruling and skirting an additional challenge to job protections for judges.
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August 01, 2025
Weekly Internal Revenue Bulletin
The Internal Revenue Service's weekly bulletin, issued Friday, included lowering the fee to $56 from $67 for taxpayers who request a letter confirming that the IRS has received and finished examining an estate tax return.
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July 31, 2025
White House Unveils New Tariffs On Dozens Of Countries
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a slew of new tariffs on nearly 70 countries that range from roughly 10% to 40%, unveiling the tariffs a day before his pause on worldwide "reciprocal" tariffs was set to expire Friday.
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July 31, 2025
Tax Court OKs IRS Penalties On Captive Insurance Deductions
A Florida business must pay penalties for underreporting six years of income, the U.S. Tax Court ruled Thursday, finding it couldn't take deductions for payments to a microcaptive insurance arrangement that didn't actually qualify as insurance.
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July 31, 2025
Fed. Circ. Judges Cast Doubts On Trump Tariff Powers
Several Federal Circuit judges raised concerns about whether President Donald Trump's tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act override constitutional and congressional authority during oral arguments Thursday in their questions to better understand the extent of the appeals court's review.
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July 31, 2025
Judge Nixes IRS' Renewed Bid To Dismiss Tax Refund Suit
A North Carolina federal judge denied the Internal Revenue Service's renewed attempt to dismiss a tax refund suit for lack of jurisdiction, saying the repeated motions to drop the case would prevent the district court from proceeding to the discovery phase in the litigation.
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July 31, 2025
Spizzirri Law Hires IRS Atty In Atlanta
A senior attorney for the IRS has joined Spizzirri Law LLC in Atlanta as its second attorney, turning to the business law firm to put his expertise in tax law and business matters to use in private practice.
Expert Analysis
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What Higher Education Can Expect From A 2nd Trump Admin
The election of Donald Trump for a second presidential term has far-reaching ramifications for colleges and universities — come January, institutions can expect a crackdown on DEI, increased scrutiny of campus protests, a rollback of the Biden administration's Title IX rules and more, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less
Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.
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Expect Surging Oil And Gas Industry Under New Trump Admin
Throughout his recent campaign, President-elect Donald Trump promised increased oil and natural gas production and reduced reliance on renewables — and his administration will likely bring more oil and gas dealmaking, faster federal permitting and attempts to roll back incentives for green energy, say attorneys at Sidley.
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The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule
Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.
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Cos. Should Inventory Issues To Prep For New Congress
As the legislative and oversight agendas of the 119th Congress come into sharper focus, corporate counsel should assess and plan for areas of potential oversight risk — from tax policy changes to supply chain integrity — even as much uncertainty remains, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
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Conservation Easement Cases Weave Web Of Uncertainty
Much of the IRS and Justice Department’s recent success in prosecuting syndicated conservation easement cases can be attributed to the government’s focus on the so-called PropCo ratio, which could indicate treacherous waters ahead for participants and their advisers, even under the incoming Trump administration, say attorneys at Polsinelli.
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So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?
Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.
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Legislation Most Likely To Pass In Lame Duck Session
As Congress begins its five-week post-election lame duck session, attorneys at Greenberg Traurig break down the legislative priorities and which proposals can be expected to pass.
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What Trump's 2nd Presidency Could Mean For Crypto Sector
Trump's second term will bring a fundamental shift from the Biden administration's approach to crypto-asset regulation and banking supervision, with the most significant changes likely taking effect in the first two quarters of 2025 and broader policy shifts emerging over the next year, say attorneys at Cahill.
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Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.
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Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being
As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.
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Takeaways From The IRS' Crypto Doc Summons Win
A recent First Circuit decision holding that taxpayers do not have a Fourth Amendment reasonable expectation of privacy in cryptocurrency transaction records should prompt both taxpayers and exchanges to take stock of past transactions and future plans, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.
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How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources
Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.