Federal
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May 08, 2024
A Foley Hoag Co-Chair Joins Litigation Firm As Name Partner
Litigation and dispute resolution firm Elliott Kwok Levine & Jaroslaw LLP will operate under a new name after welcoming as its newest name partner a former federal prosecutor who most recently co-chaired Foley Hoag LLP's white-collar crime and government investigations practice.
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May 08, 2024
DOD Trucking Contractor Owner Indicted On $1M Tax Evasion
The owner of a trucking company that hauled military supplies for the U.S. Department of Defense tried to evade more than $1 million in taxes partly by using a nominee company headed by her former dispatcher, according to an indictment by a federal grand jury in Ohio.
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May 08, 2024
Offshore Drilling Co. Demands $70M Refund From IRS
The IRS wrongfully withheld $69.7 million in tax refunds to an offshore drilling company, despite acknowledging that the refunds are justified by net operating loss carrybacks authorized by a pandemic law and then promising to pay, the company said in Texas federal court.
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May 07, 2024
Biz Orgs. Ask 10th Circ. To Toss Economic Substance Ruling
The Tenth Circuit must not uphold a Colorado federal court's ruling that it didn't need to determine whether economic substance doctrine was relevant before disallowing an intercompany transaction by Liberty Global Inc., three business groups told the Tenth Circuit in briefs Tuesday.
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May 07, 2024
Tax Software Co. Still Can't Trim Rival's Trade Secrets Suit
A corporate-focused tax preparation software company still can't pare back a suit alleging that it poached workers from its rival's recently acquired company, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled Tuesday.
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May 07, 2024
IRS Urged To Limit Scope Of Donor Fund Rules
Proposed IRS regulations on donor-advised funds should be changed to limit their scope so they don't subject other types of funds to taxes and reporting requirements, stakeholders said Tuesday during a second day of a hearing on the proposal.
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May 07, 2024
6th Circ. Considers Rebooting Crypto Reporting Challenge
Sixth Circuit judges seemed unsure of whether a group of cryptocurrency users can challenge a pending mandate to report large crypto transactions, as the judges grappled Tuesday with whether the plaintiffs have shown they are harmed by the forthcoming rule and whether the challenge is premature.
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May 07, 2024
Think Tank Projects Broad Tax Hikes If TCJA Expires
Most U.S. taxpayers would see substantially increased tax bills if the individual provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are allowed to expire at the end of 2025, the Tax Foundation said Tuesday.
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May 07, 2024
Industry Groups Suggest Changes To Aussie Reporting Rules
A coalition of global fund industry associations asked Australia to further amend its proposal for public country-by-country tax data reporting by including, among other measures, a provision that would allow companies to withhold sensitive information, according to a letter released Tuesday by the U.S. Treasury Department.
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May 07, 2024
IRS To Release Self-Employment Tax Regs
The Internal Revenue Service plans to release self-employment tax regulations, an agency official said during the Practising Law Institute webcast Tuesday.
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May 07, 2024
Employment Agency Owner Admits Hiding $10M In Income
The owner of a temporary employment agency pled guilty to filing false federal business tax returns to conceal more than $10 million in corporate income, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
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May 07, 2024
Electric Groups Say PIN Rule May Hurt Energy Credit Process
While three groups representing electric equipment manufacturers are supportive of the energy efficient home improvement credit, they say its product identification number, or PIN, requirement could harm the process, according to a letter released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
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May 07, 2024
Treasury Floats Foreign Trust Reporting Rules
The U.S. Treasury Department proposed regulations Tuesday that provide guidance on the requirements for individuals to report their transactions with foreign trusts to the Internal Revenue Service, including the receipt of large gifts.
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May 06, 2024
10th Circ. Urged To Alter Substance Finding In Liberty Global
To preserve the stability of federal tax law, the Tenth Circuit should reverse a lower court's finding that it needn't determine the economic substance doctrine is relevant before disallowing a transaction's tax benefits, the National Foreign Trade Council said Monday, supporting telecommunications firm Liberty Global.
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May 06, 2024
IRS Urged To Drop Investment Advisers From Donor Rules
The IRS should change regulations on donor-advised funds so that personal investment advisers wouldn't be considered donor-advisers, stakeholders told the agency at a hearing Monday, saying failure to do so could chill charitable giving and would exceed regulatory authority.
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May 06, 2024
Man's FBAR Filing Makes Challenge Moot, 7th Circ. Says
The Seventh Circuit upheld Monday the dismissal of a man's challenge to the constitutionality of filing reports of foreign accounts because after filing the suit, the man reported his bank account, making the case moot.
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May 06, 2024
Texas Health Coordinator Urges Nonprofit Status At 5th Circ.
A Texas company that coordinates healthcare for chronically ill patients should not be barred from claiming tax-exempt status, it told the Fifth Circuit on Monday, arguing that the U.S. Tax Court applied an incorrect legal standard when it revoked the group's status.
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May 06, 2024
Engineering Co. Can't Claim Research Credits, 8th Circ. Says
The Eighth Circuit declined Monday to revive an engineering company's bid for research tax credits for its work on several building projects, finding the credits are limited to endeavors where funding is contingent on the success of the research.
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May 06, 2024
Missouri CPA Barred From Promoting Annuity Trusts
A Missouri certified public accountant accused of operating a charitable trust scheme that cost the government $8 million in tax was permanently barred from marketing tax arrangements involving charitable remainder annuity trusts, the U.S. Department of Justice said Monday.
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May 06, 2024
Marcum Expands Into Mich. By Adding Croskey Lanni
Accounting and advisory firm Marcum LLP acquired Detroit-based Croskey Lanni PC, adding six partners and more than 50 associates, Marcum announced Monday.
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May 06, 2024
Clifford Chance Continues 2024 Growth In New York, Houston
Clifford Chance continued its recent aggressive expansion by growing its Houston and New York offices with two attorneys specializing in energy, taxation and mergers and acquisitions, bringing the firm's lateral hires up to 10 attorneys in 2024.
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May 06, 2024
Trump Media Hires Auditor To Replace Firm Accused Of Fraud
Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. has hired a new auditor, replacing its predecessor firm, which was permanently suspended by securities regulators Friday for alleged "massive fraud" regarding its work with hundreds of clients, according to a filing Monday.
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May 04, 2024
IRS Seeks More Info On Purpose Test In Buyback Tax Regs
The IRS is seeking more information on fine-tuning a test in proposed rules on the stock buyback tax meant to assess whether the principal purpose of a U.S. subsidiary's funding purchase of its foreign parent's stock is to avoid the tax, an agency attorney said Saturday.
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May 03, 2024
Gannett Can't Dodge Tax Firm's Defamation Case
Gannett Co. can't escape a defamation case accusing it of writing misleading articles saying Ryan LLC, a tax services and technology firm, engaged in shady business practices, a Texas appeals court ruled, finding the media giant isn't shielded from the claims by the Lone Star State's anti-SLAPP law.
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May 03, 2024
US Resisting More Scoping On Amount B, Economist Says
In negotiations over the streamlined transfer pricing approach for baseline marketing and distribution functions known as Amount B, the U.S. has resisted calls for additional scoping criteria that would exclude more companies from the safe harbor, a former U.S. Treasury economist said Friday.
Expert Analysis
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For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill
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.
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Trump's NY Civil Fraud Trial Spotlights Long-Criticized Law
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.
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Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea
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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4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best
As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.
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How IRA Unlocks Green Energy Investments For Tribes
An Inflation Reduction Act provision going into effect May 10 represents a critical juncture for Native American tribes, offering promising economic opportunity in green energy investment, but requiring a proactive and informed approach when taking advantage of newly available tax incentives, say attorneys at Lewis Brisbois.
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Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.
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What To Know About IRS' New Jet Use Audit Campaign
The Internal Revenue Service recently announced plans to open several dozen audits scrutinizing executive use of company jets, so companies should be prepared to show the business reasons for travel, and how items like imputed income and deduction disallowance were calculated, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.
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Judicial Independence Is Imperative This Election Year
As the next election nears, the judges involved in the upcoming trials against former President Donald Trump increasingly face political pressures and threats of violence — revealing the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence and uphold the rule of law, says Benes Aldana at the National Judicial College.
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Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents
Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.
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What Recent Study Shows About AI's Promise For Legal Tasks
Amid both skepticism and excitement about the promise of generative artificial intelligence in legal contexts, the first randomized controlled trial studying its impact on basic lawyering tasks shows mixed but promising results, and underscores the need for attorneys to proactively engage with AI, says Daniel Schwarcz at University of Minnesota Law School.
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How FinCEN Proposal Expands RE Transaction Obligations
Against a regulatory backdrop foreshadowing anti-money laundering efforts in the real estate sector, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's proposed rule significantly expands reporting requirements for certain nonfinanced residential real estate transfers and necessitates careful review, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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What To Know About Employee Retention Credit Disclosures
Employers that filed potentially erroneous employee retention credit claims should take certain steps to determine whether the IRS’ voluntary disclosure program is a good fit and, if so, prepare a strong application before the window closes on March 22, say attorneys at Dentons.