Federal
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February 12, 2025
Republican Senators Float Ending EV Tax Credits
Republican lawmakers in the Senate on Wednesday unveiled a bill that would end electric vehicle and charging station tax credits that they dubbed "reckless."
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February 12, 2025
Bipartisan Bills To Update IRS Practices Pass House Panel
The House Ways and Means Committee unanimously approved several bipartisan bills Wednesday, including legislation that would require the IRS to update its process for notifying individuals of adjustments to their tax returns and codify the National Taxpayer Advocate's ability to hire its own attorneys.
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February 12, 2025
Tax Court Rejects Couple's Bid To Deduct $2.1M Loss
A California couple cannot claim tax deductions for losing $2.1 million tied to real estate and business investments in Indiana, the U.S. Tax Court said Wednesday, saying the taxpayers failed to provide evidence supporting those capital losses.
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February 12, 2025
IRS Issues Corp. Bond Monthly Yield Curve For Feb.
The Internal Revenue Service published on Wednesday the corporate bond monthly yield curve for February for use in calculations for defined benefit plans, as well as corresponding segment rates and other related provisions.
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February 12, 2025
Fenwick Brings On IRS Trial Attorney In Seattle
Fenwick & West LLP has added an attorney from the Internal Revenue Service's Office of Chief Counsel to its Seattle office, the firm announced.
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February 12, 2025
Treasury Chief Exempt From Block On DOGE's System Access
A New York federal judge clarified that an order blocking Elon Musk and members of his Department of Government Efficiency team from accessing U.S. Treasury Department payment systems does not apply to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
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February 12, 2025
KPMG Taps Walmart Executive For General Counsel
A top executive for Walmart is leaving the retail giant at the end of the month to join the leadership ranks of KPMG LLP, one of the Big Four accounting firms, as general counsel.
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February 12, 2025
Winthrop & Weinstine Brings In Tax Counsel Duo As Co-Chairs
Minneapolis-based Winthrop & Weinstine PA has added tax attorneys from Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Shartsis Friese LLP to become shareholders of the firm and co-chairs of its tax practice, the firm announced Wednesday.
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February 12, 2025
Sidley Litigator Tapped For Treasury GC Post
President Donald Trump has nominated Sidley Austin LLP regulatory litigation and white collar partner Brian P. Morrissey to become the U.S. Department of the Treasury's top lawyer, which would mark a return to the department where he was previously the number two lawyer.
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February 12, 2025
Duane Morris Leader Sees A Looming Tariff 'Tax' Debate
With price increases for certain construction materials likely coming as a result of new tariffs from the White House, contractors may start to make a tax argument in efforts to avoid shelling out additional money for projects, one of Duane Morris LLP's construction leaders told Law360 Real Estate Authority in a recent interview.
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February 12, 2025
Squire Patton Brings On Polsinelli Tax Ace In Houston
Squire Patton Boggs LLP announced Wednesday that a former Polsinelli PC shareholder has joined the tax strategy and benefits practice group in Houston, an addition that helps the firm address growing client needs.
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February 12, 2025
Berger Singerman Adds Carlton Fields Tax Pro In Miami
Florida business law firm Berger Singerman has added a new partner to its business, finance and tax team in Miami from Carlton Fields.
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February 12, 2025
Ex-Ill. Speaker Madigan Guilty Of Bribery In Mixed Verdict
A federal jury on Wednesday partially convicted the man who was once the most powerful politician in Illinois on federal corruption charges, finding former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan guilty of bribery conspiracy and wire fraud but deadlocking on the government's overarching racketeering charge.
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February 12, 2025
IRS Updates Depreciation Deductions For Certain Vehicles
Certain vehicles placed in service in 2025 will be eligible for an additional depreciation deduction of up to $20,200 for the first tax year, the Internal Revenue Service said Wednesday.
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February 11, 2025
Rodney King's Former Atty Gets Prison For $7M Tax Evasion
A Los Angeles criminal defense and civil rights attorney who once represented Rodney King was sentenced by a California federal court Tuesday to 1½ years in prison for evading $7.2 million worth of taxes on income from his law practice.
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February 11, 2025
Trump's Tariffs, GOP Tax Goals Pose Political Puzzle
President Donald Trump's use of wholesale tariffs may generate trillions of dollars across a 10-year budget window, but the economic uncertainty associated with the U.S.'s aggressive trade posture could politically harm Republicans' must-have efforts to shepherd a tax bill into law this year, experts say.
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February 11, 2025
House Panelists Push For IRS Funding, Tech Upgrade
The Internal Revenue Service is still underfunded and needs to prioritize using any additional funding it receives to boost its taxpayer services and technology modernization, panelists told a House Ways and Means subcommittee Tuesday.
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February 11, 2025
Tax Court Orders Penalties For $90M In Disallowed Deductions
A group of four North Carolina partnerships that were denied a total of $90 million in tax deductions for donations of conservation easements must pay valuation and accuracy-related penalties under a U.S. Tax Court ruling Tuesday.
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February 11, 2025
FBAR Default Vacated To Give Widow Another Chance
A New York federal court agreed with a magistrate's recommendation to vacate a default judgment against a widow, giving her another chance to defend her husband's estate against the government's $275,000 claim that he failed to report his Indian bank account.
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February 11, 2025
Holland & Knight Adds Ballard Spahr Litigator In Philly
A former U.S. attorney with expertise on anti-money laundering and complex tax matters recently moved his litigation practice to Holland & Knight after nine years with Ballard Spahr LLP.
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February 11, 2025
EU Leaders Poised For 'Proportionate' Response To US Tariffs
European Union officials criticized President Donald Trump's decision to impose an across-the-board 25% tariff on all imported steel and aluminum, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday signaling "firm and proportionate countermeasures."
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February 11, 2025
Commerce Powers Key In Battle Over Corp. Transparency Law
The question of whether Congress exceeded its powers to regulate commerce by enacting the Corporate Transparency Act is likely to feature in a potential U.S. Supreme Court resolution to around a dozen challenges to the law that are percolating through the courts.
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February 11, 2025
Partaking In $1.3B Easement Fraud Lands CPA 2 Years
A Florida accountant who illegally sold tax deductions to his clients in the form of conservation easements and conspired with others convicted in a $1.3 billion fraud scheme was sentenced to two years in prison by a New Jersey federal judge.
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February 07, 2025
DOGE Access To Treasury Payment System Blocked By Judge
A Manhattan federal judge blocked the access of Elon Musk and staffers of his temporary Department of Government Efficiency to U.S. Department of the Treasury payment systems Saturday and ordered them to destroy data already obtained, after state attorneys general sued, calling that access "dangerous" and unlawful.
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February 10, 2025
Pension Execs Found Liable In $2B Danish Tax Fraud Case
A New York federal jury found Monday by "clear and convincing evidence" that Denmark's tax agency reasonably relied on the false statements made on pension plan applications that were part of a $2.1 billion tax fraud scheme by pension plan executives.
Expert Analysis
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Considering Possible PR Risks Of Certain Legal Tactics
Disney and American Airlines recently abandoned certain litigation tactics in two lawsuits after fierce public backlash, illustrating why corporate counsel should consider the reputational implications of any legal strategy and partner with their communications teams to preempt public relations concerns, says Chris Gidez at G7 Reputation Advisory.
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It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers
Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.
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Avoid Getting Burned By Agencies' Solar Financing Spotlight
Recently coordinated reports and advisories from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission maximize the spotlight on the consumer solar financing market and highlight pitfalls for lenders to avoid in this burgeoning field, says Mercedes Tunstall at Cadwalader.
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Tax Traps In Acquisitions Of Financially Distressed Targets
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Parties to the acquisition of an insolvent or bankrupt company face myriad tax considerations, including limitations on using the distressed company's tax benefits, cancellation of indebtedness income, tax lien issues and potential tax reorganizations.
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Navigating A Potpourri Of Possible Transparency Act Pitfalls
Despite the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's continued release of guidance for complying with the Corporate Transparency Act, its interpretation remains in flux, making it important for companies to understand potentially problematic areas of ambiguity in the practical application of the law, say attorneys at Sidley.
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How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations
Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.
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Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles
Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.
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Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.
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5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond
As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.
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Pros, Cons Of Disclosing Improper Employee Retention Credit
Employers considering the Internal Revenue Service’s second voluntary disclosure program, which allows companies to avoid penalties for erroneously claiming employee retention credits for the 2021 tax year by repaying the credits and naming the tax advisers who encouraged these abusive practices, should carefully weigh the program’s benefits against its potential drawbacks, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.
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How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'
Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.
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Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process
Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.
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Whistleblowers Must Note 5 Key Differences Of DOJ Program
The U.S. Department of Justice’s recently unveiled whistleblower awards program diverges in key ways from similar programs at other agencies, and individuals must weigh these differences and look first to programs with stronger, proven protections before blowing the whistle, say Stephen Kohn and Geoff Schweller at Kohn Kohn.