Federal
-
July 18, 2024
Hunter Biden Wants Charges Tossed After Trump Docs Ruling
Hunter Biden on Thursday asked federal judges in Delaware and California to throw out his conviction on felony gun charges and to toss other charges of tax evasion, citing a Florida federal judge's order disqualifying the special prosecutor in Donald Trump's classified documents case.
-
July 18, 2024
Treasury Starting To Address Amount B, Official Says
The U.S. Department of the Treasury is just starting to decide how to handle a transfer pricing regime under a prong of the OECD-led global tax overhaul, a Treasury official said Thursday.
-
July 18, 2024
Bank Exec's Tax Tip Case Wrongly Axed, Estate Tells DC Circ.
The estate of a Dutch bank executive asked the D.C. Circuit to overturn a U.S. Tax Court decision denying him a whistleblower award for reporting on tax avoidance schemes, saying the lower court improperly relied on proposed regulations from the Internal Revenue Service.
-
July 18, 2024
New IRS Easement Settlements Put Tax Pros In A Pickle
The IRS' new settlement program for partnerships that participated in conservation easements that haven't yet ended up in court comes with terms far sweeter than past offers, making it difficult for practitioners to advise clients to take the deal or wait for a better one.
-
July 18, 2024
Tax Pros Say Gov'ts Stretching 'Realistic Alternative' Analysis
Tax authorities including the Internal Revenue Service are overstepping in their use of "realistic alternative" arguments, substituting their own judgment for that of businesses, transfer pricing specialists said Thursday.
-
July 18, 2024
Tax Court Affirms IRS Whistleblower Award Computation
The Internal Revenue Service's Whistleblower Office did not abuse its discretion when it set an award at 22% of collected proceeds even though other awards tied to related claims were set at 30%, the U.S. Tax Court said Thursday.
-
July 18, 2024
Ex-Venable Trusts And Estates Partner Joins Stradling In LA
Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth PC announced that it launched a trusts and estates practice with the hiring of an experienced Los Angeles-based partner from Venable LLP.
-
July 18, 2024
Most Top US Cos. To Report Tax Under Aussie Bill, Study Says
Australia's Senate is expected to consider adoption next month of the world's most extensive public country-by-country reporting rules, which would require 51% of large U.S. multinational corporations to disclose tax arrangements retroactively from July 1, according to a study published Thursday.
-
July 18, 2024
Final IRS Rules Require Beneficiaries To Take Distributions
Beneficiaries of retirement account owners who died after starting to take distributions must continue taking the distributions annually, the Internal Revenue Service said Thursday in final regulations on required minimum distributions that rejected feedback saying the requirement was overly complex.
-
July 18, 2024
Rising Star: Latham's Eric Kamerman
Eric Kamerman of Latham & Watkins LLP in recent years handled the tax aspects of several multibillion-dollar acquisitions of powerhouses in British soccer and American fashion, earning him recognition as one of the tax attorneys under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.
-
July 18, 2024
IRS Issues Corp. Bond Monthly Yield Curve For July
The Internal Revenue Service published Thursday the corporate bond monthly yield curve for July for use in calculations for defined benefit plans, as well as corresponding segment rates and other related provisions.
-
July 18, 2024
Man Can't Annul Agreement To Pay $2M In Taxes, Court Told
A federal district court should force a Florida man to pay the over $2 million in taxes, interest and penalties he owes despite his change of heart about an agreement regarding his deficient filings, the government said.
-
July 18, 2024
Top International Tax Cases To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2024
Tax attorneys will be tracking several high-stakes cases in the second half of 2024 that could define the bounds of the IRS' ability to craft regulations or lodge direct challenges aimed at what it sees as the tax avoidance maneuvers of multinational corporations. Here, Law360 looks at key international tax cases to follow during the rest of the year.
-
July 17, 2024
Much Of Pillar 1 Treaty Agreed On, OECD Official Says
Agreement has been reached on the bulk of a multilateral pact to implement new taxing rights that are part of a revamp of the international tax system and on expansions to a part of the taxing rights plan, an OECD official said Wednesday.
-
July 17, 2024
Tax Court OKs Added Penalty Over Nixed $20.7M Deduction
The U.S. Tax Court found Wednesday that a Georgia partnership should be assessed a negligence penalty alongside a previously assessed accuracy penalty tied to a disallowed $20.7 million charitable contribution deduction, agreeing with an argument by the IRS.
-
July 17, 2024
Spouse Relief Not Available For Errant Refund, Tax Court Says
A Maryland woman who along with her husband received an erroneous refund from the Internal Revenue Service isn't entitled to innocent spouse relief because that relief is available only for unpaid taxes or deficiencies, the U.S. Tax Court said Wednesday.
-
July 17, 2024
Tax Court Nixes $22.6M Deduction For Historic Renovation
The U.S. Tax Court denied Wednesday a $22.6 million deduction to a partnership for a conservation easement on its 11-story historic building in downtown Cleveland, saying the easement did not prevent the scale of development on the property that the partnership had claimed.
-
July 17, 2024
Tax Court Says IRA Deduction Claim Correctly Rejected
The Internal Revenue Service correctly disallowed a New Hampshire couple's claimed individual retirement account deduction because they never actually made a contribution to such an account, the U.S. Tax Court said Wednesday.
-
July 17, 2024
Gov't Views On OECD Risk Guidance Vary, Economists Say
In allocating risk among different components of a business for transfer pricing purposes, analysts need to consider governments' varying interpretations of guidance from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a panel of economists said Wednesday.
-
July 17, 2024
Connell Foley Adds Wilson Elser Tax Pro In Group Upgrade
Connell Foley LLP strengthened its tax and estate team this week with the promotion of several attorneys up to partner and the addition of a mergers and acquisitions and corporate restructuring tax expert previously of counsel at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP.
-
July 17, 2024
The Tax Angle: Child Care, Medical Debt, Small Biz Relief
As talks take place on Capitol Hill over the impact the expiration of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will have on small businesses and child care, here's a peek into a reporter's notebook on a few developing tax stories.
-
July 17, 2024
IRS Plans August Hearing On Stock Buyback Tax Rules
The Internal Revenue Service will hold a public hearing Aug. 27 on proposed regulations governing a new excise tax on repurchases of corporate stock, the agency said Wednesday.
-
July 17, 2024
IRS Issues Fixes For Clean Electricity Credit Regs
The Internal Revenue Service issued corrections Wednesday that it said fix a number of errors in proposed regulations concerning the clean electricity production and investment tax credits established by the Inflation Reduction Act.
-
July 17, 2024
Treasury Finalizes Rules To Target 'Killer B' Transactions
The U.S. Treasury Department published final regulations Wednesday aimed at so-called Killer B transactions, which involve certain corporate reorganizations with at least one foreign affiliate that ultimately allow U.S. companies to avoid domestic taxes.
-
July 17, 2024
Rising Star: Cravath's Kiran Sheffrin
Kiran Sheffrin of Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP has advised companies from Anheuser-Busch InBev to Valvoline on multibillion-dollar deals, including a $50 billion combination resulting in the formation of pharmaceutical giant Viatris, earning her a spot among the tax law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.
Expert Analysis
-
Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform
The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.
-
How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing
Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
-
How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies
Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.
-
While Risks Exist, AI Could Transform IRS Enforcement
The Internal Revenue Service's recently announced use of artificial intelligence could revolutionize the agency's enforcement efforts, and transparency about its use and a forum for challenging AI findings could help mitigate fears that the technology will increase bias, say attorneys at Lewis Brisbois.
-
Strategic Succession Planning At Law Firms Is Crucial
Senior partners' reluctance to retire, the rise of the nonequity partner tier and generational differences in expectations are all contributing to an increasing number of departures from BigLaw, making it imperative for firms to encourage retirement among senior ranks and provide clearer leadership pathways to junior attorneys, says Laura Leopard at Leopard Solutions.
-
Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times
As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
-
Enforcement Of International Tax Reporting Is Heating Up
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s February decision in Bittner v. U.S. changed how penalties for failure to report offshore accounts are calculated, recent developments suggest the government is preparing to step up enforcement and vigorously pursue the collection of resulting penalties, say Daniel Silva and Agustin Ceballos at Buchalter.
-
How Gov't Agencies Will Fare In The Event Of A Shutdown
With a federal shutdown potentially set to begin at the end of this month, it may be useful to consider the approximate timelines that agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission and IRS have announced for curtailing operations, and potential strategies for mitigating challenges that may arise while agency functions are limited, say attorneys at Cleary.
-
IRS Notice Clarifies R&E Amortization, But Questions Remain
The IRS and Treasury Department’s recent notice clarifying the treatment of specified research and experimental expenditures under Section 174 provides taxpayers and practitioners with substantive guidance, but it misses the mark in delineating which expenditures are amortizable, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.
-
Preparing Your Legal Department For Pillar 2 Compliance
Multinational entities should familiarize themselves with Pillar Two of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s BEPs 2.0 project and prepare their internal legal tracking systems for related reporting requirements that may go into effect as early as January, says Daniel Robyn at Ernst & Young.
-
What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review
Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.
-
Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
-
Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues
Nonlawyer, private-equity ownership of law firms can benefit shareholders and others vulnerable to governance issues such as disparate interests, and can in turn help resolve agency problems, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.