If you’ve just gotten into tax trouble and you aren’t sure how to get yourself out of it, chances are you’ve looked into getting a tax lawyer. When hiring a tax lawyer, it’s important to make sure that your tax attorney has the proper experience and will help you through the whole process of resolving your tax issue. When you first meet with a potential tax lawyer, there are several questions you should ask before you decide to retain their services.
Are you experienced in tax law and have experience with dealing with the IRS?
You wouldn’t hire a cardiologist to perform brain surgery on you, so you shouldn’t hire an attorney that hasn’t actually practiced tax law. If you only know a divorce attorney or a bankruptcy attorney, ask them for suggestions for tax lawyers. Chances are they will know a good tax lawyer with experience. It’s important to have a tax lawyer with actual tax experience because when dealing with the IRS and the tax court, you want someone by your side that knows the ends and outs of the tax law and how it can be applied to your situation. An experienced tax lawyer will be able to aggressively negotiate with the IRS and help use current tax laws and tax court rulings to help your situation. Make sure to ask your tax attorney how many years they’ve been practicing, how often they go to tax court, and if they are up to date on all the current tax laws. Another good question would be to ask your tax attorney if they were an accountant before they were a tax attorney. Our office has several tax attorneys that were previously accountants. This can be helpful because it means your tax lawyer also has an accounting background and will be more educated on bookkeeping methods, how your accounting could be causing your tax problems and how it can be changed. This way your tax attorney can prepare and defend your tax return if need be.
How Far Will You Take My Case?
This is a very important question to ask because it can affect if your case gets resolved and how much money you could be spending. Every tax lawyer differs in what they may do for your case. Some tax lawyers may just stop a bank levy or wage garnishment, others may file the Offer in Compromise paperwork but not appeal the decision if it’s denied. Some tax lawyers will not go to tax court for you or assist you if you end up being audited or may only submit the necessary paperwork for a resolution but not help you substantiate it when the IRS asks questions. The fact is, your case could go a number of ways and you need to make sure that your tax attorney will help you in any of these cases. Most of our tax cases take months of appeals and submitting paperwork and financial statements and countless hours on the phone negotiating with the IRS. It takes a good amount of work to get an IRS resolution and if you don’t have an attorney that will go the distance, chances are you will still have a tax problem and be out of a large amount of money. Make sure to get a signed document from your tax attorney of what they will cover and what services they will provide to you, that way you have documentation of it. It’s important to hire a tax attorney that will work with you all the way to a resolution, as the IRS will take collection action against you until you have your tax debt resolved.
Does their firm deal with only tax issues?
Because owing taxes can be such a difficult and complicated process, it’s important that your attorney and their team are used to dealing with only tax problems. When looking at a potential tax attorney, ask them if they only deal with tax issues. If they deal with multiple areas of law, chances are they aren’t fully educated and up to date on all the current tax issues and tax codes. It is important that the tax firm you choose is dedicated to tax law and that they are able to effectively help you resolve your tax issue.
Does your tax attorney have good relationships with other attorneys?
Because you want an attorney specialized in tax law, chances are that tax attorney will refer out any non-tax issues. Attorneys will have referral systems within their practice and will have set attorneys for different issues that they will refer potential clients to. When an attorney refers its case to a tax attorney it means that they trust that attorney, that have experience with referring to that tax attorney and knows that tax attorney will be taking care of their client. Ask your potential tax attorney if they receive referrals and who they receive it from. Some tax attorneys will receive referrals from both attorneys and CPA’s.
It’s never easy to get help, especially in an area you might not know a lot about. That’s why it’s important to make sure you hire the best tax lawyer possible. That’s why our firm is dedicated to helping taxpayers overcome their tax issues and constantly educate ourselves on the latest tax court decisions and tax laws. Your tax problem will only get worse, so it’s important to make sure you get the best representation to resolve your issue as fast as possible. Call us today at 844-841-9857 or click below to schedule your free consultation.
