Federal
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June 23, 2025
Tax Court Upholds IRS Collection Action Against Calif. Couple
The U.S. Tax Court sustained the IRS' collection action against a California couple for unpaid 2015 and 2021 taxes Monday, saying the agency did not abuse its discretion when it declined the taxpayers' request to withdraw the lien.
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June 23, 2025
New IRS Chief Calls For Culture Change At Agency
New IRS Commissioner Billy Long has called for a transformation of the agency's culture, telling employees that he plans to make the IRS friendlier to both taxpayers and workers during his term, the agency said Monday.
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June 23, 2025
Litigation Funders Fight 'Kill Shot' In 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Litigation funders are in panic mode over a provision in the massive federal spending bill that would impose a 41% punitive tax on the $16 billion industry, with one executive calling it a "kill shot" and an academic warning it amounts to "unprecedented" weaponization of the U.S. tax code.
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June 23, 2025
OECD Official Signals Skepticism About US-Pillar 2 Harmony
Countries are questioning the U.S. Treasury Department's position that the U.S. international tax system can coexist alongside the Pillar Two worldwide minimum tax regime without undermining the global framework, an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development official said Monday.
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June 23, 2025
Weil Gotshal Hires Akin Gump Tax Partner In NY
Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP announced Monday the hiring of a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP as a tax partner out of Weil's New York office.
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June 23, 2025
IRS Updates Coal Closure Areas For Energy Community Perk
The IRS released Monday an updated list of counties with shuttered coal manufacturing operations and other locations used to determine a clean energy development project's eligibility to get a boost in tax credits for being in communities that historically relied on the fossil fuel industry.
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June 23, 2025
Crypto Exec Seeks 5th Circ. Redo Over IRS Summonses
A cryptocurrency executive asked the Fifth Circuit to reconsider his request to quash IRS summonses for his bank records, saying its decision that he was prematurely trying to appeal a lower court's ruling ignored his claims that the agency's documents were incomplete and lacked legal power.
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June 20, 2025
Supreme Court Won't Leapfrog DC Circ. Over Trump's Tariffs
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request from two Illinois-based toy makers challenging President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs to consider their case before it is reviewed by the D.C. Circuit.
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June 20, 2025
Senate's CFPB, PCAOB Cuts Hit Parliamentarian Roadblock
The U.S. Senate parliamentarian has thrown cold water on the Senate Banking Committee's bids to defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and eliminate the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board as part of the "One Big Beautiful" budget megabill, but the panel's top Republican is vowing to keep seeking further spending cuts.
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June 20, 2025
Major Nations Endorse New Payment Transparency Standards
Authorities from the U.S., China and other major countries have endorsed payment transparency standards slated to take effect in 2030 that would require information on peer-to-peer cross-border payments above $1,000, according to the Financial Action Task Force.
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June 20, 2025
Norton Rose Adds Holland & Knight Tax Partner In DC
Norton Rose Fulbright has expanded its tax insurance underwriting offerings in the nation's capital with the addition of a partner from Holland & Knight LLP.
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June 20, 2025
Taxation With Representation: Latham, Paul Weiss, Covington
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Nippon Steel closes its purchase of U.S. Steel, Hunter Point Capital buys a minority stake in Equitix, Eaton acquires Ultra PCS Ltd. from the Cobham Ultra Group, and Eli Lilly and Co. acquires Verve Therapeutics.
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June 20, 2025
80% Back Energy Co. Taxes For Climate Damage, Oxfam Says
About 80% of people surveyed across the world support taxing oil, gas and coal corporations as a way to pay for environmental damages caused by pollution, including 75% in the U.S., according to a survey by nongovernmental organization Oxfam International and environmentalist organization Greenpeace International.
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June 18, 2025
Toyota Says DOJ Has Closed Thai Bribery Probe
Toyota said Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Justice has closed a long-running Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigation concerning allegations of bribery at its Thai subsidiary, the latest such probe to be dropped under the Trump administration.
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June 18, 2025
Fed. Circ. OKs How Commerce Filled Blank In Steel Duty Case
The U.S. Department of Commerce may apply adverse facts to a company that fails to propose reasonable alternatives for collecting information that would be unreasonably hard to obtain in an antidumping investigation, the Federal Circuit said in a precedential opinion upholding steel duties on German companies.
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June 18, 2025
Tax Court Rejects IRS Deficiency Case Over Address Error
The U.S. Tax Court dismissed a lawsuit over a 2020 tax deficiency notice, saying Wednesday the case lacked jurisdiction because the IRS failed to prove that the agency fulfilled its obligation to find the taxpayer's last known address to mail the correspondence.
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June 18, 2025
Feds Want Pa. Inmate To Face $810K Tax Refund Case
Massachusetts federal prosecutors want a Pennsylvania inmate returned to the Bay State by July to face claims he impersonated a corporate executive and swiped an $810,000 tax refund bound for a Stamford, Connecticut, investment firm.
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June 18, 2025
Mushroom Farm Faces $6M Tax Liens Tied To Fraud Case
A defunct Pennsylvania mushroom farm failed to pay the outstanding balance in a payroll tax fraud case that sent its owner to jail last year and owes more than $6 million worth of tax liens, the U.S. Department of Justice told a federal court.
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June 18, 2025
Mich. Housing Co-Op Suit On Hold After Disclosure Exemption
A Michigan federal judge hit pause on a lawsuit from a group of housing cooperatives to escape requirements of the Corporate Transparency Act after the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said it would give U.S.-based entities a break from the rules.
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June 17, 2025
Wyden Vows To Fight For Energy Credits Facing GOP Repeal
The top Senate Democratic tax writer vowed Tuesday to try to protect clean energy tax provisions of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act that would face an early repeal under the sweeping tax and budget legislation released by Republicans in the Senate Finance Committee.
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June 17, 2025
AbbVie Can Get Deduction For $1.6B Payment, Tax Court Says
AbbVie can claim a deduction for the $1.6 billion it paid under a merger agreement, the U.S. Tax Court held Tuesday, rejecting the IRS' contention that the payment was a capital loss that raised the pharmaceutical giant's tax bill by $572 million.
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June 17, 2025
Ill. Toy Makers Seek Justices' Early Review Of Trump Tariff Suit
Illinois-based toy makers challenging President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs on Tuesday requested the U.S. Supreme Court consider their case before it is reviewed by the D.C. Circuit, arguing a stay to an injunction is allowing duty collections to continue and is damaging the companies.
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June 17, 2025
Tax Court Slashes Conservation Easement Value By $11M
The U.S. Tax Court on Tuesday lopped off nearly $11 million of the claimed value of a property donated as a conservation easement, saying the land's best use case would be for low-density residential housing, timber and recreation, not a vacation resort.
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June 17, 2025
Commodities Scheme Operator Gets 65 Years, Owes $75M
The operator of a commodities scheme who evaded taxes and stole precious metals from his clients was sentenced to 65 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $75 million in restitution Tuesday by a Delaware federal court that also denied his request for a new trial.
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June 17, 2025
DOJ Seeks 5 Years, $10M For Fla. Man Hiding Swiss Accounts
A Miami man who lied to authorities and others for decades about his Swiss bank accounts should pay $10.3 million in unpaid taxes and face a maximum five-year prison sentence based on his plea agreement, the U.S. Department of Justice told a Florida federal court.
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
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.