Federal
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August 29, 2025
Apple Must Hand Swiss User's Records To IRS, Judge Rules
Apple must provide the Internal Revenue Service with a Swiss user's internet and phone records as part of a criminal investigation by Switzerland's taxing authority, a California federal judge ruled, despite the man's protests that the records are unrelated to taxes.
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August 29, 2025
Weekly Internal Revenue Bulletin
The Internal Revenue Service's weekly bulletin, issued Friday, included the removal of a method for large-scale clean energy projects to establish eligible construction start dates in order to claim solar and wind tax credits.
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August 29, 2025
Taxation With Representation: White & Case, Paul Weiss
In this week's Taxation With Representation, private equity firm Sycamore Partners completes its $24 billion acquisition of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., telecommunications company EchoStar sells wireless spectrum licenses to AT&T and Keurig Dr Pepper acquires JDE Peet's in a deal that aims to create a "global coffee champion."
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August 28, 2025
Coke Says IRS Taking 'Extreme' Position In $2.7B Dispute
The IRS is taking an "extreme" position in its defense of a $2.7 billion tax ruling against Coca-Cola by asserting that the standard prohibiting arbitrary and capricious actions by an agency doesn't apply to it, the company told the Eleventh Circuit.
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August 28, 2025
6th Circ. Affirms Dismissal Of Meritless Tax Challenge
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a Tennessee man's suit against the Internal Revenue Service, ruling Wednesday that his challenge to the agency's tax collections was meritless and provided no basis for federal jurisdiction.
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August 28, 2025
Illinois Atty Gets 2½ Years For Tax Fraud, Scripting Testimony
A former Chicago attorney who covered up $1 million in payments to his romantic interest and tried scripting his bookkeeper's initial trial testimony has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
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August 28, 2025
IRS Provides Guidance On Renewed R&D Tax Break
The Internal Revenue Service released instructions Thursday on how to make various elections, file amended tax returns and change accounting methods for the renewed tax break for research and development costs passed under the budget reconciliation bill.
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August 28, 2025
Compliance Atty Who Duped Lender Wants New Trial
A compliance lawyer convicted of pilfering from a $20 million line of credit that a subsidiary of Emigrant Bank extended to his tax-lien business has asked a Manhattan federal judge to order a new trial, arguing that prosecutors' evidence is insufficient and that the charges were "multiplicitous," in violation of the Fifth Amendment.
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August 27, 2025
Co. Can't Challenge IRS Easement Penalties, Court Rules
The Internal Revenue Service can assess civil penalties against a property company for a disallowed conservation easement deduction, a Louisiana federal court said, agreeing with the government that the company's challenge is barred under the Anti-Injunction Act.
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August 27, 2025
Retired Air Force Officer Faces IRS Levy Over Unpaid Taxes
The Internal Revenue Service properly upheld a tax levy against a retired U.S. Air Force officer who didn't report a $245,000 military retirement distribution, the U.S. Tax Court ruled Wednesday, saying the man didn't show he couldn't afford to pay his bill.
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August 27, 2025
Church Leaders Charged In Forced Labor, Laundering Scheme
Two self-proclaimed religious leaders forced people to work in call centers to raise millions of dollars that the pair spent on jet skis and other luxuries in a money laundering scheme investigated by the IRS, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday in Michigan federal court.
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August 27, 2025
US Tax Compliance To Cost $536 Billion In 2025, Report Says
U.S. taxpayers will spend about $536 billion this year complying with the tax code, largely in what economists call opportunity costs, an amount greater than federal revenues from corporate income tax, the Tax Foundation reported Wednesday.
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August 27, 2025
Baker Botts Adds 2 More Lateral Partners In NY
As it touts the addition of 17 lateral partners this year so far, Baker Botts LLP announced Tuesday that it has gained a former Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP attorney focused on executive compensation and transactional tax strategy and a former McDermott Will & Schulte LLP attorney focused on public company and private equity mergers and acquisitions.
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August 26, 2025
Joseph Nocella Jr. Appointed US Attorney For EDNY
Joseph Nocella Jr. on Tuesday was reportedly appointed as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, having served as the district's interim top prosecutor since early May.
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August 26, 2025
The Tax Angle: Tariff Troubles, Tipped Income
From a look at the impact of rising tariffs on energy tax credits and issues arising from the deduction for taxes on tips, here's a peek into a reporter's notebook on a few developing tax stories.
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August 26, 2025
Woman Can't Avoid Tax Debts Owed With Ex, Tax Court Says
A California woman does not qualify for relief from a tax debt she owes jointly with her ex-husband because the U.S. Tax Court previously found she owed the money in a proceeding in which she participated meaningfully through her lawyer, the court ruled Tuesday.
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August 26, 2025
Californian Indicted Over $700M In Tax Refund Claims
A California man faces decades in prison after being accused of causing $13 million in tax losses to the U.S. through a refund scheme involving reporting false withholdings on returns for estates and trusts, the U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday.
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August 26, 2025
Md. Pharmacy Owner Gets 1 Year For Filing False Tax Returns
A Baltimore pharmacy owner was sentenced to just over one year in prison after filing fraudulent tax returns and underreporting his income to the Internal Revenue Service by more than $3.5 million, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
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August 26, 2025
Brewer Can't Challenge Home Distilling Ban, US Tells 6th Circ.
A brewery owner who wants to make his own whiskey can't bring a suit challenging the tax code's prohibition on home distilleries because he hasn't shown that he's likely to start making spirits or that the government would come knocking if he does, the U.S. Treasury Department told the Sixth Circuit.
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August 26, 2025
Facebook Urges Tax Court To Toss IRS' Royalty Calculations
Facebook asked the U.S. Tax Court to reject the IRS' proposed royalty rate and other calculations for the social media giant's deal with an Irish affiliate to develop intangibles, arguing the agency is attempting to recharacterize the transaction.
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August 26, 2025
IRS Urged To Avoid Retroactive Solar, Wind Tax Changes
Changes to the beginning-of-construction definition under rules to determine large solar and wind energy development projects' eligibility for certain tax credits should not be applied retroactively, several groups said in letters to the U.S. Department of the Treasury released Tuesday.
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August 26, 2025
EU Defends Digital Taxes Following Trump's Tariff Threat
The European Commission said Tuesday that it stands by European Union member states keeping digital taxes in place despite President Donald Trump's renewed threats to impose tariffs on countries with measures hitting the U.S. tech giants.
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August 25, 2025
6th Circ. Says Tax Court Filing Deadline Can Be Tolled
The 90-day deadline to petition the U.S. Tax Court is not a jurisdictional bar and may be extended for certain reasons, the Sixth Circuit found Monday, reviving a woman's late challenge to an IRS tax deficiency.
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August 25, 2025
Tax Court Tosses Suit From Accountant Who Copped To Fraud
An accountant who admitted to tax and healthcare fraud in connection with an Alabama group home for disabled people can't challenge a tax debt because the underlying IRS notice stating the amount due was a reminder, not a determination, the U.S. Tax Court said Monday.
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August 25, 2025
NC Man Gets Nearly 20 Years For Tax Fraud, Ponzi Scheme
A North Carolina man was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison after willfully failing to report nearly $9 million in income to the Internal Revenue Service and evading more than $3 million in taxes in connection with a $20 million Ponzi scheme, federal prosecutors said.
Expert Analysis
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Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review
For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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Rank-And-File DOJ Attorneys Will Keep Calm And Carry On
Career prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice often pride themselves on their ability to remain apolitical in order to ensure consistency and keep the department’s mission afloat, and the incoming Trump administration is unlikely to upend this tradition, says Michael Landman at Bird Marella.
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What Higher Education Can Expect From A 2nd Trump Admin
The election of Donald Trump for a second presidential term has far-reaching ramifications for colleges and universities — come January, institutions can expect a crackdown on DEI, increased scrutiny of campus protests, a rollback of the Biden administration's Title IX rules and more, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less
Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.
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Expect Surging Oil And Gas Industry Under New Trump Admin
Throughout his recent campaign, President-elect Donald Trump promised increased oil and natural gas production and reduced reliance on renewables — and his administration will likely bring more oil and gas dealmaking, faster federal permitting and attempts to roll back incentives for green energy, say attorneys at Sidley.
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The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule
Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.
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Cos. Should Inventory Issues To Prep For New Congress
As the legislative and oversight agendas of the 119th Congress come into sharper focus, corporate counsel should assess and plan for areas of potential oversight risk — from tax policy changes to supply chain integrity — even as much uncertainty remains, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
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Conservation Easement Cases Weave Web Of Uncertainty
Much of the IRS and Justice Department’s recent success in prosecuting syndicated conservation easement cases can be attributed to the government’s focus on the so-called PropCo ratio, which could indicate treacherous waters ahead for participants and their advisers, even under the incoming Trump administration, say attorneys at Polsinelli.
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So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?
Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.
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Legislation Most Likely To Pass In Lame Duck Session
As Congress begins its five-week post-election lame duck session, attorneys at Greenberg Traurig break down the legislative priorities and which proposals can be expected to pass.
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What Trump's 2nd Presidency Could Mean For Crypto Sector
Trump's second term will bring a fundamental shift from the Biden administration's approach to crypto-asset regulation and banking supervision, with the most significant changes likely taking effect in the first two quarters of 2025 and broader policy shifts emerging over the next year, say attorneys at Cahill.
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Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.
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Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being
As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.