Federal

  • May 15, 2026

    Weekly Internal Revenue Bulletin

    The Internal Revenue Service's weekly bulletin, released Friday, included a proposed reduction for the fee it charges people who take the exam for becoming an enrolled agent.

  • May 15, 2026

    IRS Sets Preapproved Plan Opinion Letter Rules For 2026

    The Internal Revenue Service issued a set of changes to requirements for preapproved plan providers applying for opinion letters for the fourth remedial amendment cycle.

  • May 15, 2026

    OECD To List Countries Ready To Receive Global Returns

    The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development plans to publish on Monday a list of countries implementing the global minimum tax that plan to have online portals in place to receive the required information returns by May 31, the organization's top tax official said Friday.

  • May 14, 2026

    Ex-Newsom Aide Cops To Campaign Fund Theft, False Taxes

    A former chief of staff to California Gov. Gavin Newsom pled guilty in federal court in Sacramento for her part in a scheme to divert some $225,000 from a dormant political campaign to a former Biden administration official's chief of staff, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

  • May 14, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Affirms $80M Penalty For Trust Caught In Tax Fraud

    A group of family trusts failed Thursday to convince the Federal Circuit to reverse a lower court ruling that held them liable for an $80 million tax bill after being conned by a fraudster who then engaged in abusive tax shelter transactions behind their backs.

  • May 14, 2026

    SC Co. Defends $24M Deduction For Ga. Land Donation

    A partnership based in South Carolina said the IRS erred in disallowing its $24 million deduction in 2019 for 122 acres donated to a conservancy in Georgia and in assessing a 40% penalty.

  • May 14, 2026

    Wyden Seeks June Vote For Bipartisan IRS Reform Bill

    The Senate Finance Committee's top Democrat would like his committee to vote as soon as next month on a bipartisan package that would implement several National Taxpayer Advocate-backed fixes at the Internal Revenue Service, he said Thursday.

  • May 14, 2026

    Gov't Asks 6th Circ. To Reverse FedEx's $89M Tax Credit Win

    The U.S. government urged the Sixth Circuit to reverse a Tennessee federal court's decision that invalidated foreign tax credit regulations and allowed FedEx an $89 million refund, arguing that the rules reflect Congress' intent to prevent windfalls under the 2017 tax overhaul.

  • May 14, 2026

    Corp. AMT Proposal Coming In February, Official Says

    The U.S. plans to propose its entire package of rules on the corporate alternative minimum tax — which has so far been the subject of five Internal Revenue Service notices — in February, an official from the U.S. Department of the Treasury said Thursday.

  • May 14, 2026

    'Pig Butchering' Crypto Scam Victim Seeks $962K From IRS

    An Ohio man told a district court that the Internal Revenue Service wrongly denied his tax deduction claim for a loss of over $800,000 from a cryptocurrency "pig butchering" scheme despite the extensive documentation of the fraud he said he provided to the agency.

  • May 13, 2026

    Lawmakers Float Allowing Charitable Gifts From 401(k) Plans

    A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers on Wednesday introduced a bill that would allow workers to make tax-free charitable donations directly from their employer-sponsored retirement plans, building on a section of the retirement policy overhaul known as Secure 2.0.

  • May 13, 2026

    Meta Must Share Option Costs Post-Altera, IRS Says

    The Ninth Circuit's 2019 ruling against Altera Corp., which upheld rules requiring companies to share the cost of employee stock options with foreign affiliates, means that Meta's income for 2017-18 should be increased by roughly $3 billion, the IRS told the U.S. Tax Court.

  • May 13, 2026

    Tax Bill Challenge Filing Deadline Is Flexible, 4th Circ. Told

    A man who missed the deadline for challenging his tax bill in the U.S. Tax Court urged the Fourth Circuit to revive his suit, saying the statutory cutoff for filing petitions does not have to be strictly followed in every case.

  • May 13, 2026

    DOJ Fraud Division Set To Shake Up White-Collar Enforcement

    President Donald Trump's administration created the U.S. Department of Justice's National Fraud Enforcement Division with a narrow focus on combating government program fraud, but a move to retain federal prosecutors focused on other types of fraud could signal a wider scope with potential ripple effects across white-collar enforcement.

  • May 13, 2026

    Accendra Pays $19M To Settle IRS Transfer Pricing Matter

    Accendra Health Inc. paid $19 million to the Internal Revenue Service to conclude tax matters related to international transfer pricing activity between 2015 and 2018, according to a recent earnings call with investors.

  • May 13, 2026

    Trump 1st-Term Tariff Hikes On China Legal, Feds Tell Justices

    President Donald Trump's first administration was well within its legal authority to increase tariffs on Chinese goods under a law utilized to address unfair trading practices, and the U.S. Supreme Court doesn't need to consider a challenge to those measures, the government told the justices.

  • May 13, 2026

    Tax Court Won't Rethink Nix Of Russian Scientist's Exemption

    The U.S. Tax Court won't rethink its decision that the U.S. Department of Energy's payments to a Russian scientist for his subatomic particle research in Virginia don't fall under a tax exemption for grants in the U.S.-Russia tax treaty.

  • May 13, 2026

    IRS Offers Easement Deals With 10% Penalty, No Haggling

    Eligible partnerships disputing conservation or historic preservation easement charitable deductions cannot negotiate their tax benefit amounts under the Internal Revenue Service's latest settlement offer, which carries a 10% penalty, the agency announced Wednesday.

  • May 12, 2026

    SCOTUSblog Founder Can't Delay Tax Fraud Sentencing

    A Maryland federal judge has rejected SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein's request to push back sentencing for his tax evasion conviction, finding that Goldstein "has not shown good cause to continue sentencing."

  • May 12, 2026

    Ga. Partnership Defends $46M Deduction For Donated Acres

    A Georgia partnership is disputing the IRS' assessment of $17.1 million in underpaid tax and $6.8 million penalties for its 2020 tax year, saying the agency wrongly disallowed its $46.2 million deduction for a charitable contribution of over 337 acres.

  • May 12, 2026

    9th Circ. Orders New Tax Fraud Trial Over Juror's Racial Bias

    An Idaho federal court wrongly denied a man of Mexican descent a new trial after discovering a juror had made racially biased comments about people of Mexican ethnicity during deliberations on whether to convict him of preparing false tax returns, a split Ninth Circuit panel said Tuesday.

  • May 12, 2026

    US Asks Court To Reject Bright-Line IRS Political Activity Test

    A D.C. federal court should not set a bright-line test for determining whether tax-exempt social welfare organizations are engaging in improper political campaigning, the federal government said during a hearing Tuesday, in a case in which the court previously said the existing test was too vague.

  • May 12, 2026

    Ala. Partnership Says Donated Land Was Worth $21M

    An Alabama partnership defended its deduction of $21 million for land donated to a conservancy in Mobile in 2018, saying it was told by a qualified appraiser that the property's "highest and best use" would have been as a residential development.

  • May 12, 2026

    New Precedent Revives $6.6M IRS Penalty Fight, Broker Says

    An insurance broker asked a Pennsylvania federal court to consider new constitutionality arguments against the IRS penalty prepayment requirement to revive its challenge to $6.6 million in captive insurance tax penalties, arguing those claims rely on new legal precedent.

  • May 12, 2026

    Over 8 Million Imports In Line For Over $35B In Tariff Refunds

    Over 8.3 million imports are pending tariff refunds after clearing the final system processes developed by Customs and Border Protection, accounting for almost $35.5 billion in duty refunds with interest, according to the latest declaration filed Tuesday by an agency official in the U.S. Court of International Trade.

Expert Analysis

  • What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

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    My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.

  • Mich. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    Michigan's financial services sector saw several significant developments in 2026's first quarter, including the state Department of Insurance and Financial Services' issuance of a bulletin on the use of artificial intelligence and the Michigan House's introduction of a bill based on the Model Money Transmission Modernization Act, say attorneys at Dykema.

  • Navigating The Perks Of Qualified Opportunity Zones 2.0

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    The second iteration of the qualified opportunity zone program, effective Jan. 1, 2027, will introduce new tax incentives for rural real estate development, but these benefits can only be realized if proper governance is a priority, including clear documentation and securities law compliance, says Coni Rathbone at VF Law.

  • Getting The Most Out Of Learning And Development Programs

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    Junior associates can better develop the legal, business and interpersonal skills they need for long-term success by approaching their firms’ learning and development programs armed with five tips for getting the most out of these resources, says Lauren Hakala at Reed Smith.

  • AI Presents A Make-Or-Break Moment For Outside Counsel

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    The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence by corporate legal departments is forcing a long-overdue reset of the relationship between inside and outside counsel, and introducing a significant opportunity to shed frustrating inefficiencies and strengthen collaboration for firms willing to embrace the shift, says Intel Chief Legal Officer April Miller Boise.

  • 8 Tariff Refund Questions For Restructuring Professionals

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    For restructuring and turnaround professionals, seeking refunds following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision invalidating tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act raises several questions about how to capture legitimate recoveries while protecting an enterprise from the consequences of its own history, says Jonny Frank and Laura Greenman at StoneTurn, and Andrew Popescu at Province.

  • 5 Tips For Navigating Your Firm's All-Attorney Summit

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Law firm retreats should be approached strategically, as they present valuable opportunities to advance both the firm's objectives and attorneys' professional development through meaningful participation, building and strengthening internal relationships, and proactive follow-up, says James Argionis at Cozen O’Connor.

  • How Bankrupt Cos. Can Seek Refunds For Illegal Tariffs

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    In light of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision striking down President Donald Trump's International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs as illegal, some companies may have strong prospects for recovering refunds from the government, and trustees in bankruptcy may have a significant role to play in seeking such recovery, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • Legal And Industry Impacts Of America's Maritime Action Plan

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    America's Maritime Action Plan, unveiled by the White House last month, introduces changes to trade investigations, a new maritime trust fund and more — adding regulatory and compliance obligations for companies and counsel, but also new avenues for client engagement in project finance, contract negotiation and dispute resolution, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • 4 Ways To Help CBP Curb Shell Co. Import Schemes

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    Shifting to a proactive rather than reactive enforcement posture in addressing shell companies set up to skirt tariffs requires equipping U.S. Customs and Border Protection with enhanced investigative authorities, better intelligence support, and mechanisms to identify and hold accountable the ultimate illicit actors, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • 7 Steps For Gov't Contractors In Post-IEEPA Tariff Landscape

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    In response to U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to strike down tariffs issued by the Trump administration under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, there are several actions federal contractors should take to preserve their place in any refund waterfall, and to manage audit, overpayment and False Claims Act risk, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • The Benefits Of Choosing A Niche Practice In The AI Age

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    As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly accessible, lawyers with a niche practice may stand out as clients seek specialized judgment that automation cannot replicate, but it is important to choose a niche that is durable, engaging and a good personal fit, says Daniel Borneman at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Section 122 Tariffs Show Shift In Strategy, Not Trade Policy

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    By imposing temporary tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act as a stopgap measure while it pivots to less transitory statutory authorities, the Trump administration sent a clear message that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Learning Resources v. Trump, invalidating duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, will not precipitate a change in policy direction, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

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