Federal

  • May 09, 2025

    Hiker And 'Raconteur': Atty Recalls 50-Year Bond With Souter

    Behind a towering legal legacy was a man who loved to hike mountains, could recall details of things he read decades ago and was always there for those he cared about, a New Hampshire attorney said as he reflected on a lifelong friendship with U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter.

  • May 09, 2025

    A Look At David Souter's Most Significant Opinions

    The retired Justice David Souter defied simple definition, viewed as a staunch conservative until he co-wrote an opinion upholding abortion rights in 1992. He did not hew to partisan lines, but reshaped the civil litigation landscape and took an unexpected stand in an extraordinarily close presidential election.

  • May 09, 2025

    McKernan Out As Trump's CFPB Pick, In For Treasury Role

    President Donald Trump will pull Jonathan McKernan's nomination to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and tap him instead for a top domestic finance job at the U.S. Treasury Department, a White House official confirmed to Law360 on Friday.

  • May 09, 2025

    IRS To Loosen Tax-Free Spinoff Regs, Cut Ordinary Biz Rule

    The Internal Revenue Service plans to loosen proposed regulations for corporate separation transactions, known as spinoffs, that the agency approves as tax-free ahead of time, in part by eliminating a standard considering whether actions are taken in the ordinary course of business, officials said Friday.

  • May 09, 2025

    Family Denies Knowledge Of $81M Tax Avoidance Scheme

    The government's claims that members of a deceased theater businessman's family knew or should have known their company stock sale was part of an $81 million purported tax avoidance scheme are baseless, the family members said in a filing in New York federal court.

  • May 09, 2025

    Weekly Internal Revenue Bulletin

    The Internal Revenue Service's weekly bulletin, issued Friday, included the reference price for enhanced oil recovery tax credits for calendar year 2024.

  • May 09, 2025

    Justice Souter Was An Unexpected Force Of Moderation

    Justice David Souter, who saw the high court as a moderating force apart from the messiness of politics, subverted the expectations of liberals and conservatives alike during his 19 years on the bench.

  • May 09, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Paul Weiss, Weil, V&E, Torys

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, 3G Capital takes Skechers private, Sunoco LP buys Parkland Corp., and BCE Inc. and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board launch a wholesale network provider called Network FiberCo.

  • May 09, 2025

    Retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter Dies At 85

    Retired Justice David H. Souter, who served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1990 to 2009, has died at 85, the court announced Friday. 

  • May 08, 2025

    Trump Admin Defends Gov't Restructuring As Lawful

    The Trump administration defended what it says is a lawful executive order looking to reorganize agencies and terminate workers, telling a California federal judge that unions, nonprofits and local governments "waited far too long" to seek a temporary restraining order.

  • May 08, 2025

    Hyatt's $300M From Reward Program Is Income, 7th Circ. Told

    Hyatt Hotels should have to report nearly $300 million in revenue from a rewards program fund because it benefited from spending the money, including through advertising for its properties, the U.S. government told the Seventh Circuit on Thursday, defending a U.S. Tax Court ruling.

  • May 08, 2025

    NFTC Warns US Against Tariffs On Semiconductors, Pharma

    The Trump administration should work to avoid using tariffs to address the perceived threat to national security caused by importing semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, the National Foreign Trade Council said, calling for extreme caution.

  • May 08, 2025

    Widow Says Husband's Estate Liable For $2M FBAR Fines

    A nonagenarian widow told an Idaho federal court Thursday that her husband's estate — not she — should be liable for more than $2 million in penalties for his unreported foreign accounts, calling the government's attempt to penalize her an unprecedented overreach.

  • May 08, 2025

    11th Circ. Judge Frowns On New Arguments In Easement Case

    An Eleventh Circuit judge disapproved of a Georgia partnership raising new arguments on appeal as it pursues a tax deduction for a conservation easement donation, saying Thursday that perhaps "we wouldn't be here" if the partnership had argued the points before the lower court.

  • May 08, 2025

    Milbank Hires King & Spalding Tax Planning Atty In DC

    Milbank LLP has added a former King & Spalding LLP tax attorney as a partner in its global project, energy and infrastructure finance group in Washington, D.C.

  • May 07, 2025

    Bessent Defends Cuts To Community Fund Amid Scrutiny

    U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday defended the Trump administration's proposal to significantly slash the fund that operates the new markets tax credit, which is meant to boost investment in poor communities, telling lawmakers that a new $100 million program would better support affordable financing in rural areas.

  • May 07, 2025

    Favorable Tax Cut Baseline Won't Fool Lenders, House Told

    If Congress uses a current policy baseline to permanently extend the 2017 tax overhaul's provisions, it will be a red flag to institutional investors, such as hedge funds, mutual funds and endowments, panelists told the House Budget Committee on Wednesday.

  • May 07, 2025

    Tax Court Rejects Couple's Case For Lacking Evidence

    A couple who challenged what the Internal Revenue Service said was their more than $650,000 in tax debt provided no evidence that the number was wrong, the U.S. Tax Court said in a bench opinion released Wednesday.

  • May 07, 2025

    11th Circ. Backs Frivolous Argument Ruling Against Teacher

    A Georgia high school teacher who claimed that he didn't have to pay taxes on his salary and that income taxes are unconstitutional must pay $25,000 in court sanctions under an Eleventh Circuit ruling affirming a U.S. Tax Court decision.

  • May 07, 2025

    Don't Scrap US-China Tax Treaty, Biz Groups Tell Treasury

    Business lobbying groups have urged the U.S. Treasury Department to reject the White House's plans to scrutinize the U.S.-China tax treaty, warning that scrapping the accord would lead to higher Chinese taxes on U.S. companies.

  • May 07, 2025

    Feds Seek 13 Years In Avenatti's California Resentencing

    California federal prosecutors asked a judge Wednesday to sentence Michael Avenatti to 160 months in prison for tax fraud and stealing from clients, to be served atop the five-year term imposed in a pair of New York cases where Avenatti was convicted of trying to extort Nike Inc. and defrauding former client Stormy Daniels.

  • May 07, 2025

    6th Circ. Skeptical Of US In Tax Court Deadline Case

    Sixth Circuit judges expressed skepticism of the U.S. government's claim that the 90-day deadline to petition the U.S. Tax Court is inflexible, with one judge saying during oral arguments Wednesday in a woman's case challenging the rule that the U.S. Supreme Court seemed to back her.

  • May 07, 2025

    Device Seller Asks For Probation In $2.4M Tax Evasion Case

    The septuagenarian owner of a Florida medical device company who pled guilty to evading $2.4 million in taxes asked a federal district court Wednesday for his sentence to entail home probation and not prison, given his health challenges and payments he already made to the Internal Revenue Service.

  • May 07, 2025

    IRS To Open Applications For Low-Income Tax Clinic Grants

    The Internal Revenue Service will begin accepting applications May 15 for its grant program for organizations providing tax services to low-income people or people who speak English as a second language, it announced Wednesday.

  • May 06, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Agrees Plane Taxability Patent Doesn't Fly

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday refused to revive an Ohio company's patent that covers using Federal Aviation Administration data to determine "the taxability status of aircraft," agreeing that it covered subject matter that isn't patentable.

Expert Analysis

  • Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review

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    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.

  • Rank-And-File DOJ Attorneys Will Keep Calm And Carry On

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    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.

  • What Higher Education Can Expect From A 2nd Trump Admin

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    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.

  • 3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less

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    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.

  • Expect Surging Oil And Gas Industry Under New Trump Admin

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    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.

  • The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule

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    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.

  • Cos. Should Inventory Issues To Prep For New Congress

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    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.

  • Conservation Easement Cases Weave Web Of Uncertainty

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    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.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    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.

  • Legislation Most Likely To Pass In Lame Duck Session

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    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.

  • What Trump's 2nd Presidency Could Mean For Crypto Sector

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    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.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    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.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    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.

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