State & Local

Calif. Tax Director Sees AI Aiding Tax Administration

Maria Koklanaris
Senior Tax Correspondent

Nicolas Maduros, as director of the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, is leading an effort to modernize sales tax administration through the use of artificial intelligence. He's also president of the board of trustees of the Federation of Tax Administrators. Law360 spoke to him about both roles.

Amazon SC Sales Tax Case Could Decide Meaning Of 'Seller'

Maria Koklanaris
Senior Tax Correspondent

Amazon's longtime battle with the South Carolina Department of Revenue could ultimately answer critical questions about retroactivity, statutory interpretation and the definition of key terms such as "seller."

NYC's Proposed Split From State Tax Regs Sparks Pushback

Paul Williams
Tax Correspondent

New York City's plan to have its coming corporate tax overhaul regulations diverge from certain areas in the state's rules has drawn criticism from practitioners who say the proposals could increase compliance burdens and cut against the underlying law's intent to apply market-based sourcing.

Looking South With A Smile: SALT In Review

From Mississippi's long walk toward repealing its personal income tax to a welcome stroke for open government in Kentucky, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys

As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.

How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case

The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.

Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content

From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.

Tax Assessment: Recapping Georgia's Legislative Session

Jonathan Feldman and Alla Raykin at Eversheds Sutherland examine tax-related changes from Georgia’s General Assembly — such as the governor’s successful push to accelerate income tax cuts — and suggest steps to take before certain tax incentives are challenged in the state's next legislative session.

Geothermal Energy Has Growing Potential In The US

Bipartisan support for the geothermal industry shows that geothermal energy can be an elegant solution toward global decarbonization efforts because of its small footprint, low supply chain risk, and potential to draw on the skills of existing highly specialized oil and gas workers and renewable specialists, say attorneys at Weil.

Bad Ideas That Won't Go Away: SALT In Review

From California's latest move toward a digital ad tax to Kansas' proposed tax credits for film production, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.

Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance

A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.

Trump Hush Money Case Offers Master Class In Trial Strategy

The New York criminal hush money trial of former President Donald Trump typifies some of the greatest challenges that lawyers face in crafting persuasive presentations, providing lessons on how to handle bad facts, craft a simple story that withstands attack, and cross-examine with that story in mind, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System

As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.

E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data

Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

Kentucky Tax Talk: Budget Focus Cools Tax Reform Efforts

There were some noteworthy tax developments during Kentucky’s legislative session — like the revival of local tax reform and enactment of another tax amnesty program — but major tax initiatives, like those seen in recent years, were largely tabled as legislators focused on establishing the state’s two-year budget, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

NY Tax Talk: Primary Function Is Key Analysis For Sales Tax

Two sales tax cases recently decided by New York's Appellate Division illustrate why both taxpayers and the state's Department of Revenue subscribe to the primary function test, a logical way to determine whether business transactions are subject to sales tax, say Elizabeth Cha and Jeremy Gove at Eversheds Sutherland.