Tax

October 24, 2025
Mass. Appeals Court Finds No Evidence To Drop Home's Value

A Massachusetts homeowner failed to show that a local assessor overvalued his property and made procedural errors, the state appeals court ruled Friday, upholding his property's value.
October 24, 2025
Partnership Fights For $15M Easement Deduction In Tax Court

The Internal Revenue Service didn't explain its determinations and therefore violated administrative law when it denied an Alabama partnership a $14.8 million deduction for donating a conservation easement in 2020, the partnership told the U.S. Tax Court.
October 23, 2025
Ex-Mich. Speaker Aide Cops To Embezzlement, Will Testify

A former top staffer for former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield pled guilty to embezzling from a political nonprofit while working for the state and, as part of a plea deal, has agreed to provide "truthful testimony in future hearings," according to an announcement made Thursday.
October 23, 2025
Legislation May Fix Tax Court Jurisdiction Feud, Judge Says

Senate legislation to expand the U.S. Tax Court's authority to order refunds and credits in collection cases could settle a long-running dispute revived by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to limit the tax tribunal's jurisdiction, a judge said Thursday.
October 23, 2025
Fed. Circ. Affirms No Tax Refunds For Retired United Pilots

United Airlines pilots who said they overpaid payroll taxes because of the early termination of their retirement plan in the company's bankruptcy can't get partial refunds, the Federal Circuit affirmed Thursday, saying procedural issues doomed their case.
October 23, 2025
French Legislators Advance 15% DST To Mirror US Tariffs

France's digital services tax rate would rise from 3% to 15% under an amendment adopted by the lower house of Parliament's Finance Committee, which characterized the action as a "proportionate response" to tariffs imposed by the United States.
October 23, 2025
Mass. Tax Break Bill For Urban Farms Advances

Massachusetts would allow municipalities to create an agricultural property tax break for small urban farm plots under a bill reported favorably by a state legislative panel.
October 23, 2025
US Oil Cos. Pay More Tax Abroad Than At Home, Report Says

American oil and gas companies with foreign extraction operations paid more than 80% of their total taxes abroad in recent years despite producing more oil and gas in the U.S. than everywhere else combined, a corporate transparency group said Thursday.
October 23, 2025
UK Court Denies Leisure Firm's Bid For Extra VAT Interest

A leisure services company can't claim additional interest of £8.2 million ($11 million) on value-added tax overpaid to HM Revenue & Customs because statutory interest provided full compensation, a British court ruled.
October 23, 2025
Court Won't Rethink 'Survivor' Winner's $3M Tax Bill

A Rhode Island federal judge won't reconsider his opinion that the first winner of reality show "Survivor" must pay $3.3 million in taxes, maintaining that it is unclear whether the federal government can take his sister's property to pay down the debt.
October 23, 2025
Eaton To Defend Interest Rates, Fees Paid After 2012 Inversion

Eaton is preparing to defend the interest rates and guarantee fees paid by entities in the U.S. to their newly formed Irish parent after the company's 2012 acquisition and inversion at a U.S. Tax Court trial scheduled to start Nov. 3.
October 22, 2025
Banks Want Ill. Fee Law Block Extended To Card Networks

Banking industry groups urged an Illinois federal judge Wednesday to permanently block an Illinois law that bans swipe fees on tax and tip portions of payment card transactions, arguing she has already correctly held that national banks are federally preempted from its reach, and that the court should extend that relief to card networks and others involved in the payment process.
October 22, 2025
Australia Issues Guidance For Minimum Tax Safe Harbor

Australia released guidance Wednesday detailing when companies can forgo detailed top-up tax calculations for a jurisdiction under a safe harbor for the 15% global minimum tax that is based on country-by-country reporting.
October 22, 2025
US Among Few Places With Amount B Rules, OECD Reports

The U.S. is a significant exception to a swath of countries, including China, Japan and the U.K., that lack domestic rules allowing companies to use a transfer pricing method for baseline marketing and distribution activities known as Amount B, the OECD reported Wednesday.
October 22, 2025
Tax Court Judge Warns Against Unchecked AI Use In Filings

A U.S. Tax Court judge cautioned attorneys Wednesday against relying on artificial intelligence to write filings without verifying the information it generates, saying recent "unfortunate incidents" have prompted the court to double down on accuracy in using such tools.
October 22, 2025
'The Right Facts' Can Reduce Cos.' Tariff Impacts, Atty Says

Multinational companies with U.S. distributors that typically bear fewer business risks and earn low profit margins may be able to mitigate the effect of U.S. tariffs on their business as a whole by having a foreign principal bear the tariff costs, an attorney said Wednesday.
October 22, 2025
COST Urges Ky. Justices To Reject Walgreens' Tax Valuations

Kentucky's Supreme Court should reverse an appeal court's ruling finding that a local assessor correctly took above-market contract rents into consideration when valuing several Walgreen store properties, the Council on State Taxation said, because it unfairly raised their assessed values.
October 22, 2025
Presidential Firing Limits Fight Builds At High Court

The ousted U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board chair has encouraged the U.S. Supreme Court to include a caveat for "legislative courts" if it overturns precedent that empowers Congress to limit the president's authority to fire certain agency officials, but opponents of independent agencies want a clean break from the status quo.
October 22, 2025
Trade Court OKs $235K Tax Bill On Korean Soju Imports

South Korean alcoholic beverages were improperly classified upon entering the U.S., and U.S. Customs and Border Protection correctly calculated a nearly $235,000 bill in unpaid federal excise taxes plus interest, according to the U.S. Court of International Trade.
October 22, 2025
Widow Not Liable For Husband's Tax Debt, 4th Circ. Told

An 80-year-old widow whose husband was imprisoned after hiding more than $20 million from the IRS told the Fourth Circuit that he was "abusive and controlling" and that she shouldn't have to pay the millions of dollars they jointly owe, despite contrary claims by the government.
October 22, 2025
NY Bill Seeks Clean Energy Payment Exemption For Tax Caps

New York would exempt payments in lieu of taxes for renewable energy projects from local governments' property tax cap calculations under a bill introduced in the state Assembly.
October 21, 2025
Partnership Deadline To Dispute IRS Is Fixed, Tax Court Says

A deadline to petition the U.S. Tax Court to challenge IRS adjustments to partnership returns is effectively fixed and cannot be extended, the court said Tuesday in a reviewed decision that denied an Alabama LLC's late bid to restore a $46 million deduction for donating to charity.
October 21, 2025
Discovery Against Gem Company Halted In Malawi's Tax Probe

Malawi's government can no longer proceed with discovery against a gemstone company that partnered with a mining outfit the country claims evaded billions of dollars in taxes and royalties on exported rubies and sapphires, a Washington federal judge ruled, vacating his own order.
October 21, 2025
CPA Admits $1.7M Tax Fraud, Pandemic Loan Charges

A Massachusetts certified public accountant has agreed to plead guilty to failing to disclose to the IRS nearly $1.7 million in off-the-books compensation to an employee and making false certifications to obtain pandemic relief loans.
October 21, 2025
Medtronic Says 8th Circ. Wrongly Tossed Tax Court's Method

The Eighth Circuit's rejection of the U.S. Tax Court's latest ruling on the pricing of Medtronic intangibles placed unnecessary restrictions on the court's unspecified method addressing such assets transferred to Puerto Rico, the company argued as it asked the circuit court to rethink its decision.

Expert Analysis

How GILTI Reform Affects M&A Golden Parachute Planning

Deal teams should evaluate the effect of a recent seemingly technical change to U.S. international tax law on the golden parachute analysis that often plays a critical part of many corporate transactions to avoid underestimating its impact on an acquirer's worldwide taxable income following a triggering transaction, say attorneys at MoFo.
Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Adapting To The Age Of AI

Though law school may not have specifically taught us how to use generative artificial intelligence to help with our daily legal tasks, it did provide us the mental building blocks necessary for adapting to this new technology — and the judgment to discern what shouldn’t be automated, says Pamela Dorian at Cozen O'Connor.
Ch. 11 Ruling Voiding $2M Litigation Funding Sends A Warning

A recent Texas bankruptcy court decision that a postconfirmation litigation trust has no obligations to repay a completely drawn down $2 million litigation funding agreement serves as a warning for estate administrators and funders to properly disclose the intended financing, say attorneys at Kleinberg Kaplan.
What To Expect As Trump's 401(k) Order Materializes

Following the Trump administration’s recent executive order on 401(k) plan investments in alternative assets like cryptocurrencies and real estate, the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will need to answer several outstanding questions before any regulatory changes are implemented, say attorneys at Cleary.
Demystifying The Civil Procedure Rules Amendment Process

Every year, an advisory committee receives dozens of proposals to amend the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, most of which are never adopted — but a few pointers can help maximize the likelihood that an amendment will be adopted, says Josh Gardner at DLA Piper.
Parenting Skills That Can Help Lawyers Thrive Professionally

As kids head back to school, the time is ripe for lawyers who are parents to consider how they can incorporate their parenting skills to build a deep, meaningful and sustainable legal practice, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
Unpacking The New Opportunity Zone Tax Incentive Program

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act brought several improvements to the opportunity zone tax incentive program that should boost investments in qualified funds, including making it permanent, increasing federal income tax benefits in rural areas, redesignating the qualified zones, and requiring more in-depth reporting, says Marc Schultz at Snell & Wilmer.
Series

Teaching Trial Advocacy Makes Us Better Lawyers

Teaching trial advocacy skills to other lawyers makes us better litigators because it makes us question our default methods, connect to young attorneys with new perspectives and focus on the needs of the real people at the heart of every trial, say Reuben Guttman, Veronica Finkelstein and Joleen Youngers.
Trump Tax Law's Most Impactful Energy Changes

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act's deferral of begin-construction deadlines and the phaseout of certain energy tax credits will provide emerging technologies with welcome breathing room, though other changes, like the increased credit rate for sustainable aviation fuel, create challenges for developers, say attorneys at Weil.
Series

Adapting To Private Practice: From Texas AUSA To BigLaw

As I learned when I transitioned from an assistant U.S. attorney to a BigLaw partner, the move from government to private practice is not without its hurdles, but it offers immense potential for growth and the opportunity to use highly transferable skills developed in public service, says Jeffery Vaden at Bracewell.
Advice For 1st-Gen Lawyers Entering The Legal Profession

Nikki Hurtado at The Ferraro Law Firm tells her story of being a first-generation lawyer and how others who begin their professional journeys without the benefit of playbooks handed down by relatives can turn this disadvantage into their greatest strength.
Series

Coaching Cheerleading Makes Me A Better Lawyer

At first glance, cheerleading and litigation may seem like worlds apart, but both require precision, adaptability, leadership and the ability to stay composed under pressure — all of which have sharpened how I approach my work in the emotionally complex world of mass torts and personal injury, says Rashanda Bruce at Robins Kaplan.
Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Make A Deal

Preparing lawyers for the nuances of a transactional practice is not a strong suit for most law schools, but, in practice, there are six principles that can help young M&A lawyers become seasoned, trusted deal advisers, says Chuck Morton at Venable.
Trump Tax Law's Most Impactful Corp. And Individual Changes

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act built on and reshaped elements of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including business interest deductions, bonus depreciation and personal income relief, delivering substantial changes to both corporate and individual tax policy, say attorneys at Weil.
From Clerkship To Law Firm: 5 Transition Tips For Associates

Excerpt from Practical Guidance

Transitioning from a judicial clerkship to an associate position at a law firm may seem daunting, but by using knowledge gained while clerking, being mindful of key differences and taking advantage of professional development opportunities, these attorneys can flourish in private practice, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.