The government needs a warrant to seize you or your property unless an exception to the warrant requirement applies.[1] One of the major exceptions to the warrant requirement for seizures is the “plain view doctrine.”
Read MoreUtah’s white collar criminal registry recently went live.[1] The registry purports to help Utah residents track and avoid white collar criminal offenders.[2]
Read MoreFor the second time, the United States Supreme Court is examining the case of Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. With an opinion due out any time now, the impact of the Court’s words could have far reaching effects. What is at stake?
Read MoreEach state has its own ballot access laws to determine who may appear on ballots, and almost every state has different procedures and requirements. Some require voter signatures, some require a filing fee be paid, and some require both.
Read MoreOnce again, tax identity theft topped the IRS’ 2016 list of “Dirty Dozen” tax scams,[1] beating out other colorful contenders including abusive tax shelters and frivolous tax arguments.
Read MoreIt’s the start of a bad day for anyone to get slapped with a summons from the IRS. Often, the summoned individual is left confused and at the mercy of the IRS’s demand.
Read MoreA recent rash of impostor attorneys, accountants, and even doctors shows that careful choice of professionals is a must. Further, many easily accessible resources exist to help select advisers to manage legal and tax needs. Recent shocking news stories include:
Read MoreOne of the theories under which liability may be imposed on the employer stems from instances where an employer did not adequately conduct or even do a background investigation of the employee’s qualifications and history prior to hiring him/her.
Read MoreMarch 2016’s large damages awards in civil trials regarding privacy show that personal privacy is a big deal for Americans. Terry Bollea, better known as “Hulk Hogan,” won a $140 million dollar verdict against on-line voyeur site Gawker.
Read MoreNotably, Section 6103 is typically interpreted broadly by courts. Section 6103 provides invaluable privacy protections in the context of Private Letter Rulings (“PLR”), especially for taxpayers who utilize complex tax planning.
Read MoreIn asset protection planning, not all trust instruments are created equal. For example, living trusts and other self-settled trusts, while excellent estate planning devices, are generally useless when it comes to asset protection planning.
Read MoreFor the first time in nearly 30 years, Congress implemented significant changes to Internal Revenue Code section 831(b) when it passed Protecting Americans From Tax Hikes (PATH) as part of its 2016 appropriations bill.
Read MoreNo citizen—Republican or Democrat, socialist or libertarian—should be targeted or even have to fear being targeted on those grounds.”[1] These sobering opening words from Judge Kethledge on March 22, 2016, concern a case where the truth is stranger than fiction, at least in a post-Nixon world.
Read MoreThe Securities and Exchange Commission has recently begun a new push to expose more financial reporting and issuer disclosure violations in public corporations and more aggressively charge violators.
Read MoreThe government generally needs a search warrant to search and seize items in an area where you have a “reasonable expectation of privacy” unless an exception to the search warrant requirement applies.
Read MoreIt is a particularly rancorous political season. Much attention is devoted to the clash of ideals, and humanity, that has taken place in the name of political identity.
Read MoreYou may think all you need for a successful new business is to know your products/services, know your customers/consumers, and have a great desire and passion to succeed. Those may be key aspects, but you must also protect that dream from turning into a nightmare.
Read MoreIn asset protection planning, not all trust instruments are created equal. For example, living trusts and other self-settled trusts, while excellent estate planning devices, are generally useless when it comes to asset protection planning.
Read MoreInstallment notes should receive special tax consideration when a person contemplates renouncing their U.S. citizenship. Under provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), the expatriate is deemed to have sold the note for its fair market value.
Read MoreFrom more than 80 Swiss banks,[1] to the individuals who used those banks to evade taxes,[2] to financial firms in the Cayman Islands,[3] the IRS has been busy hunting down offshore tax evasion, and has been very successful at it.
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