Services

What Is Your Situation? Do You Potentially Have A Case?

Every client begins with a free consultation where we will look at your case from a high level perspective. In this initial meeting we will seek to gain an understanding of your situation, the current status of the IRS, FTB or EDD in regards to your situation, discuss potential pitfalls and repercussions and inform you of your potential options, the benefits of each and the steps involved.

This will also be your chance to meet our staff and get to know our firm first hand. It is important to know who each of the people are that will be working on your case, their experience and qualifications. If after this initial meeting, you are ready to work with our firm and allow us to take action in protecting your best interests, we will move quickly to dive deeper into the facts and begin collecting the necessary documentation to build a rock solid case.

Using Rules, Regulations and Procedural Protections

The IRS, FTB and EDD all must follow specific rules, regulations and procedural processes that have been designed to protect the rights of the taxpayer. These protections have been designed to mitigate the enormous power of the IRS and ensure that every taxpayer is treated with the fairness they deserve. However, if you are not aware of these rules, regulations and procedures it is easy to make missteps and hurt your case. Our firm will ensure that your rights and interests are best served every step of the way.

Based on the circumstances of your specific case we may know fairly quickly at which level your case will experience the best result. For instance, while many tax lawyers will simply take the best offer they can get from the revenue officer assigned to your case, you may be able to get a much better settlement at the appeals level and in some cases you may need to go all the way to tax court in order to attain the lowest possible negotiated settlement. When dealing with the IRS, everything is negotiations and it is important to understand that the processes you must go through in the early stages are often best used to set up more powerful arguments that will be used at a later stage.

It Is Important That We Know Everything

In order to truly represent you to the best of our ability it is important that we know absolutely everything about what really happened. Thanks to attorney-client privilege the IRS cannot force us to disclose any information. However, only by having a full view of the facts can we ensure that your case is laid out in a way that paints you in the most favorable light.

When collecting facts we will interview you and any other witnesses who may have facts or a perspective that could potentially be used to influence your case in one way or another. This may also include the collection of documents, reciepts, etc. Often this is where we can help our clients save on attorneys fees by simply advising you of what documents should be collected.

Ensuring Accuracy and Correcting Mistakes

Whether you have precise records or use the shoebox accounting method, mistakes can happen and often times those mistakes can make a significant difference in the outcome of your case. If applicable, we will conduct a forensic audit of your financial records to ensure that any mistakes are caught and corrected.

This is a critical step in solidifying your case and being able to confidently present to the IRS in a way that will instill confidence in our presentation of arguments before the revenue agent, appeals officer and tax court judge.

Bullet Proofing Your Files

One of the first things that the IRS, FTB and EDD will look at is the organization of your documents. If there appears to be any level of disorganization, that will cause revenue agents, appeals officers and tax court judges to question the accuracy of your information and credibility of your claims.

By presenting documents that are well organized your case will gain credibility every step of the way and we will gain a powerful advantage in the negotiations.

Arguments That Will Stand Up To Scrutiny

Based on the facts, circumstances and documents, we will use every known law to develop a case that paints you in the best possible light and demand the lowest possible settlement.

With four decades of experience presenting and arguing cases before judges, arbitrators, and agents from both the IRS and FTB, the tax attorneys at this law firm are perfectly equipped to seek the most favorable settlement terms possible.

Where Our Strategies Gain Personality and Seek Leverage

When dealing with the IRS, from the first phone call, to each and every meeting until your case is closed, every interaction is about sound presentation and skillful negotiation. We will leverage every known law, regulation and procedural protection to demonstrate the strength of your case and direct the conversation to our desired outcome.

With over 25 years of experience and as the acting Chairman of the San Diego County Bar Association Pro Se Tax Payer Program, William D Hartsock has significant experience with every local revenue officer, appeals officer and tax court judge that lends insight into the strategies that have consistently found favor with each. This invaluable experience can give you a powerful advantage in each and every negotiation.

Fighting For The Best Possible Settlement

Where most tax attorneys will simply take the best offer they can get at the revenue agent level, it is at the appeals level that the best settlements are typically reached. That is why in most cases, everything at the revenue agent level is really just setting up for the appeals officer level where you will get to negotiate with someone who actually has the power to give you a much better deal.

We Will Fight Until You Are Satisfied

This tax law firm has been built upon an aggressive, never give up philosophy when it comes to representing our clients. The way we see it, we aren't just winning cases, we are protecting the financial viability of people and their businesses. We believe that you are worth fighting for.