Knowing When To Say When: Tax Practitioners & The Rules Governing the Giving of Legal Advice
During its previous term, in a case that definitely took a back seat to the Affordable Care Act, same-sex-marriage, and the other high-profile disputes that the Supremes attempted to resolve, the High Court might have changed the way that doctors, dentists, accountants, lawyers, and other professionals have done business for decades. In North Carolina State […]
Take What They Give You
The first half of Super Bowl XX between the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots is painful to watch, for everyone except die-hard fans of Da Bears. Chicago looked like it was playing fifteen guys on defense, and all of them were at or near the line of scrimmage. Several weeks earlier, the Miami Dolphins […]
If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Another
There is some evidence that PBJ is an effective way to deal with speeding tickets. That’s Probation Before Judgment” and not “Peanut Butter and Jelly.” A recent study in Maryland concluded that drivers who received a deferred disposition, as opposed to a conviction, were somewhat less likely to get another ticket. At the very least, […]
How Not To Respond To A Subpoena
The following is an article written by Gavin Broady for “Law 360” on February 6, 2015. It is a great article that provides keen insight into how not to respond to a subpoena from those who are most likely to take exception to a show of such defiance: none other than DOJ Chiefs themselves. The advice in this article is invaluable. “Law360, […]
Court Authorizes IRS To Issue John Doe Summonses For Records Relating to U.S. Clients Who Used A Shell Company To Conceal Offshore Accounts
On December 18, 2014, U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick entered an order authorizing the IRS to issue summonses requiring the following companies to produce information about U.S. taxpayers who allegedly evaded federal taxes by using the services of Sovereign Management & Legal Ltd. (Sovereign): • Federal Express Corporation, doing business as FedEx Express, • […]
Lessons Learned From The Recent Conviction of Swiss Banking Giant Credit Suisse
When European financial giant Credit Suisse AG pleaded guilty to assisting U.S. taxpayers evade federal income tax, there was a great deal of swagger at the Justice Department. Former Attorney General Eric Holder, in classic Clint Eastwood style, boldly proclaimed that “no financial institution. . .is above the law,” and that any other bank which […]
Today’s Criminal Justice System: Does It Live Up To What The Founding Fathers Envisioned It To Be?
“A diligent prosecutor can convince a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich.” This quote by New York Court of Appeals Chief Judge Sol Wachtler was made even more famous in the Tom Wolfe novel The Bonfire of the Vanities. Apropos of nothing, Judge Wachtler also once referred to the death penalty as “the chicken […]
Government Expands Forfeiture Program
In 1984, George Orwell’s novel about a dystopian near-future society, Oceania was constantly at war with one of its geopolitical rivals. The grandfatherly yet sinister O’Brien later admitted that victory over Eurasia or Eastasia was not the war’s objective – the ongoing conflict was simply an excuse for the totalitarian government to intervene in peoples’ […]
Holder Strikes Down Waiver of Appeal Rights
As Attorney General Eric Holder arranges his soon departure from the position, he has ended the waiver of appeal policy that drew heavy criticism from legal ethics groups in the past.
L.A. Fashion District: The Most Recent Target of the U.S. Government’s Crackdown On Money Laundering & The BMPE
The Los Angeles Fashion District spans 100 blocks, with over 2,000 businesses selling fashions and accessories at 30% to 70% off retail prices. Saturdays are the busiest Los Angeles Fashion District shopping days, when wholesale-only shops open to the general public. The Sunday shopping epicenter is Santee Alley, between Olympic and Pico Boulevards, where you’ll […]