IRS Audits & Litigation

Former IRS Attorneys - Experienced IRS Tax Audit Law Firm

Although most tax disputes are resolved through the IRS audits and appeals procedure, if a favorable outcome cannot be achieved administratively, taxpayers have the right to litigate their cases in the federal court system. The United States Tax Court is the most common forum in which these types of cases are litigated. Cases involving IRS disputes can also be brought before the United States District Court and the United States Court of Federal Claims. Litigating a case in any of these federal courts is a challenging process and a successful result often hinges upon the skills of an experienced federal tax litigator.

Thorn Law Group’s team of trial lawyers specialize in IRS federal tax litigation. We have decades of experience successfully representing clients during the IRS tax audit, appeals and litigation processes. Our clients include individual taxpayers, corporations, partnerships, trusts, estates, high net worth individuals and other entities in the United States and abroad. The legal professionals at our firm worked for the IRS and the U.S. Tax Court before entering private practice. This experience gives each Washington DC tax lawyer at our firm a strategic advantage when guiding clients through complex federal court procedures.

Selecting the Best Forum for IRS Federal Tax Litigation

At Thorn Law Group, a tax attorney will carefully review your case in order to advise you on the best forum to litigate your IRS tax dispute. Each attorney at our Washington DC firm is intimately familiar with the rules and procedures for litigating in the federal courts. Our IRS tax audit law firm understand the unique differences among the courts and the intricacies of federal tax laws.

U.S. Tax Court

The majority of IRS federal tax cases are brought before the U.S. Tax Court. The Tax Court is a specialty court that exclusively hears tax law cases. Cases are tried before a single judge with expertise in tax law. In this forum, taxpayers are not required to prepay the proposed tax deficiency before litigating. Payment is not required until the decision of the Tax Court has been entered and becomes final, including any and all appeals of the Tax Court’s decision. Appeals from the U.S. Tax Court are made to the U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

U.S. District Court

In order to bring a case before a U.S. District Court, taxpayers must exhaust all IRS administrative remedies and prepay the disputed tax deficiency. The U.S. District Courts are the only venue in which taxpayers may try their case before a jury. Appeal of a decision by a district court must be made to the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Circuit in which the district court lies.

U.S. Court of Federal Claims

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims only hears cases against the U.S. government. Any person, regardless of citizenship, can file a tax refund suit against the United States in the Court of Federal Claims. The Court of Federal Claims does not hear jury trials; rather, cases are tried before a single judge.

Our IRS Tax Audit Lawyers Litigate All Types of IRS Tax Disputes

The attorneys at Thorn Law Group have successfully represented clients before the U.S. Tax Court and other federal courts in all types of tax disputes, including income tax problems, payroll tax problems, valuation disputes, TEFRA litigation, excise tax problems, tax collection, tax penalties, and estate tax cases. Our legal team handles all aspects of IRS tax audits and litigation, including:

IRS Civil Tax Audits
IRS Administrative Appeals
Offshore Account/Foreign Bank Account Reporting (FBAR)
Foreign Trust and Estate Reporting
Foreign Business Reporting
Tax Penalty Relief
IRS Liens, Levies & Seizures
Employment Tax Disputes
Trust Fund Recovery Penalty (Payroll Withholding)
Worker Classification Audits
Tax Shelter Investigations
Tax Shelter Promoter Investigations
Conservation and Façade Easement Disputes
Historic Tax Credits
Residency Disputes
Return Preparer Penalties

If you have questions about the IRS audit and litigation processes or to learn more about how an IRS tax audit attorney at our firm can assist you, contact Mr. Kevin Thorn at our office to schedule a confidential consultation at (202) 349-4033.

Technical Understanding of the Audit Process

IRS tax audits can place serious financial and emotional burdens on individuals and businesses. These investigations are often stressful, time-consuming and intrusive. When businesses and individuals learn they may be the subject of an IRS investigation, they need to have a dedicated Washington DC tax lawyer on their side to fully represent and protect their interests.

Thorn Law Group specializes in representing individual taxpayers, businesses, trusts, estates, partnerships, high-net-worth individuals, family offices and other entities in the U.S. and abroad who are under civil audit by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. We are former IRS lawyers with an extensive understanding of IRS operations and how revenue agents are required to proceed in civil tax audits. Our IRS tax audit lawyers are exceptionally well-positioned to counsel and represent clients in sensitive and complex IRS audit situations. Each lawyer at our firm aims to resolve tax issues and close audits as quickly as possible to limit the amount of taxes, penalties and interest due.