Robert J. Lord, PLC

Robert J. Lord, PLC IRS problems? Starting a business? Planning your estate? We're here to help.

02/07/2022

Update: My transition from full-time work as an attorney to doing mostly tax policy work has gone well. I will continue to spend most of my time on policy work. But I've decided not to completely shut down my law practice. It won't be nearly as diverse a practice as in the past, mostly limited to IRS controversy and collection matters, but please keep me in mind.

05/04/2021

I've been working on a case for a client for three years now. It should have been relatively simple, but it wasn't. We finally resolved it with the IRS Office of Appeals. After letting me know things were resolved, the Appeals Officer told me that if he ever needs someone to represent him personally, it will be me. How awesome is that?

01/10/2021

FB friends: I'm pleased to announce that I've turned a page in my work as a tax attorney. While I still have some work left to do as a practicing lawyer, the bulk of my efforts now will be dedicated to tax policy work. More to come.

05/09/2020

The situation we're all in is awful, but one of the very few silver linings is that the worse a person's financial condition, the easier it is to get a break from the IRS on back taxes. Many people want to wait until they get on a better financial footing before addressing IRS issues. That's exactly the opposite of what works best. If you can show the IRS you have little or nothing in income and assets for them to take, that's when they'll work with you.

03/30/2020

If you're facing IRS collection issues, or know anyone who is, a few things to keep in mind during this crisis:

IRS enforcement activity is much reduced right now, so you have time to plan and be proactive.

I've recently seen a few cases where one of the firms that does mass advertising had been engaged. They may do a good job overall -- I don't have data -- but the cases I've seen don't reflect that. Their charges -- for the work of a non-attorney, non-CPA -- are far in excess of what I or other tax attorneys charge. And it seems they don't do well in cases that are not slam dunks to qualify for relief from the IRS.

If you think you may qualify for offer in compromise relief, this may be an auspicious time to file, especially if your income has taken a hit. Before you hire the firm whose ad you saw on TV, check out some local attorneys. You may save in fees and get more experienced help.

03/06/2020

Yesterday, I had one of those rare moments where my work made a huge difference for someone. It was a tax collection case. The result was not that extraordinary in dollar terms. I've had hundreds of bigger successes in that regard. But the impact on my client's life was huge. When I pointed out the significance, he actually got choked up.

Criminal defense lawyers and personal injury lawyers probably get moments like this more frequently. For those of us who handle tax and corporate matters, they don't come along very often. So we have to savor them whenever they do.

12/18/2019

People have a tendency -- I think -- to check estate planning off their list once they have signed documents. It's sensible to do that temporarily, but every five years or so, and anytime there's a substantial change in circumstances, it's a good idea to dust those documents off and make sure they still work as intended.

09/29/2019

So I've been representing a client before the IRS. Through no fault of mine, the IRS has made the matter far more protracted than it needed to me, which means my client has paid more than was originally projected. A lot more. And it's to the point that I sensed he couldn't keep going. So I told him I'd carry him until we finished the matter. He really appreciated it, but perhaps not as much as I enjoyed being in a position to help. If it takes him years to pay, or even if he's never able to, so be it.

09/19/2019

From what I can see in my practice, the funding cuts to the IRS may be having a disastrous effect. I've been in practice 35 years, and the two most egregious administrative mistakes by the IRS I've ever seen both occurred in the past 18 months. And they're so thin-staffed it's been difficult these obvious mistakes corrected.

08/22/2019

We all hear horror stories of heavy-handed IRS enforcement action that destroys people.

But in my career, although I've dealt with a few difficult IRS revenue officers, my clients have been able to avoid financial disaster from IRS action. They may have experienced financial disaster for other reasons, but the IRS has procedures in place that typically will allow people to salvage their situation as long as it is otherwise salvageable.

But the Arizona Department of Revenue is a different story. If you're dealing with them, folks, be very careful.

06/19/2019

More and more I find myself telling clients and would be clients they should try to handle corporate and LLC changes themselves online at azcc.gov before paying me to handle them. Although there are some software glitches that cause problems from time to time, the Arizona Corporation Commission has made it quite easy to handle corporate and LLC housekeeping matters online, without having to pay an attorney.

Address

2111 E. Highland Avenue, Suite 235
Phoenix, AZ
85016

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+16023087239

Website

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