Tax Lawyer False Marketing

Common Tax Lawyer False Marketing Tactics to Avoid

Common Tax Lawyer False Marketing Tactics to Avoid: When comes to  tax law, many taxpayers have an (understandably) inherent fear of the IRS (internal Revenue Service). These fears are oftentimes amplified by the mass amounts of fear-mongering and scaremongering tactics that some tax attorneys take in order to take advantage of unsuspecting taxpayers — especially in the realm of international tax law. Many times, issues with the IRS are easily resolved — and even if it is not always that easy, it is typically just more time-intensive than it is actually scary for the taxpayer (read: Most IRS Agents are reasonable). When US Taxpayers require counsel for a tax related issue, oftentimes their research begins Google. By now, our tax lawyers have lost count of the number people we have spoken to over the years who told us they felt paralyzed by fear — when the tax violation was minimal at best — because of some tax attorneys who made it seem like they were going to go to prison if they didn’t immediately sign up without attorney. Let’s go through some of the common lawyer marketing tactics to try to avoid:

Self-Proclaimed Tax Lawyer Experts

Every experienced tax attorney knows that there is no such thing as a tax expert attorney. There is just way too much tax information to know — and even the most experienced tax attorneys never refer to themselves as experts. In our experience, it seems the only tax attorneys refer to themselves as experts, are not experts at all — but rather have a self-grandiose sense of self — to the taxpayer client’s dismay. The closest any practicing tax attorney will become to being considered an expert is to obtain Board-Certification as a tax return specialist (and still does not make them an expert). In states such as California, the Board-Certification is a coveted distinction, that is very difficult to achieve. 

Fear Mongering About Criminal Tax

Almost always, tax violations are civil in nature. And, while some tax violations may result in significant fines and penalties — especially in the realm of international information reporting — it is not a criminal matter. This type of scaremongering is unfortunately very common in the area of FBAR Noncompliance — where just because a taxpayer is willful does not make them “criminally willful” or subject to a criminal indictment of complaint being filed against them. Unless there are other criminal tax violations brewing beneath the surface — most all FBAR violations are civil in nature.

Don’t Speak with Other Attorneys, Hurry Up and Retain Now!

Think about your life for moment: Take a step back and try to think of a time and which you wish you would have acted more hastily and without really considering the facts when making a decision that passed you by….

Still thinking?

That’s because it’s never the right option to feel forced intermediate representation before you had sufficient time to process and evaluate information (absent being arrested). These attorneys will:

• Try to scare you into signing with them immediately;
• Executing a 2848 (POA Authorization); and
• Get you to cancel future consultations you have with other counsel because their offer is limited or immediate action is cruical…

These type of tax attorneys should be avoided.

Claiming a Specialty but Handle 10 Different Areas of Tax

Some Tax Attorneys market that they are a specialist in a certain area tax because they spent a few weeks handling a few routine matters in that area of tax — or spent a week reading up on the area of tax. With International Tax, this is common with attorneys who suddenly start marketing that they are “Expert FBAR Attorneys or Experts in international tax, Streamline Filings, FATCA, etc”. It takes many years of experience in an area of tax before an attorney would ever have the ability to claim they specialize in that area. Just writing a handful of blog posts does not cut it — and worse, it puts the taxpayers in jeopardy.

*An Attorney’s claim that they specialize in an area of Tax is not the same as earning the Board Certified Specialist credential.

Former IRS Attorney

Just having a couple years of experience working for the IRS as an attorney does not mean that the attorney has a specialized knowledge and experience in the specific area of tax you need help. Sure, if you are embroiled in an employment tax matter with the IRS and you retain an attorney who specializes in employment tax and worked as an attorney for the IRS on employment tax matters — that can clearly be a benefit.

But, that same attorney who specialized in employment tax for the IRS, would have no experience to claim they specialize in offshore tax matters — simply because they worked for the IRS as an IRS Attorney — this is a very common type of false marketing Taxpayers should be aware of. In other words, if an Attorney claims that they are a former IRS attorney and that is the only reason why you are considering hire them coming into sure to confirm that the experience they had at the IRS is in the same area of tax in which you require specialized knowledge.

Our International Tax Lawyers Represent Clients Worldwide

Golding & Golding specializes exclusively in international tax, and specifically IRS offshore disclosure. 

Contact our firm for assistance.