If you’re reading my website then you have a tax problem.
Chances are that you’ve already discovered how difficult it is to find trustworthy information about which tax attorney to hire. I’ve been handling tax cases for over 19 years, I have heard this more than a few times from prospective clients and people who I represent.
I can save you a lot of time and worry. I’m going to tell you exactly how to hire a tax attorney.
Even if you hire another attorney, you can still use what I’m going to reveal here on my website to find the right lawyer for you.
Let’s start with the basics.
Credentials for a trustworthy or legitimate tax attorney:
- a licensed and practicing tax attorney
- at least 8 years of specialized tax law experience
- approved credentials to handle IRS tax cases in all 50 states
- track record of representing individuals or business owners before the IRS (or both)
- a documented track record with the kind of tax case you have (e.g. offer-in-compromise, IRS Levy)
- a great consumer record with the Better Business Bureau
- no official complaints with a legitimate watchdog organization or mainstream media news source
That’s the bare minimum of what you need.
There are a lot of things that are nice-to-have’s.
For example, it’s natural when you start researching a service to want to know if you like the person you will be working with or if they offer the most competitive price.
The problem with “normal” shopping rules like these, is that they’re made to solve buying problems like choosing a TV. These same shopping rules don’t work so well when you’re hiring a mechanic, doctor or lawyer. But as consumers (or buyers) we often forget this and automatically do what comes naturally (shop features and price). It’s not your fault – we’re all conditioned to do this.
Don’t get me wrong. You need to know how your mechanic or doctor will charge! But most people will spend hours of their time talking with sales people at tax firms and not get any closer to the truth about their case then when they started.
You’ve got to use a different method when it comes to problems that must be diagnosed before a ‘fix’ is applied.
In my next post I’m going to dive right in to what you should be asking, who you should be asking, why you should ask certain questions, and how you get the answers to determine if a tax attorney is trustworthy and capable to handle your case.
Until then,
