Federal
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May 09, 2025
'Proud' Judge Says No Prison For $1.3B Tax Fraud Witnesses
A Georgia federal judge handed down a pair of what he called "stunningly lenient" no-prison sentences Friday to two brothers who served as key cooperating witnesses in a first-of-its-kind federal case against a sprawling, $1.3 billion tax fraud scheme.
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May 09, 2025
PL 86-272 Expansion May Face Rocky Path Through Congress
The fate of an element of a House budget reconciliation bill that would broaden state income tax protections for businesses may rest with the Senate parliamentarian's view on whether the provision passes muster under reconciliation rules.
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May 09, 2025
Tariffs And Tax Breaks Offer Risky Lifeline To US Film Industry
President Donald Trump's call for a 100% tariff on films made outside the U.S. has potential to improve a struggling domestic industry if it is considered in conjunction with new federal tax incentives to restore production, but the idea hasn't yet gathered support in Congress, according to lawyers who spoke to Law360.
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May 09, 2025
GOP Unveils Plan To Cement 2017 Tax Cuts, Expand Biz Relief
House Republicans plan to meet Tuesday to deliberate a sweeping extension of their 2017 tax overhaul that would lock in low individual rates and deduction limits, expand child care and estate tax breaks, and make permanent tax incentives for small pass-through businesses and U.S. multinational corporations.
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May 09, 2025
IRS Cuts May Hinder Prep For 2026 If TCJA Is Renewed
Internal Revenue Service staff cuts and retirements could hamper planning for next year's filing season if Congress renews the 2017 tax overhaul this year as planned while withholding resources needed to modernize the agency's systems, a former agency commissioner warned Friday.
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May 09, 2025
US Seeking A Global Minimum Tax Carveout, Official Says
The U.S. tax system is "robust enough" for other countries to refrain permanently from applying the 15% global minimum tax to any income that the U.S. taxes or monitors, but an arrangement must be struck before a safe harbor expires, a Treasury Department official said Friday.
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May 09, 2025
Express Scripts To Appeal Denied Tax Break In $43M Suit
Express Scripts is appealing rulings denying it a $43 million tax refund for domestic production activities after a Missouri federal court said the company did not qualify because it did not grant licenses to pharmacy benefit plan sponsors who used its software, the pharmacy benefit manager said Friday.
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May 09, 2025
Tax Exemption Case May Bring Sweeping Impact, Attys Say
A U.S. Supreme Court case considering a religious exemption to unemployment taxes sought by a charity could have implications across a broad swath of organizations, tax practitioners said Friday.
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May 09, 2025
Souter's Clerks Remember Him As Humble, Kind And Caring
Former clerks of retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter are heartbroken over the death of a man many of them remember more for his conscientiousness, humility, kindness and disdain for the spotlight than for his undeniable brilliance as a jurist.
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May 09, 2025
Hiker And 'Raconteur': Atty Recalls 50-Year Bond With Souter
Behind a towering legal legacy was a man who loved to hike mountains, could recall details of things he read decades ago and was always there for those he cared about, a New Hampshire attorney said as he reflected on a lifelong friendship with U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter.
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May 09, 2025
A Look At David Souter's Most Significant Opinions
The retired Justice David Souter defied simple definition, viewed as a staunch conservative until he co-wrote an opinion upholding abortion rights in 1992. He did not hew to partisan lines, but reshaped the civil litigation landscape and took an unexpected stand in an extraordinarily close presidential election.
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May 09, 2025
McKernan Out As Trump's ĂŰĚŇĘÓƵ Pick, In For Treasury Role
President Donald Trump will pull Jonathan McKernan's nomination to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and tap him instead for a top domestic finance job at the U.S. Treasury Department, a White House official confirmed to Law360 on Friday.
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May 09, 2025
IRS To Loosen Tax-Free Spinoff Regs, Cut Ordinary Biz Rule
The Internal Revenue Service plans to loosen proposed regulations for corporate separation transactions, known as spinoffs, that the agency approves as tax-free ahead of time, in part by eliminating a standard considering whether actions are taken in the ordinary course of business, officials said Friday.
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May 09, 2025
Family Denies Knowledge Of $81M Tax Avoidance Scheme
The government's claims that members of a deceased theater businessman's family knew or should have known their company stock sale was part of an $81 million purported tax avoidance scheme are baseless, the family members said in a filing in New York federal court.
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May 09, 2025
Weekly Internal Revenue Bulletin
The Internal Revenue Service's weekly bulletin, issued Friday, included the reference price for enhanced oil recovery tax credits for calendar year 2024.
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May 09, 2025
Justice Souter Was An Unexpected Force Of Moderation
Justice David Souter, who saw the high court as a moderating force apart from the messiness of politics, subverted the expectations of liberals and conservatives alike during his 19 years on the bench.
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May 09, 2025
Taxation With Representation: Paul Weiss, Weil, V&E, Torys
In this week's Taxation With Representation, 3G Capital takes Skechers private, Sunoco LP buys Parkland Corp., and BCE Inc. and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board launch a wholesale network provider called Network FiberCo.
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May 09, 2025
Retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter Dies At 85
Retired Justice David H. Souter, who served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1990 to 2009, has died at 85, the court announced Friday.Â
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May 08, 2025
Trump Admin Defends Gov't Restructuring As Lawful
The Trump administration defended what it says is a lawful executive order looking to reorganize agencies and terminate workers, telling a California federal judge that unions, nonprofits and local governments "waited far too long" to seek a temporary restraining order.
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May 08, 2025
Hyatt's $300M From Reward Program Is Income, 7th Circ. Told
Hyatt Hotels should have to report nearly $300 million in revenue from a rewards program fund because it benefited from spending the money, including through advertising for its properties, the U.S. government told the Seventh Circuit on Thursday, defending a U.S. Tax Court ruling.
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May 08, 2025
NFTC Warns US Against Tariffs On Semiconductors, Pharma
The Trump administration should work to avoid using tariffs to address the perceived threat to national security caused by importing semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, the National Foreign Trade Council said, calling for extreme caution.
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May 08, 2025
Widow Says Husband's Estate Liable For $2M FBAR Fines
A nonagenarian widow told an Idaho federal court Thursday that her husband's estate — not she — should be liable for more than $2 million in penalties for his unreported foreign accounts, calling the government's attempt to penalize her an unprecedented overreach.
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May 08, 2025
11th Circ. Judge Frowns On New Arguments In Easement Case
An Eleventh Circuit judge disapproved of a Georgia partnership raising new arguments on appeal as it pursues a tax deduction for a conservation easement donation, saying Thursday that perhaps "we wouldn't be here" if the partnership had argued the points before the lower court.
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May 08, 2025
Milbank Hires King & Spalding Tax Planning Atty In DC
Milbank LLP has added a former King & Spalding LLP tax attorney as a partner in its global project, energy and infrastructure finance group in Washington, D.C.
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May 07, 2025
Bessent Defends Cuts To Community Fund Amid Scrutiny
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday defended the Trump administration's proposal to significantly slash the fund that operates the new markets tax credit, which is meant to boost investment in poor communities, telling lawmakers that a new $100 million program would better support affordable financing in rural areas.
Expert Analysis
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5 Ways To Create Effective Mock Assignments For Associates
In order to effectively develop associates’ critical thinking skills, firms should design mock assignments that contain a few key ingredients, from messy fact patterns to actionable feedback, says Abdi Shayesteh at AltaClaro.
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Congress Should Pass Sex Abuse Settlement Tax Exemptions
The proposed Survivor Justice Tax Prevention Act would expand tax exemptions more clearly for sexual abuse cases, and finally remove the stigma around compensation for emotional and psychological damage, says Rocco Strangio at Milestone & Co.
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What's Next For Accounting Enforcement After SEC's Big 2024
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the Trump administration will likely continue to focus enforcement efforts on many of the same accounting and auditing issues that it pursued over the past year — but other areas, such as ESG, internal controls and cryptocurrency cases, may fall out of focus, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Mentorship Resolutions For The New Year
Attorneys tend to focus on personal achievements or career milestones when they set yearly goals, but one important area often gets overlooked in this process — mentoring relationships, which are some of the most effective tools for professional growth, say Kelly Galligan at Rutan & Tucker and Andra Greene at Phillips ADR.
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Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer
While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.
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5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025
Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.
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Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win
Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.
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Small Biz Caught In Corporate Transparency Act Crossfire
Despite compliance being put on hold due to a nationwide preliminary injunction, small businesses have been caught in the middle of the legal battle over the Corporate Transparency Act — and confusion over the law's requirements could result in major penalties, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.
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No, Litigation Funders Are Not 'Fleeing' The District Of Del.
A recent study claimed that litigation funders have “fled” Delaware federal court due to a standing order requiring disclosure of third-party financing, but responsible funders have no problem litigating in this jurisdiction, and many other factors could explain the decline in filings, say Will Freeman and Sarah Tsou at Omni Bridgeway.
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Hydrogen Regs Will Provide More Certainty — If They Survive
Newly finalized regulations implementing the Section 45V clean hydrogen tax credit allow producers more flexibility, and should therefore help put the industry on more solid footing — but the incoming Trump administration and Republican Congress will have multiple options for overturning or altering the regulations, say attorneys at Steptoe.
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5 E-Discovery Predictions For 2025 And Beyond
In the year to come, e-discovery will be shaped by new and emerging trends, from the adoption of artificial intelligence provisions in protective orders, to the proliferation of emojis as a source of evidence in contemporary litigation, say attorneys at Littler.
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What's Ahead As Transparency Act Comes To A Crossroads
Synthesizing the contrasting federal district and appellate court rulings on the Corporate Transparency Act’s validity reveals several main areas of debate that will likely remain at issue as challenges to the law continue winding through the courts, say attorneys at Farella Braun.
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Final Hydrogen Tax Credit Regs Add Flexibility For Producers
The recently released final regulations implementing the Inflation Reduction Act's clean hydrogen production tax credit offer taxpayers greater flexibility, reducing risk and creating more certainty for investments in the industry, thus diminishing — but not eliminating — the risk of legal challenges to the regulations, say attorneys at Steptoe.