Tax Justice Warriors

Each year, the American Bar Association Section of Taxation hosts a Low Income Taxpayer Representation Workshop in Washington, D.C.  Last week, the workshop’s focus was the Collection Due Process Summit Initiative.  We held two panels that looked at CDP history, the Summit Initiative, and how to work with the Taxpayer Advocate Service for systemic change.  Following that, there were breakout sessions focused on the stages of Notices, Appeals, and the Judicial levels.  I helped to plan and organize this year’s workshop, taking part in a panel, a breakout discussion on CDP notices and reporting back to the group.  I provide input from the CDP Notices breakout session and discuss the workshop.  It was a successful gathering of practitioners for fruitful education and discussion of CDP issues.

This week, I have been in Washington, D.C. to discuss LITC issues at our annual conference.  For that reason, I am presenting an interview with Samantha Galvin.  Samantha is an Associate Professor of the Practice of Taxation at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.  She is also the Assistant Director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic at the university.  She blogs for Procedurally Taxing on designated orders from the U.S. Tax Court and was a clerk for the Tax Court.  We speak about designated orders, teaching tax courses and more.

Each December there is a conference to provide training for Low Income Tax Clinic clinicians in Washington, D.C.  I provide information on this year's conference - speakers, the types of sessions and topics.  I will be involved in different presentations on Collection Due Process and Social Media (discussing this podcast, Tax Justice Warriors).  If you will be at the conference, please come and chat with me.  It is a great time to learn and meet others in this field.

Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving!

This year, the Collection Due Process Summit Initiative will be the focus of the ABA Low Income Taxpayer Representative Symposium in Washington, D.C.  It will be held December 3 from 8:30 to noon at Morgan, Lewis and Bockius at low cost with CLE credit.  Go here to register:  https://www.americanbar.org/groups/taxation/events_cle/19litr_resources/

The CDP Summit meeting will include a panels about Opportunities for CDP Improvement and Approaching Change With the IRS.  There will be breakout sessions focused on CDP Notices, Appeals, and Tax Court.  In the meeting, you can give the CDP Summit Initiative feedback on improvements for the CDP process.  If you will be in the Washington, D.C. area that morning, we hope you can attend!

The Tax Court is based out of Washington, D.C. and sends its judges to 74 cities during the year.  The Kansas Legal Services Low Income Taxpayer Clinic covers Kansas City, Missouri, and Wichita, Kansas.  For the week of October 21 to 25, 2019, Judge Juan Vasquez came to those cities to hear cases.  I give a recap of the cases, trials I observed and trial tips he gave at a CLE presentation during the week.

At the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, I interviewed Erin Stearns, who is both an Associate Professor of the Practice of Taxation and Director of their Low Income Taxpayer Clinic.  We are both involved in planning the Collection Due Process Summit Initiative Workshop for December 3.  We co-authored an article for the ABA Tax Times on the CDP Summit Initiative and have presented on panels together.  Listen to find out more about her beginnings in tax and the growth of the CDP Summit Initiative.

Studies show that attorneys have high rates of loneliness, anxiety, depression, drug abuse and alcoholism.  We need to focus consistently for our physical, mental and emotional health.  By dealing with areas of stress and anxiety positively, that prevents them from building into substance abuse issues.   It also helps to decrease problems from building into malpractice or suicide.

I was part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association’s Wellness Committee.  The Wellness Committee hosted an all-day Lawyer Well-Being Summit on October 10.  I share some items about the speakers and topics discussed during the event.  I promise there will be tax talk once again next week!

This is an interview with James Creech at the American Bar Association 2019 Fall Tax Section Meeting in San Francisco.  James is a solo practitioner focusing on tax controversy cases, but he also hosts a podcast for the American Bar Association Tax Section called People in Tax.  Find out more about James in today's episode!

I will also be featured on an upcoming People in Tax Podcast.  Each interview allows you to learn more about active tax practitioners in the American Bar Association.  Please check out the podcasts here:  https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/peopleintaxpodcasts

In conjunction with the American Bar Association Section of Taxation's Fall 2019 Tax Meeting in San Francisco, there was a Tax Clinic.  Also, Tax Court is coming up in Kansas City and Wichita.  I took part in Tax Court Settlement Days and give an update on what took place and the type of cases I saw.  There may be tips here to host a settlement day in your city.

A recap of the ABA Tax Section 2019 Fall Tax Meeting.  I discuss the CDP Summit Initiative panels.  I attended the Individual & Family Taxation, Diversity, Pro Bono & Tax Clinics committee presentations, plus more.  I always recommend the ABA Tax Section meetings, but tune in to find out things that happened at this meeting.