Federal

  • February 03, 2025

    Senate Tees Up Vote On Trump's Pick To Lead OMB

    The U.S. Senate set the stage Monday to proceed with a vote on President Donald Trump's pick to be the new chief of the Office of Management and Budget.

  • February 03, 2025

    DC Circ. Urged To Back IRS' Denial Of Whistleblower Award

    The D.C. Circuit should affirm the IRS' rejection of a man's claim for a whistleblower award because it was filed too late and the agency never collected proceeds or took action based on the tip, the federal government argued Monday.

  • February 03, 2025

    IRS Defends Process For Denying Worker Credit Claims

    The Internal Revenue Service defended its process for rejecting applications for pandemic-era worker tax credits that it deems too risky to pay out, telling an Arizona federal court that contrary to the claims of two companies suing the agency over denials, its response has been reasonable.

  • February 03, 2025

    DC Judge Joins RI In Blocking Trump Funding Freeze

    A D.C. federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from implementing a freeze on federal spending while a group of nonprofits sue over the move, ruling the pause appears to "suffer from infirmities of a constitutional magnitude."

  • February 03, 2025

    Couple Cannot Deduct IVF Surrogacy Expenses, IRS Says

    A married couple who said medical problems require them to use a pregnancy surrogate to have a child may not deduct their payments for in vitro fertilization for the surrogate as their own medical expenses, the Internal Revenue Service said in a private letter ruling.

  • January 31, 2025

    Funding Freezes 'Commonplace,' Feds Tell DC Judge

    The Trump administration is asking a D.C. federal judge to throw out a lawsuit challenging a freeze on federal spending outlined in a since-rescinded memo from the White House budget office, telling the court that the withdrawal moots the litigation.

  • January 31, 2025

    Supreme Court Eyes Its 'Next Frontier' In FCC Delegation Case

    A case about broadband subsidies will give the U.S. Supreme Court the chance to revive a long-dormant separation of powers principle that attorneys say could upend regulations in numerous industries and trigger a power shift that would make last term's shake-up of federal agency authority pale in comparison. And a majority of the court already appears to support its resurrection.

  • January 31, 2025

    The Tax Angle: TCJA Renewal Cost, ACA Credits, OMB Pick

    From a look at the budget impact of renewing the 2017 tax overhaul law to uncertainty surrounding the renewal of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits and the nomination of a new chief of the Office of Management and Budget, here's a peek into a reporter's notebook on a few of the week's developing tax stories.

  • January 31, 2025

    Couple Can't Sue IRS Without First Paying Tax, 5th Circ. Says

    A couple who claimed they overpaid their taxes and should be allowed to sue the IRS for a refund must first pay the taxes the agency says are due, the Fifth Circuit ruled Friday, saying it was bound by U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

  • January 31, 2025

    Akin Hires Tax Pro From Cooley In London

    Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld LLP announced Friday that a partner at Cooley LLP will join as a tax partner in Akin's London office later in 2025. 

  • February 12, 2025

    Law360 Seeks Members For Its 2025 Editorial Boards

    Law360 is looking for avid readers of our publications to serve as members of our 2025 editorial advisory boards.

  • January 31, 2025

    Goldstein Case Raises The Stakes For A DOJ Office In Tumult

    The bombshell tax-crimes case of U.S. Supreme Court lawyer Tom Goldstein landed at a U.S. Department of Justice outpost in Maryland that has been plagued in recent years by botched cases and internal strife — pitting a beleaguered U.S. attorney against a pair of former Donald Trump attorneys itching for a fight.

  • January 31, 2025

    Trump Funding Freeze Blocked As Court Doubts Reversal

    A Rhode Island federal judge on Friday issued a temporary restraining order barring the Trump administration from freezing spending on federal grant and aid programs, calling the move illegal and saying the issue was not mooted by a White House memo claiming the directive had been rescinded.

  • January 31, 2025

    Tax Group Of The Year: Sullivan & Cromwell

    Sullivan & Cromwell LLP's diverse tax practice went from strength to strength this year, from advising well-known companies like Boeing and Discover that inked multibillion-dollar deals to counseling industry leaders in shaking up their sectors, helping it earn a place among the 2024 Law360 Tax Groups of the Year.

  • January 31, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Cravath, Gibson Dunn, Milbank

    In this week's Taxation with Representation, Eversource Energy sells Aquarion Water Co., Diversified Energy Partners acquires oil and gas company Maverick, Lantheus Holdings buys Evergreen Theragnostics, and NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson becomes the majority owner in the Legacy Motor Club racing team.

  • January 31, 2025

    6th Circ. Affirms Pot Biz Owner's $2.8M Tax Restitution

    The owner of a medical marijuana dispensary who was sentenced to prison and ordered to pay $2.8 million in restitution to the IRS after being convicted of tax crimes failed to convince the Sixth Circuit that Congress lacked the power to tax his sales of the drug.

  • January 31, 2025

    Data Centers Blur Lines At BigLaw Firms

    The rise in complex, hybrid data center deals is increasingly calling for real estate, infrastructure and private equity attorneys to work together and, in some cases, to combine their practice groups.

  • January 31, 2025

    Weekly Internal Revenue Bulletin

    The Internal Revenue Service's weekly bulletin, issued Friday, included final rules that target abusive tax avoidance by large partnerships using basis shifting, requiring partnerships to report certain transactions among related members.

  • January 30, 2025

    Retired Atty Says Schwab, Others Flubbed His Contributions

    A retired attorney said companies that managed his individual retirement plan, including Charles Schwab and Barnes & Thornburg LLP, hampered his tax savings by incorrectly classifying his pretax retirement contributions as posttax contributions, according to a lawsuit filed in an Indiana district court.

  • January 30, 2025

    IRS Allowed Summonses For Records In Foreign Assets Case

    A Georgia federal court gave the Internal Revenue Service the go-ahead to issue summonses for the records of a group of financial institutions that clients may have used to avoid taxes, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday.

  • January 30, 2025

    Tax Court OKs Penalty Sign-Off In $18M Easement Dispute

    An IRS agent complied with a requirement that her supervisor approve tax penalties she asserted against an Alabama partnership whose nearly $18 million deduction for a conservation easement donation was rejected by the agency, the U.S. Tax Court said Thursday.

  • January 30, 2025

    Tax Court OKs Levy Against Woman Who Didn't Back Up Args

    The Internal Revenue Service didn't act improperly when it upheld a levy against a California woman who owed tax debts for multiple years, the U.S. Tax Court determined Thursday, saying she routinely failed to back up her assertions.

  • January 30, 2025

    IRS Asked To Cut Forms For Tax-Exempt Groups' Int'l Deals

    Tax-exempt organizations shouldn't need to report transactions with foreign corporations or foreign partnerships if they don't hold a controlling interest in those entities, since the risk of unreported income is negligible, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants told the IRS.

  • January 30, 2025

    Florida Salesman Evaded $2M In Tax Over 13 Years, Court Told

    A Florida salesman evaded nearly $2 million in taxes over more than a dozen years while earning more than $10 million by transferring his home and cash to his domestic partner and creating a nominee business, according to an indictment in Florida federal court.

  • January 30, 2025

    Crapo, Wyden Pitch Harsher Tax Pro Fines In IRS Revamp Bill

    The Internal Revenue Service would be required to simplify foreign bank account report compliance and increase civil and criminal penalties on tax professionals who deliberately harm their clients under draft legislation released Thursday by the Senate Finance Committee's top Democrat and Republican.

Expert Analysis

  • 6 Changes I Would Make If I Ran A Law School

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    Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner identifies several key issues plaguing law schools and discusses potential solutions, such as opting out of the rankings game and mandating courses in basic writing skills.

  • Firms Still Have The Edge In Lateral Hiring, But Buyer Beware

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    Partner mobility data suggests that the third quarter of this year continued to be a buyer’s market, with the average candidate demanding less compensation for a larger book of business — but moving into the fourth quarter, firms should slow down their hiring process to minimize risks, say officers at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Congress Should Expand Investment Options For 403(b)s

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    Lawmakers should pass pending legislation to give 403(b) plan participants access to collective investment trusts, leveling the playing field for public sector retirement investors by giving them an investment option their private sector counterparts have had for decades, says Jason Levy at Great Gray Trust Company.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out

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    In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity

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    Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review

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    For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Rank-And-File DOJ Attorneys Will Keep Calm And Carry On

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    Career prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice often pride themselves on their ability to remain apolitical in order to ensure consistency and keep the department’s mission afloat, and the incoming Trump administration is unlikely to upend this tradition, says Michael Landman at Bird Marella.

  • What Higher Education Can Expect From A 2nd Trump Admin

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    The election of Donald Trump for a second presidential term has far-reaching ramifications for colleges and universities — come January, institutions can expect a crackdown on DEI, increased scrutiny of campus protests, a rollback of the Biden administration's Title IX rules and more, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • 3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less

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    Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.

  • Expect Surging Oil And Gas Industry Under New Trump Admin

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    Throughout his recent campaign, President-elect Donald Trump promised increased oil and natural gas production and reduced reliance on renewables — and his administration will likely bring more oil and gas dealmaking, faster federal permitting and attempts to roll back incentives for green energy, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule

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    Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.

  • Cos. Should Inventory Issues To Prep For New Congress

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    As the legislative and oversight agendas of the 119th Congress come into sharper focus, corporate counsel should assess and plan for areas of potential oversight risk — from tax policy changes to supply chain integrity — even as much uncertainty remains, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

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