Holtz, Slavett & Drabkin tax attorneys Michele F.L. Weiss and David J. Warner will be speaking at the Tax Section of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association (SFVBA) webinar meeting on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. Michele and David will be presenting on the topic “Top 10 Steps to Avoid Landing on the Wrong Side of an IRS Audit.” You can register for the webinar here.

No one wants to go through an IRS audit (also called an “examination”). In Michele and David’s presentation, these former IRS attorneys will discuss the 10 steps that taxpayers and their attorneys can take to avoid some of the greatest mistakes and to prevent larger tax liabilities, longer audits, and even criminal prosecution.

Michele F.L. Weiss is Senior Counsel at Holtz, Slavett & Drabkin. She has over 20 years of experience in tax controversy and litigation matters. Michele is a former Senior Attorney in the IRS Large and Mid-Sized Business Division. She assists businesses, business owners and investors in resolving their civil and criminal tax matters with federal, state and local taxing authorities including the IRS, FTB, EDD and State Board of Equalization. Michele has expertise in many substantive and procedural tax issues including tax penalty abatement, offshore disclosure matters, employment tax matters and conservation easement deductions. Michele also handles property tax appeals in all California counties. She provides tax counsel for business litigation matters and has extensive Tax Court litigation experience.

David J. Warner is a Senior Counsel and the managing attorney of the firm’s Orange County office. David practices in all aspects of tax controversy including tax audits, collection defense, and litigation in the U.S. Tax Court, U.S. District Court, and the Court of Federal Claims. Before joining Holtz, Slavett & Drabkin, David was a Senior Trial Attorney with the IRS Office of Chief Counsel for 9 years. As an IRS attorney, he litigated over 500 cases before the U.S. Tax Court, including the most complex cases with up to $25 million in taxes and penalties at issue. As is relevant to this presentation, David advised IRS revenue agents on audits with (1) domestic and international issues, (2) complex partnership and S corporation issues, and (3) potential criminal referrals. David also was an Adjunct Professor of Law at Loyola Law School, University of California Irvine School of Law, and Chapman University Fowler School of Law, where he taught courses on tax practice and procedure, partnership tax, bankruptcy tax, and corporate tax.

Holtz, Slavett & Drabkin, APLC is a tax controversy and tax litigation law firm consisting exclusively of former IRS senior trial attorneys. We represent clients in sensitive domestic and international tax examinations, tax litigation, civil and criminal tax cases, employment tax issues, and difficult tax collection matters. To schedule a consultation, please contact us at (310) 550-6200.