Tax Court in San Mateo, California

Find the right Tax Court attorney in San Mateo, CA

Tax Court Lawyers in San Mateo

Tax Court is a legal forum designed specifically to resolve claims and disputes that arise under federal and (sometimes) state tax law.

Federal tax issues are handled by the United States Tax Court, which has branches all over the U.S. So, the U.S. Tax Court almost certainly has a courthouse in or around San Mateo, California.

U.S. Tax Courts deal with almost every legal issue that has to do with the federal tax obligations of an individual or corporation. The U.S. District Courts are the courts of "general jurisdiction" in the U.S., meaning that they can hear almost any type of civil or criminal case under their jurisdiction. This includes tax cases, but the law only authorizes them to hear such cases if the tax in question has already been paid. Tax courts can hear cases before the tax has been paid.

Tax Court Procedure in San Mateo, California

Tax law claims can arise out of any disagreement having to do with one's legal obligation to pay their taxes in San Mateo, California. Most often, they occur when the IRS alleges that a taxpayer has not paid all of the taxes that they owe, and the taxpayer disagrees. The court has to resolve this dispute.

In the U.S., tax court judges are appointed by the President of the United States. Unlike judges on most other federal courts, who normally serve for life (or until they retire), tax court judges serve terms of 15 years. But, there is no limit to the number of terms that they are allowed to serve. If a tax court judge has been doing his or her job competently, the President will normally re-appoint them whenever their term expires, effectively giving them life tenure.

U.S. Tax Courts have one feature that's almost completely unique in the U.S.: people who are not licensed attorneys in California, or anywhere else, are authorized to represent clients in Tax Court. This doesn't mean, however, that anyone can walk in off the street and start practicing tax law. Before they can practice before a tax court, non-attorneys have to take and pass a written exam that tests their knowledge of U.S. tax law. People who are already licensed to practice law, on the other hand, can practice before a tax court without taking this test.

Most commonly, when the IRS sends a San Mateo, California resident a "notice of deficiency," which alleges that they owe back taxes, the taxpayer has 90 days to go to tax court, and file a claim in tax court to fight this allegation. If you don't file this claim within the allotted time, you can lose your right to dispute the tax bill in question, in any forum, permanently.

Do I Need a San Mateo, California Tax Attorney?

Although federal tax court authorizes, under some circumstances, non-lawyers to represent taxpayers, the practice of tax law is extremely complex and specialized. Many attorneys who practice tax law do not practice in any other area.

So, if you need to go to tax court, for whatever reason, you should obtain the counsel of a good tax attorney in San Mateo, California. While a non-lawyer who's licensed to practice before the tax courts may well give you perfectly competent representation, there are still advantages to hiring a lawyer. The main advantage is that lawyers are far more regulated in their profession than most non-lawyers. So, if a tax attorney severely damages your case due to negligence or incompetence, you will have considerable legal recourse against them.

Talk to a Tax Law Attorney now!

Life in San Mateo

San Mateo, California is a city in San Mateo County. It has a population of about 100,000 people, making it one of the larger suburbs in the San Francisco Bay Area.

San Mateo was first settled by Europeans in 1789, when the Spanish established a missionary and military presence in the area now known as San Mateo.

Modernly, the economy of San Mateo, California is driven by education, local government, finance, and retail. The largest employer in San Mateo is the San Mateo County Community College District, which employs over 1,900 people, including several San Mateo, California lawyers.

If you live in San Mateo, California and are in need of legal assistance, it's very likely that there's a good San Mateo, California attorney who can help. Lawyers in San Mateo, California are able to handle a wide range of legal issues.

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