Tax Court in Buffalo, New York

Find the right Tax Court attorney in Buffalo, NY

Tax Court Lawyers in Buffalo

A tax court is a venue that authorizes legal disputes relating to taxes to be resolved in an orderly, efficient manner.

Almost all legal contentions having to do with federal taxes are resolved in the U.S. Tax Court, which has at least one courthouse in every state, and many courthouses in each of the larger states. This means that there is almost certainly a tax court in, or within a reasonable distance of, Buffalo, New York.

The U.S. Tax Court is where disputes arising under federal tax law are resolved, if the tax debt in question has not already been paid. The U.S. District Court, which is the federal court of general jurisdiction, can only hear tax cases after the tax has been paid. This rule is meant to ensure that as many tax issues as possible are really decided in tax court, rather than the overworked District Courts.

Tax Court Procedure in Buffalo, New York

Any legal issue that concerns federal taxes in Buffalo, New York, or anywhere else in the U.S., can go to tax court. It's most often the case that the IRS initiates legal action against a taxpayer, alleging that they have failed to pay all of their required taxes, or are delinquent in some other way. The taxpayer normally has 90 days to respond, which initiates adversarial tax court proceedings. Failing to respond may result in the taxpayer forfeiting their rights to contest the allegations against them.

Tax courts in the United States are presided over by judges who are appointed by the President. Unlike most other federal judges, who serve for life, judges on the U.S. Tax Court serve 15 year terms. However, they can serve an unlimited number of these terms, and if they do their jobs competently, they are almost always re-appointed when their terms are up, meaning that the vast majority of them effectively serve for life.

U.S. Tax Courts have one feature that's almost completely unique in the U.S.: people who are not licensed attorneys in New York, 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.

Usually, when the IRS sends a taxpayer in Buffalo, New York a notice of deficiency, indicating that they owe back taxes, the taxpayer has 90 days to file a claim in federal tax court to dispute this notice. If a claim is not filed in a timely manner, the taxpayer could lose his or her right to contest the tax bill at issue.

Do I Need a Buffalo, New York Tax Attorney?

Federal law authorizes some non-lawyers to represent parties in tax court. However, tax law is a fairly complex and specialized legal field. Most lawyers who practice tax law do not practice any other area of law, giving you an idea of how specialized it is.

If you have to go to tax court for whatever reason, you should almost certainly speak with a brilliant tax attorney in Buffalo, New York. Even though some non-lawyers are technically permitted to represent you in tax court, there are distinct advantages to hiring a lawyer, even if a non-attorney can provide you with competent representation. The main advantage is the fact that all attorneys are tightly regulated by their state bar associations, and if they botch your case, you may have more legal recourse against an attorney than you would against a non-attorney.

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Life in Buffalo

Buffalo has lots of nicknames like "the city of good neighbors," "the nickel city," and "the queen city" but the slogan that's best is "city of light." Buffalo, as the second most populous municipality in the State of New York, is just that. Buffalo is a waterfront city standing at the edge of where the Buffalo River, Niagara River, and Lake Eerie intercept. That means there are many tourists who come to Buffalo to see the Niagara Falls that are just 15 minutes away from downtown. Downtown Buffalo is a center of banking with major operations for First Niagara Bank, MT Bank, HSBC Bank USA, Bank of America, and KeyBank. Rich Products is one of the world's largest family owned food manufacturers and has their corporate headquarters in Buffalo.

Buffalo's economy is largely reliant on health care and education that have had continuous success in the face of the recession. The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and the University of Buffalo are largely to credit. Both institutions vastly expanded in the past few years offering more jobs and opportunities to Buffalo residents. Forbes Magazine rated Buffalo as the 10th best place to live in the United States in 2010. The Buffalo City Hall is a world renown building for its design by Art Deco. There are also a number of parks that are well kept in Buffalo. None compare to the Buffalo and Eerie County Botanical Gardens drawing visitors from far and wide.

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