There are several types of tax professionals available to help you with your tax needs, including certified public accountants (CPA), tax attorneys, and enrolled agents (EA). Many tax situations can be handled by any of these three professionals. But there are times when a tax lawyer is the best option.
With the help of the internet and search engines like Google, it’s easy to find a tax lawyer. The problem is that because of how search engines work, it’s not always easy to find the right attorney who can meet your specific needs. There’s also the risk of getting scammed by those who prey on individuals who need tax help. The point of this guide is to help you find the right tax attorney for your situation while also avoiding individuals who will make your tax problems worse. To get high quality credible help now, contact us at Damien’s Law today.
Key Takeaways
- Because of how online marketing works, doing a simple Google search won’t always produce the best tax law firms and attorneys near the top of the search results.
- The internet is the most convenient way to find a tax lawyer, but there are other ways to find one, including asking for referrals from friends, family, coworkers, or bar associations.
- The best attorney is usually one has experience handling cases like yours, and is transparent about how they operate and what they can (and can’t) do for you.
- When choosing an attorney to hire, don’t be afraid to go with your gut, as your comfort level with an attorney can be as important as their professional qualifications.
How Search Engine Legal Marketing Works
To better understand how and why it’s not always easy to find a tax attorney using the internet, you need to know how search results from search engines often work.
In a perfect world, the most relevant result to your search query would appear first. Yet, due to the nature of paid online advertising, the top result isn’t necessarily the best. Instead, there’s a strong chance that someone paid for the first few links that show up at the top of your results page. This means that when you look for a tax lawyer in your area or for your tax issue, the best legal professional for you might appear near the bottom of your results page – or on the second page of results.
Another thing to keep in mind is that many good attorneys don’t pay for online ads. Or if they do, they may not pay to have their website “pushed to the top” of a results page for a search engine like Google. In other words, just because a lawyer’s website doesn’t appear at the top doesn’t mean they’re not good or should be avoided. So to find the right tax attorney, you’re going to have to do some of your own research.
How to Find a Tax Lawyer
If a lawyer has an informative and well-designed website, they should show up in a basic online search. Typing, “tax lawyer near me” or “tax lawyer [insert your state, city, or county]” into Google will usually be enough to get you started. Although given the above-discussed online marketing tactics, you may need to look past the top results. While doing this, there are a few things to remember:
- Not all lawyers have websites, so finding an attorney the old-fashioned way by asking for recommendations or contacting your local bar association is a good idea.
- If you come across companies with vague or generic sounding names (like “Legal Tax Help”) with no specifically identified tax attorneys, then you probably haven’t found a law firm. Instead, you’ve likely found a lead generation company that will sell your information or just act as a case referral service.
- Don’t be afraid to use online attorney directories. Some of these will have little information listed on their attorney profile pages, as these are automatically created from “scraper” programs that glean attorney information from public online sources. However, they will sometimes indicate the attorney’s area of practice and basic contact information.
What To Look for When Searching for Attorneys Online
If you’re searching for a tax lawyer online, the first thing you want to do is confirm the person you’re considering is a duly licensed attorney. This means they graduated from college and law school and then passed a state bar exam.
Are They a Licensed Attorney?
Attorneys can only practice law in states where they’ve passed the bar exam. One exception to this rule is if they’re giving legal advice concerning federal laws (which apply in all states). So if you need tax help for state taxes, then you need to find an attorney licensed in that state. But if you need help with federal taxes, then as long as the attorney is licensed in at least one state, they should be able to represent you in your case.
So how do you know if a person is a fully licensed lawyer? You’ll want to confirm they have at least the following two credentials:
- A Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an ABA-accredited law school.
- A state bar license.
You can confirm this last credential by looking up the person’s state bar license online. Each state should have an online database or directory of currently licensed attorneys. When you find the person, you should see their full name and their bar license number. You might also find additional information, such as their picture, mailing address, phone number, date of admission, and email address.
These databases will usually include a list of retired attorneys and attorneys who can’t practice due to disciplinary issues, like a license suspension.
Are They Qualified to Practice Tax Law?
Generally speaking, once a lawyer is licensed, they can practice in almost any area of law they choose. Some lawyers work as “generalists,” which means they practice law in many areas where they’re likely to find the most clients. This is common in less-populated areas where there are fewer lawyers and potential clients.
For instance, you might find a lawyer in a small town that handles criminal, personal injury, tax, family, bankruptcy, commercial litigation, and real estate law. But in cities and more densely populated areas, these generalists are less common and you’re more likely to find lawyers who practice in just one or two of these areas.
When it comes to tax law, any lawyer can claim to handle tax matters. So how do you know if they’re qualified to handle your tax case? There are several things you can look for:
- Specialization: There are special ethical and professional rules that outline when and how a lawyer can claim to have a “specialization” in a particular area of law. In most cases, if an attorney has a tax specialization, they will have an LLM degree (think of this as a master’s degree in a particular area of law), academic certificate, and/or certification from a recognized organization, like a state bar association.
- Exclusivity: If a lawyer focuses only (or primarily) on tax law, they’re more likely to have the experience to handle your particular tax issue. If their website only mentions tax law in passing, they may be capable of helping you, but won’t have the same set of skills or efficiency someone who only practices tax law will have.
- Experience: The longer it’s been since an attorney has been admitted to practice law, the more experience they’re likely to have. All else being equal, you want an attorney with the most years of experience practicing tax law.
After you’ve found several possible tax lawyers, you can then shift to figuring out which one is best for you.
Choosing the Right Tax Attorney
There’s no universal approach to finding the right attorney, but general guidelines exist that can help you find the best tax assistance. The following are things to look for (or avoid) when narrowing down your tax attorney choices.
Direct Access to Your Attorney
The best attorney is one you can directly contact when you have a question or concern. This is especially true for the initial consultation. With some large, national firms, it’ll be a sales representative who talks to you during the consultation. In other cases, you won’t get to talk to an attorney, but you’ll at least talk to that attorney’s legal assistant, secretary, or paralegal.
Being able to talk to an attorney during the first consultation doesn’t automatically mean you should hire them, but it’s a good sign that you’ll receive better legal representation. It signals that your lawyer will be more hands-on with your case and can offer more personalized service. You can receive direct answers to your questions as opposed to “playing telephone” where your attorney communicates with you through their paralegal or secretary.
Transparency
The more transparent the law firm is, the more likely your attorney will be trustworthy. When looking over a firm’s website, look for clear information about the firm itself, their office locations, their legal team, and the specific practice areas of each lawyer. The more information a website provides about what it offers (and who offers it), the less likely something unsavory will happen.
Positive Reviews
Just like most people do when they’re curious about buying a new product or hiring someone from an unfamiliar business, you can also look for reviews about a prospective attorney. The attorney (or their firm) you’re thinking about hiring may have a Google Business Profile or a crowd-sourced review site with online reviews.
There’s also the Better Business Bureau (BBB), but don’t just look at the lawyer or firm’s rating. Also, look at the BBB complaints section to get a better understanding of any problems clients may have had with a particular law firm or sole practitioner. You want to focus on both the number of complaints and their nature–but also how the firm responds to complaints.
Finally, no matter what reviews you read, take them with a grain of salt. Most satisfied customers don’t leave online reviews; it’s usually the angry ones who do so. Also, don’t forget that no matter how good an attorney is, they’ve inevitably had a few dissatisfied clients. If you’ve worked in customer service or a service-related occupation, you know that some people just can’t be satisfied, no matter what you do (or don’t do).
Signs You Should Avoid a Particular Tax Lawyer
Many bad reviews are often a sign to look somewhere else for an attorney. But there are other potential red flags to indicate a possible scam or that a particular tax lawyer isn’t right for you. Some of these include:
- They’ve had disciplinary issues with their state bar.
- They have poor communication, such as not getting back to you promptly or not effectively explaining things to you.
- They come across as if they’re hiding something, such as not providing straight answers to your questions. Maybe they’re not flat-out lying, but your gut says they’re not telling you 100% of what’s really going on.
- They make promises concerning case outcomes before getting detailed information about your specific tax problem.
- They use high-pressure sales tactics, such as telling you to make a decision now about who to hire or what to do concerning your tax situation.
- If you express the desire for a second opinion, they come across as defensive or tell you you’re wasting your time.
No matter what happens during the initial consultation, if you don’t feel comfortable with the attorney and their firm, you need to go to someone else. The best tax lawyer in the world can’t help you if you don’t trust them and aren’t fully candid with them when discussing your case.
Questions You Should Ask a Potential Tax Lawyer
During your consultation, you’ll get an opportunity to ask questions to decide if the attorney can help you and if so, whether you feel comfortable hiring them. Here are some questions to consider asking:
- How much do you charge and what’s your fee arrangement?
- Will there be anyone else in addition to you handling my case?
- When I have a question, have additional information about my case, or need a case update, will I get to talk to you or will I need to talk to your legal assistant?
- How many cases like mine have you handled?
- How long have you been practicing tax law?
- How long do you think it’ll take to resolve my tax problem?
- What are the likely outcomes for my tax situation?
- What sort of payment methods do you accept?
Speak With an Experience Tax Attorney From Damiens Law
The primary goal of Damiens Law is to help individuals and businesses with tax problems. We’re confident that if your tax issue requires a tax attorney, we can help. But if it turns out you can handle things yourself or you’re better off with another tax pro, we’ll make sure you get the help you need. Contact us today to set up a free consultation.
How To Find Real Tax Attorney Help Online FAQs
How much does it cost to hire a tax lawyer?
It depends on the type of tax problem you have and how the attorney chooses to bill their clients. Most tax attorneys will bill either by the hour or charge a flat fee for specific services. The billable rates will depend on the general cost of living where they practice, as well as their level of experience, but you can expect hourly rates that range from $200 to $600.
As for flat fee rates, that depends on the type of work. Basic tax return preparation might be $150, but an offer in compromise for a business could exceed $10,000. Don’t forget that billable rates and fees are sometimes negotiable, so don’t be afraid to ask for a lower price.
Can hiring a tax attorney hurt my case?
Yes, but it’s very rare. The vast majority of tax lawyers are competent and qualified to represent their clients. But lawyers are human and mistakes can happen. Don’t worry if you’re concerned that hiring an attorney will draw unwanted attention to your tax problem or make you come across as guilty.
If you’re thinking about hiring a tax lawyer, you’re likely already on the IRS or other tax agency’s radar. As for coming across as if you did something wrong, the IRS and other tax agency workers know that tax lawyers offer benefits that have nothing to do with the culpability of their clients.
For instance, many individuals hire a tax attorney to avoid doing something illegal. Then there are those who hire tax lawyers for peace and mind and convenience (the individual would rather their lawyer interact with the taxing authority on their behalf).
Can I find a good tax lawyer without using Google or another online search engine?
Absolutely, as many good tax lawyers don’t even have a website. But if you can’t find them online, how will you find them? There are a few options.
First, you can ask around for recommendations. A lot of lawyers get new clients from referrals from other attorneys who practice in other areas of the law and from their former clients. So if you already know an attorney from your house sale a few months ago or who helped you with your estate plan, they might know a good tax attorney if you ask them.
Second, you can conduct an off-line search. One of the best ways to do this is to call your local bar association. Depending on where you live, you might contact the one for your state or county. If you live in or around a major city, there could be a city bar association you can contact as well. Most of these bar associations have a directory of attorneys for various practice areas and will provide contact information to prospective clients who ask for an attorney.
Is it easy to change attorneys?
Despite doing your research, you might realize that you chose the wrong lawyer to represent you in your tax matter. If you need to change attorneys, you can usually do so fairly easily, as your case belongs to you. Therefore, your old attorney can’t force you to keep them as your legal representative.
If you do decide to hire someone else to represent you, you might need to notify others. For example, if your tax problem deals with the IRS, you may need to complete a new IRS Form 8821, Tax Information Authorization, and IRS Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative.
Sources
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/specialization/
https://law.ku.edu/academics/certificates/tax-law
