You’re a law-abiding citizen who pays your taxes on time and in the right amount. So why are you being audited by the IRS? It’s not uncommon, in the rush that accompanies tax time, to make mistakes when filling out tax reports. In many cases, those mistakes are small and negligible. In other cases, however, those mistakes are glaring in the eyes of the IRS and are worthy of a second look. Even if you didn’t intentionally fill out your tax forms incorrectly, the IRS may still want to conduct an audit.

If this happens to you, you should use the services of a tax attorney, even though your mistake was nothing more than a careless error. Many taxpayers choose to undergo an audit without the services of a tax attorney and end up hiring one in the middle of the process because the proceedings can be so overwhelming and confusing, and because the IRS auditors are definitely not looking out for your best interests. But you will be better off hiring a tax attorney before the audit process even begins, if for no other reason than to save yourself some sleepless nights and to enter the process feeling confident.

Here are 3 steps to hiring a tax lawyer.

1. Open up the phone book or conduct an internet search. Most phone books will not specify which lawyers are tax lawyers and which lawyers specialize in other fields, so you may have to call several before you find a lawyer who specializes in working with individuals who are being audited by the IRS. An internet search may prove quicker and more fruitful since you can enter “tax lawyer” as one of your search terms. Be sure to start with a list of several potential attorneys as there will be vast differences among them regarding experience and cost.

2. Request a consultation. Most lawyers will provide a free consultation, and you should most certainly take advantage of it. During this consultation, explain your current situation with the IRS in detail and find out what kind of plan the lawyer has for addressing the situation. Make sure that the lawyer can explain the plan in terms that you can understand. Find out how much time they can dedicate to your specific case and how much they will charge to represent you. This information will be helpful as you compare your experience with several different lawyers and ultimately determine which one you would like to represent you.

3. Be realistic. Just because you hire a tax lawyer doesn’t mean that you’re automatically going to be absolved of your errors, no matter how talented or experienced the lawyer is. So be realistic about the outcome of your case and be prepared to face the consequences of your error. But regardless of the situation, always make sure that you’re represented by an attorney.

A final thing to keep in mind is the importance of hiring a lawyer who specializes in tax law. If one is available, you might even want to find a lawyer who is also a former IRS employee. These individuals are obviously well-equipped to speak to and negotiate with IRS auditors on your behalf. If a former IRS employee is not available to represent you, be sure to stick with a lawyer who has done most of his or her work in the area of tax law. These individuals have a great deal of experience in finding loopholes in the tax law and figuring out how to make the process of an audit into a best-case scenario for their clients.

Author Bio: Seomul evans is a SEO Services consultant for Tax Lawyers Forth Worth and Dallas Tax Lawyers

Category: Legal
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