Whether you want to hire a tax attorney to help you keep from making mistakes or whether you have to hire one because you’ve already made a mistake, there’s more to it than simply flipping open the phone book and calling the first number you see. After all, you want to hire someone with a proven track record, a good reputation, and the ability to work well both with you and with the IRS. Here are 5 places to start looking.

1. Referrals from Family and Friends. Chances are that you have friends or family members who have used the services of a tax attorney in the past. And since you already trust your family members and friends, the logical conclusion is that you can trust whomever it is that they recommend to you. They will be able to tell you if your personalities would mesh well together and if your working styles are complementary.

2. Networking. This is another great way to get names of competent tax attorneys in your area. Talk to business owners and other entrepreneurs to find out who they retain. Not only will they be able to refer a competent attorney, but they will also have a good idea of that particular attorney’s reputation within the community. These recommendations are valuable because these individuals know that you will make judgments about their own professionalism if they provide you with a less-than-stellar recommendation. Their own reputations are on the line.

3. Internet. Many individuals looking for local service start out using the internet. Enter the terms “tax attorney” or “tax lawyer,” plus the name of your city and state, into the search engine. You will get a whole list of tax attorneys to choose from. While you may only get contact information for some of them, others might actually have their own webpages that include biographies and other pertinent information about the services that they provide. This gives you a chance to find out a little more about them before making a decision about whether to call or not.

4. Professional Organizations. Look at the webpages of the American Bar Association, the Tax Law Association, and the National Association of Tax Professionals. These websites should list tax attorneys in your area, and if potential tax attorneys are members of these organizations, you can trust that they are professional and reputable.

Although referrals are a great way to find a tax attorney in your area, remember that they are not foolproof. Just because a friend, family member, business associate, or well-respected community member gave you the name of a tax attorney does mean that you and that tax attorney will hit it off. Maybe your personalities don’t match well or you find out that the attorney doesn’t have enough expertise in dealing with your particular situation. Maybe the cost of his services is too high or he wants to farm out your work to another attorney with whom you don’t feel you can work well. Maybe you just don’t have a good feeling about the client-attorney relationship after meeting with him. If any of the above scenarios happen to you, don’t feel bad about looking elsewhere for an attorney. Just because someone you trust made the referral doesn’t mean that you’re obligated to hire that person that he or she referred.

And if you’re tempted to simply represent yourself in the case of an IRS audit, stop and consider the consequences. There’s no more wisdom in representing yourself to the IRS without an attorney than there is in representing yourself without an attorney any other time you’re accused of criminal activity. Hire a tax attorney and save yourself a lot of time and hassle. Find someone you trust and let him work for the best possible outcome on your behalf.

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

Category: Legal
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