Our goal is to achieve the best result for your case.
The Law Firm of S. Mark Barnes specializes in taxation litigation and controversy for business and personal issues including business audits, IRS and state tax commission conflict and compliance.
Meet the Expert Tax Law Team
S. MARK BARNES
Your Tax Expert
Not all tax attorneys are equal when it comes to defending your rights. Most tax attorneys are not Tax Litigators. Most tax attorneys are tax planners. They can be very helpful beforehand, but they are not who you need on your side if you are being audited, face tax collection issues, find yourself in court, or have to defend yourself in a criminal investigation.
If you want the IRS or the State Tax Commission to take you seriously, you need an attorney, who auditors, appeals officers, agents, collection personnel, and government Attorneys know has the ability to effectively try a case.
S. Mark Barnes has your back to litigate your tax law issues with your best interest in mind. Mark enjoys hiking, stained glass art and lives with his family is Millcreek, Utah and vacations in the Canadian Rockies.
JOANNA SMITH
Executive Manager
Joanna Smith has over 10 years experience in running non-profits and businesses. She has extensive experience with business compliance, non-profit creation, mediation, and qualified domestic orders. Joanna offers clients support and works with all clients on billing, forms and logistics.
Joanna enjoys quilting, gardening and activism. She lives in Millcreek, Utah with her family.
Why Hire Expert Tax Law
With more than thirty-five years of experience handling complex tax cases, Mark Barnes and Expert Tax Law can successfully represent you. After decades of experience inside of the IRS and in private practice, Mark offers the skills and knowledge of a large city tax firm, but at reasonable small city rates.
While in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, Mark was a member of several national litigation teams handling complex tax issues, including the International Cadre, the Financial Products Team, the ARAMCO Advantage Litigation Team (Exon and Texaco), the Son of Boss Tax Shelter Team, and several litigation teams dealing with expert witnesses in multi-million dollar valuation cases. Mark Barnes has also represented taxpayers in Criminal Tax trials and Civil Fraud cases. He has significant experience representing businesses and individuals before the Utah State Tax Commission, including small and large sales tax cases, domicile cases, and employment tax cases.
Whether you have a collection case, an income tax audit, or are facing complex tax litigation, Mark has the experience and commitment to represent you successfully.
Tax issues are big issues. Experience matters.
A Note from S. Mark Barnes...
Not all tax attorneys are equal, when it comes to defending your rights. Most tax attorneys are not Tax Litigators. Most tax attorneys are tax planners. They can be very helpful before hand, but they are not who you need on your side if you are being audited, face tax collection issues, find yourself in court, or have to defend yourself in a criminal investigation.
Similarly, most tax attorneys or firms, which advertise that they specialize is "tax controversy" work are limited in their ability to effectively represent you. They do not have the skills and experience to effectively represent you in Court, if necessary. Before hiring a tax attorney, always ask about their litigation experience, and verify their answer. Ask for copies of significant court opinions in which the attorney served as counsel.
This is important, if you want the IRS or the State Tax Commission to take you seriously, you need an attorney, who Auditors, Appeals Officers, Agents, Collection personnel and government Attorneys know has the ability to effectively try a case. They know who can ultimately back your position, and who is just blowing smoke. If your attorney is not a litigator, taxing authorities know that when push comes to shove, you will have no real option but to accept whatever settlement offer they make.
During my thirty years in the IRS, we held regular planning meetings to discuss preparation of our cases for trial. As we prepared for a Court trial calendar, we would go through the Court 's docket and each attorney would explain the status of their cases. When a taxpayer was represented by an attorney, whose reputation was to never try a case, the IRS attorney would announce that: "__________, is the attorney on the case. I don't need to prepare for trial, because _________ will cave before trial."
This is not to say that government attorneys do not care about reaching the right result, but with a heavy case load, most really only learn the weaknesses in a case when they are forced to prepare for trial. When your attorney is know as someone who will never try a case, the government attorney will not bother to explore the merits of your case, and simply wait until your attorney caves.
Even a Tax Litigator will settle most cases. Trials and expensive and involve risk. However, without the threat that your attorney can try your case if need be, you are not likely to settle on favorable terms.
