This is Jeni Roberts – Best Tax Resolution Lawyer for IRS Penalties
Tax Law Offices is so proud to recognize the great work of the firm’s newly promoted Senior Tax Attorney, Jeni Roberts. In this funny, heartfelt interview, Jeni laughs along while explaining her unique lawyer skills. This article pulls back the curtain from one of Chicagoland’s super-lawyers in tax law.
Do you have any good experiences in Tax Law? Any crazy stories?
“I have definitely seen a lot of crazy, unfair stuff in my past three years as a tax lawyer. This is still my favorite so far.
“There was this one client who was a nursing assistant. Maybe she earned $14 an hour at the time. But temporarily, she had to fill in as an office manager at her job. This poor lady only assisted in the office, because the owner was out sick, or something. She was a “low-level” employee for sure, with no real authority in the company.
“The nurse didn’t know that her boss had not paid his payroll taxes, and was in trouble with the IRS.
“The IRS needed to collect the taxes. The Revenue Officer promised us that he would not try to collect from our client. But then, he later “determined” that the nurse was “personally responsible” for $200K of the company’s tax debt. The Revenue Officer’s explanation was that, because the nurse’s name appeared on the bank account’s signature card, she must have been responsible for all the payroll debt.
“When you’re working with these IRS officers, sometimes they tell you one thing and then they do the opposite. Obviously, that wasn’t fair to the nurse, to suddenly owe $200,000 of her boss’s tax debt.
Could you fix the problem? Could you help her?
“Oh, yeah. I did. It took some research. I did a Freedom of Information Act request, to pull the recent detail notes that the Revenue Officer would not provide me. When I got the FOIA back, I read the whole file.
“One page read that ‘This employee was already interviewed and should not receive any penalties.’
“I read in the notes that on the very next day, where the Officer assessed the nurse $200,000 in penalties. Remember, the day before? He had just made note that the nurse should not be responsible. Remember that?
“So yes. We were able to remove the entire $200,000 penalty.
It really made a difference to our client, when she got the IRS letter showing the IRS balance reduced to $0. That was one of my most meaningful experience.
But to me that was crazy, to see that intentional mistreatment actually appear in writing in IRS’s notes.
What else have you seen so far?
“I like IRS audits, which are always kind of nuts. On one side, we have the client who we represent. We will do our best. We really do. But usually, the client’s supporting documents don’t match the tax return under audit. So, every audit has an interesting life of its own, and always brings out my sense of creativity! (Laughs)
“And then, obviously the criminal tax cases have been some of the most intense. Criminal tax is really a thing. Do you know, the IRS criminal investigators go after tax accountants more than anyone? Most of our criminal tax cases are … well, never-mind about that.
What are some of your worst jobs?
“Okay …
Chinese Food & Dirty Dishes
“… so I’ve had some pretty bad jobs. My first job was definitely bad. I was 15, working in a Chinese restaurant. The job was basically clearing and cleaning the dishes. In general, that was pretty dirty. You would never believe how messy people left their tables. I mean, how could they get food UNDER a tablecloth? So cleaning off the tables, that was never fun. But it’s a good start to learn hard work.
“I did get a lot of free food, though. And sometimes they taught me how to make my own food. So, I guess that was a benefit. I could eat for free, and I learned to cook Chinese food. I can make some really excellent Chinese dishes now. But I still prefer to get take-out. Can’t lie! (Laughs)
Movers & Shakers
“As far as getting into my legal career, I did an internship at a downtown Chicago law office. The actual location was in a high-rise building, It was beautiful. But the job was not so beautiful.
“They were moving offices and (I later discovered) they needed some help moving. What they had me doing, pretty much, was packaging and moving all of their closed files. I had to fill the boxes with the correct files, then shake the boxes to make more room, the stuff the boxes even more.
“You know, you think you really landed a great gig, highly respected and all that. Then you realize that they hired a law intern for the relocation because it was cheaper than hiring movers.
“Yeah, that happened.
How did you end up a Senior Tax Attorney?
“Before law school, I actually interned for my current firm. It was hectic back then, but still pretty fun. The whole company went to the Cub-Sox games at Wrigley every year. I have to say, they must have really liked me, because they looked for me after I graduated. Yes, I am bragging a little bit. Juuuust a little bit. (Laughs)
“So here’s a personal fact, for me now as a tax attorney. I always think it’s interesting how I got here, and my history. It has a lot to do with my grandfather.
“My family is from Belarus. And in Belarus, it is pretty much hard to break into any job. But my grandfather was a prosecutor for a big town there. I remember going into his office with him, as a little four- or five-year-old kid. To me it was so cool, so interesting. He was my hero.
“And then he took me to America when I was six. Since then, he has been my inspiration. I have wanted to be a lawyer because of my grandfather. And then I became a lawyer, because of him. And so always kept them close, and he got to see me graduate from law school. He got to see me become a lawyer. And I know I made him so proud.
“So, about that story with the nurse/office manager who had the $200,000 in IRS penalties? Remember? That was one of my very first cases here. And from that case, I knew that I could do well in this job as a Tax Attorney. Did I tell you that the IRS wrote my client a letter, apologizing? Yup, I made the IRS apologize. I still laugh about that part. (Laughs)
“I know that apology letter from the IRS would have made my grandfather proud. And probably laugh too!
“But from that case, I knew that one of my “magic powers” was writing winnable, “reasonable cause” arguments to the IRS. A lot of it is for reducing penalties. I also do a lot of legal writing for Illinois and other states’ Departments of Revenue. Sometimes it’s to Maryland and Virginia. Oh, and Texas, and Wisconsin. Basically, I have become the go-to lawyer here for penalty reductions and written legal arguments.
“So, it’s going well here at Tax Law Offices. I was just promoted to Senior Tax Attorney, which carries a lot of new responsibilities. But I got this.”