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Why hire Michael Plaks if you have an IRS problem?

Simple: because I care , and because I deliver!

What do I mean - I care? Let me tell a story. In late 2009, I was defending a client from a detailed IRS audit of his 2007 and 2008 tax returns. The unusual complication in this case was that my client was divorced, and the 2007 return had been filed jointly with his ex-wife. By now, his ex-wife lived in a different state, and the two former spouses were not on the best terms, to put it mildly.

The ex-wife hired her own representative, just like she did during the divorce. Guess what? The tax return was joint, and the IRS audit required cooperation. Unfortunately, instead of joining forces against the IRS, the ex-wife and her representative chose to fight the wrong enemy: us. As a result of this foolish confrontation, the audit dragged for months, with no end in sight.

Several months into the ordeal, my client became so frustrated that he decided to give up. He called me and requested that I concede all the outstanding issues to the IRS, and he will pay them whatever they say - just to get it over with. The case was winnable, and I had full intention to win, not to concede anything. As a fighter, I cannot stomach surrendering to the IRS. But the client has the ultimate control, and I cannot overrule his decision.

At this point, my client was facing $20,428 bill for 2007 and $16,270 bill for 2008. I begged my client to allow me one last round of negotiation with the IRS. I knew it would not be enough to win the case, but I wanted to try to extract at least some concessions. A few days later, my effort resulted in revised IRS bills: $13,923 for 2007 and $12,703 for 2008. If you do the math, I saved my client over $10,000 - after he already told me to stop fighting!

And the story does not end here. Looking at the 2008 IRS report, I noticed another opportunity to win a small battle. I knew that my client would not wait another day, and I already had in my hands the two checks he wrote to the IRS. I took my chances and did something that I never do: I took a step without my client's authorization. While delivering the checks to the IRS auditor, I pursuaded him to sit down with me and review one additional issue. Result? The $12,703 bill went down to $11,841.

In short, I took the extra time and initiative to obtain almost $1,000 refund for my client. Not only I was not asked to do it - I was not even PAID to do it! This is what I call caring about my clients.

This and other real life stories will soon be posted here, illustrated by copies of actual IRS documents.