The differences between state and federal criminal courts are both obvious and subtle. Obvious differences include funding and breadth with a state criminal court being responsible for a relatively small geographic area while a federal district court may cover an entire state. Subtle differences include the types of crimes the two have jurisdiction to hear, the guidelines that each uses to mete out sentences, and the Read More

Taxes are a necessary part of business life and while they can seem mundane, one mistake can lead to a lot of headaches later down the road. Here are 6 common tax mistakes that are made by businesses and how to avoid them. 1) Not Keeping Records or Receipts IRS regulations require that employers keep payroll records such as timesheets, employee W-2 records, receipts for expenses, and other documents and to have them Read More

If the goal of a federal prosecutor is to get as many charges to stick as possible, then conspiracy charges rank high on the list of add-ons that can potentially mean the difference between a conviction or nothing. Why is this? Simply put, alleging that a defendant was part of a conspiracy is to charge them with agreeing with someone else to commit a crime, and then that person took at least one action to further Read More

Annual payment of taxes can be a stressful and expensive ordeal that many dread. The expense and headache of filing your taxes can be greatly increased if you are unfortunate enough to have penalties assessed against you. If you are late filing your taxes or have underpaid the amount you owe, the IRS will charge you penalties for not fulfilling your tax requirements. These fees are calculated based on a number of Read More

If you have been arrested and are being held in custody , you may be granted the opportunity by the court to be released pre-trial. There are different types of conditions for which a court may release an individual pre-trial and also differences between release in state court and federal court.  Bail is essentially a type of promise by the defendant, represented by a set amount of money, that serves to guarantee the Read More

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) was enacted in 1977 as a response to investigations into improper contributions by U.S. companies to foreign governments, their officials, and their politicians. The FCPA makes it illegal for U.S. businesses and individuals and certain foreign entities that issue securities to make payments (to bribe) to foreign government officials in order to obtain business in return.The Read More

Anyone who gets a notice of a pending IRS Audit should not try to handle the audit on his/her own. While it is tempting to just Google how to handle an audit or try to figure it out as you go, there are simply too many dangers to facing an audit without employing an experienced tax lawyer, even if you think you’ve done nothing wrong. Lawyers understand what information must be disclosed and what information is Read More