Is Your Spouse Innocent?
by MARIANNE MAN
Lauren thought she had married the perfect man. She and her husband, Charles, met at UCLA during their first year of college. He swept her off her feet with his intellect and charm, and when he received his acceptance into medical school at UCSF, she followed him. Charles proposed during his last year of his medical residency. Lauren felt her life was complete when, two years after they married, the couple was blessed with a beautiful daughter. Lauren decided to stay at home with her daughter and become a full-time homemaker. She left all financial decisions to her husband, whom she always knew to be trustworthy.
Are You FBAR Serious?
Marianne H. Man
Are you FBAR serious? Seriously, do you know what a FBAR is? If you are a tax attorney or a CPA, you may be well-acquainted with the term, “FBAR”, but for many individuals and owners of businesses, the requirements of the Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts Report (“FBAR”) are foreign concepts. As a result, when the FBAR reporting requirements are explained to them, a common reaction is akin to a dismayed and shocked “Are you FBAR serious?”
Best of Orange County
In OC Metro Magazine for 2013
Ms. Marianne Man is honored to be recognized by OC Metro Magazine as one of the top attorneys for 2013 in OC Metro Magazine’s annual top attorney issue.
Best of Orange County
In OC Metro Magazine for 2014
In 2014, for the second consecutive year, attorney Marianne Man was recognized by OC Metro Magazine as a top attorney in her field of tax law.
Best of Orange County
In Coast Magazine for 2015
For the third consecutive year, attorney Marianne Man of The Tax Counsel, TM has been named one of the “Top Tax Attorneys” in the Orange County, California area. She and her firm, The Tax Counsel,TM is featured in Coast Magazine’s October 2015 issue.
Seamless Integration of Legal Services Between Your Business Needs and Your Personal Needs
- Personalized Legal Guidance: At The Tax Counsel, each client receives personalized attention from the same attorney throughout their entire case. This ensures that legal strategies are consistently aligned with both personal and business objectives, creating a seamless legal experience.
- Comprehensive Legal Protection: We uphold attorney-client privilege to the highest standard, ensuring that all communications about personal or business matters remain confidential. This protects sensitive information across all aspects of your life and work.
- Robust Defense Against Tax Authorities: Our attorneys are equipped to defend clients against agencies like the IRS, offering robust legal strategies that protect both your personal and business interests in tax-related legal actions.
- Strategic Tax and Business Planning: We specialize in advising on the tax implications of business decisions, which also impact personal finances. This approach helps clients optimize their tax positions while aligning with broader business strategies and personal financial goals.
- Proactive Tax Compliance and Audit Prevention: Our proactive advice is designed to prevent audits that can affect both your business and personal financial standing. We help you understand and manage the triggers that lead to IRS audits, ensuring compliance and minimizing disruptions.
- Localized Legal Expertise: With specialized knowledge of specific jurisdictions, including nuances of state-specific issues like California’s Franchise Tax Board, we offer guidance that respects both your business operations and personal residency requirements.
- Mediation and Dispute Resolution: Our mediation expertise, backed by a thorough understanding of various legal areas, including tax, bankruptcy, and HOA laws, facilitates resolutions that consider the impacts on both your personal life and business dealings.
- Bankruptcy and Debt Management: We provide expert guidance on how bankruptcy can be strategically used to manage both personal and business debts, offering integrated solutions that address comprehensive financial health.
- Dedicated Homeowner Advocacy: Our exclusive focus on defending homeowners in HOA disputes ensures that personal property interests are protected, which can also influence broader real estate investments and business interests.
- Flexible and Transparent Billing: Understanding the financial demands on both businesses and individuals, we offer various billing options to accommodate different budgets and case complexities, promoting financial clarity and planning.
- Holistic Service Through Collaborative Practices: Our collaborative approach with CPAs and other professionals enhances our ability to integrate legal services across different aspects of your business and personal life, ensuring comprehensive solutions.
- Ethical Representation Without Conflicts: We avoid potential conflicts of interest by not preparing tax returns ourselves, focusing instead on legal advocacy and strategic advice, which ensures unbiased support for both your business and personal legal needs.
- Conflict-Free Legal Advice: By collaborating with external CPAs and maintaining a focus on pure legal counsel rather than tax preparation, we ensure that our advice is always in your best interest, unswayed by any internal conflicts.
- No Double Billing and Streamlined Services: Unlike many law firms that bring junior associates to client meetings primarily as observers, our firm diverges sharply from the practice of charging clients for these juniors under the guise of active involvement. This often misunderstood form of double billing occurs when firms bill clients for the time junior associates spend in meetings learning the ropes, despite contributing minimally to the actual case. Our approach ensures that only attorneys who directly engage in the management and strategy of your case are involved, guaranteeing that every hour billed is an hour spent working substantively on your case. By reducing our overhead costs and eliminating double billing, we offer a more straightforward and cost-effective billing structure. When comparing legal services, it’s crucial to consider that with other firms, you might need to add the junior associate’s billable rate to the Partner's or Senior Associate's rate to fully understand the actual rate you will be billed at. And, when you hire a tax resolution company that is not a law firm, be sure you understand whether or not you who will actually be working on your case most of the time - a tax attorney or just the non-lawyer staff. By streamlining our practices, we reduce overhead costs and enhance the intimacy and effectiveness of our services. Each client receives consistent, personal attention from the same dedicated attorney throughout the entirety of their case. With every interaction tailored specifically to meet your legal needs, our firm ensures that you receive the best value for your investment, emphasizing clarity, efficiency, and peace of mind throughout your legal journey.