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Tax Court Urged to Permit Limited Scope Appearances by Counsel

Posted on Oct. 18, 2018

We welcome first-time guest blogger James Creech to Procedurally Taxing. James is a tax controversy attorney in solo practice in San Francisco and Chicago. He currently chairs the Individual and Family Tax Committee of the ABA Section of Taxation. Here James discusses comments submitted by the ABA Tax Section urging the adoption of a limited appearance rule in Tax Court, and he explains his support for the proposal from the perspective of a pro bono calendar call attorney. As one of the authors of the comments I hope the Court agrees with James. Christine

On October 3rd, the ABA Section of Taxation submitted comments to the Tax Court urging the court to amend Tax Court Rule 24 in order to create a new limited scope appearance. The comments are primarily aimed at allowing pro-bono volunteers to speak on the record during a calendar call without having to worry about broader ethical issues and without worrying about assuming responsibility beyond a solitary appearance. Importantly, while calendar calls are the primary focus, the Tax Section recommendation does not restrict the use of limited scope appearances to only calendar calls. The comments urge permission for limited scope representation in any situation where 1. the limitation is reasonable given the circumstances; 2. the limitation does not preclude competent representation or violate other rules; and 3. the client gives informed consent. This broader request would allow pro-bono volunteers to not only assist during the trial setting session but would open the door to assisting during trial itself, or during appeals hearings in docketed tax court matters.

A limited scope representation rule could help a large number of taxpayers. According to the comment 69% of all petitioners are unrepresented. When looking only at S cases that number jumps to 91%. Currently during the typical calendar call session there is a limited amount of time where petitioners can meet with a pro-bono attorney and often they are overwhelmed with the process. Allowing limited scope representations would allow pro-bono volunteers to increase their assistance and reduce the burden on both petitioners and the Court.

Under the Tax Section’s proposal, beginning a limited scope representation would require the pro-bono volunteer to complete a Tax Court form that clearly identified the date, the time period of the representation, the activity, and the subject matter. On the sample forms attached to the comments, these lines are prominently displayed and are likely to reduce much of the client’s uncertainty the limited representation. This form would then be signed by the pro-bono attorney and served on both the Court and opposing counsel. For representations that are part of the calendar call program, the ABA Tax Section comment language specifically states that the representation ends at the conclusion of the calendar call. If a practitioner wishes to extend the representation through trial a separate notice of completion must be filed with the Court and served upon respondent.

As a frequent calendar call volunteer, the recommendations made in the ABA Tax Section comment are welcome and frankly overdue. One of the biggest frustrations of a calendar call pro-bono attorney is the inability to speak to the court on behalf of a pro-se litigant even when it comes to something as simple as requesting a continuance. Calendar Call volunteers often spend a significant amount of time with a pro-se litigant teaching them the basics of Tax Court procedure, what facts are relevant, and what the roles of Chief Counsel attorneys and the Court are. At the conclusion of the meeting it is not unusual to wait in the back of the courtroom only to watch them step up to the podium and start rehashing irrelevant facts that are unhelpful to the Court. It then takes time for the Judge to give the opportunity for the litigant to speak, inform them why they are in court today, and to ask questions about what their goals are. Often what should be a two minute request for a specific trial day or a continuance can turn in to ten minutes of the Judge trying to get a sense of the evidentiary issues and if trial is the fairest way to resolve the case. Allowing a pro-bono attorney to approach the podium with the petitioner would eliminate these issues. I believe a limited scope rule would give petitioners a better sense that they were able to communicate their needs and that they had a fair opportunity to be heard both of which are essential to due process.

Enacting the ABA Tax Section’s proposal for limited scope representation would benefit volunteers, pro-se taxpayers, chief counsel, as well as the Court. Volunteers would more certainty that their time would be put to good use. Pro se litigants would get a fairer outcome because they would be able to better communicate their needs to the Court and explain the relevant facts in their case. Finally, the Court would benefit from increased efficiency and a trial record that better reflected what the parties believed the facts to be.

Overall the Tax Section comment does a great job of striking a balance between the needs of volunteer attorneys ethical compliance and workload considerations with their desire to help pro-se petitioners. The inclusion of clear sample forms gives the Court and pro-bono volunteers a better idea of how this rule could be implemented and what pro-se litigants might expect should this proposal be adopted. In my opinion the Tax Court should implement a limited scope rule that is substantially similar to what the ABA Tax Section proposes.

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