Firm News
Robb Longman Re-elected as Regent of American College of Tax Counsel
Longman & Van Grack attorney, Robb Longman, has been re-elected as a Regent under the 4th Circuit by the Board of Regents of American College of Tax Counsel. Mr. Longman, who is the Chair of the Firm’s Tax Practice, is currently the Secretary of the American Bar Association's Tax Section and was previously the Chair of the Maryland State Bar Association’s Taxation Section. The American College of Tax Counsel provides a venue for recognized tax lawyers to work together to promote sound tax policy and to engage in thoughtful discussion with the government about matters affecting the tax system in the United States. In addition, through its affiliated organizations, the American Tax Policy Institute and the Tannenwald Foundation, the American College of Tax Counsel supports public conferences on tax policy issues and encourages the publication of tax-related scholarly articles. Robb Longman and every tax attorney at Longman & Van Grack regularly addresses tax issues for every type of legal tax matter. You can meet with Robb at our offices inin Bethesda and Rockville, Maryland, Washington DC. Call Mr. Longman, or one of our other tax attorneys at (301) 291-5027 today.
Adam Van Grack Recognized by Maryland Super Lawyers 2020
Longman & Van Grack attorney Adam Van Grack has been recognized by Maryland Super Lawyers Magazine as a top civil litigation attorney in Maryland. Mr. Van Grack has been recognized as a “Maryland Super Lawyers” for 2020 in the area of Civil Litigation. “Super Lawyers” is an acknowledgment for Maryland attorneys that reflects the top five percent of attorneys who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The “Super Lawyers” selection process evaluates each candidate through independent research, peer nominations, and peer evaluations. “MD Super Lawyers” selections are made on an annual basis. "Super Lawyers" objective is to create a credible, comprehensive, and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource for those searching for legal counsel. Adam Van Grack is a Managing Member of the Longman & Van Grack and the head of the Litigation Practice at the firm. Mr. Van Grack regularly assists individuals, corporations, small businesses, and nonprofits on a broad range of lawsuits and civil litigation problems throughout Maryland and Montgomery County. Specifically, Adam has extensive experience in civil litigation, business law, appeals, environmental law, contract disputes, real estate/property law, and recreation law. Mr. Van Gracks’s legal advice and legal opinions have been featured in many different national and local publications, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Baltimore Sun.
Adam Van Grack Quoted by Baltimore Sun on Adnan Syed’s Supreme Court Appeal
Longman & Van Grack attorney Adam Van Grack was quoted today in the Baltimore Sun regarding the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to deny “Serial” podcast subject Adnan Syed's Petition for a Writ of Certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court. Adnan Syed had petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ to consider the decision from the Maryland Court of Appeal which had overturned the decision by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. Maryland Appeals Attorney Adam Van Grack told the Baltimore Sun that, "in declining to hear the case, the justices closed the door on the arguments Syed’s attorneys have made in the appeals thus far, including that his trial attorney was ineffective by not calling McClain to testify." Mr. Van Grack further explained that “There could be another protest or reopening of the case in a lower court, [But] it’s the end of the line on these issues.” The Maryland Court of Special Appeals had affirmed the ruling in the Baltimore City Circuit Court that Adnan Syed should be granted a new trial in Circuit Court. The Maryland Court of Appeals had been "asked to to reconsider the decision of a post-conviction court that granted the Respondent, Adnan Syed, a new trial." The Maryland Court of Appeals overturned that Court of Special Appeals ruling and ordered that a new trial would not be granted. Adnan Syed had filed a writ of certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court requesting that the high court consider the Maryland Court of Appeals decision. Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the Petition for Writ of Certiorari requested by Adnan Syed. The U.S. Supreme Court did not issue a written opinion as part of its denial of Mr. Syed's petition; and thus as Mr. Van Grack explained, "it’s the end of the line on these…
Bethesda Magazine Recognizes Robb Longman in Tax Law
Bethesda Magazine annually sends a survey to over 1,800 attorneys who practice regularly in Montgomery County, Maryland asking those attorneys to recommend an attorney in 25 practice areas. Longman & Van Grack attorney Robb Longman was recently selected by his as one of the top attorneys in Tax Law. We are proud to have Robb as one of our attorneys. Robb Longman's extensive background in all aspects of tax law provides him with the ability to advise his clients not just on the financial or corporate matters but the tax effects of those matters as well. As head of the Longman & Van Grack’s Tax Practice, Robb is the former Chair of Maryland State Bar Association’s Tax Section, the Secretary of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Tax Section, and a regularly speaker at tax seminars to attorneys and businesses on the latest tax law issues. Additionally, Robb has testified before the Maryland House of Delegates on tax legislation for the State of Maryland. Robb regularly works with his clients to devise strategies to help them minimize their taxes in their business or personal transactions. Robb Longman and each tax attorney at Longman & Van Grack works with each of our tax clients for proper tax planning and estate planning throughout Maryland. Robb Longman works directly with each of his clients to lessen the tax burdens and maximize the tax benefits associated with accomplishing each of their financial goals. Robb Longman understands that tax planning is part of running a financially-successful business, thus, Robb works to provide relevant and timely advice that fits with our clients overall vision.
IRS Issues Proposed Regulations on New Tax Code Section 199A
Internal Revenue Code Section 199A is a particular tax code section which was enacted on December 22, 2017 that allows for a twenty percent (20%) deduction of a tax payer's income from domestic businesses that are taxed as a sole proprietorship S-Corporation or partnership. On April 8, 2018, the IRS issued proposed regulations on Tax Code Section 199A. The proposed IRS regulations for Tax Code Section 199A that were just released provide additional guidance on the application of this code section. Some of the highlights of the proposed regulations for Tax Code Section 199A are as follows: The Section 199A proposed regulations provide additional guidance with regards to the calculation of the 20% deduction and the calculation of qualified business income. The Section 199A proposed regulations define the application of “reasonable compensation” in stating that it will continue to apply to only S-Corporations and that term’s application with not be applied to partnerships. The Section 199A proposed regulations provide significant guidance with regards to a Specified Service Trade or Business (SSTB). These are business such as the practice of law, healthcare, accounting, engineering, actuarial services consulting, athletics, financial services, brokerage services or any service where the business is based upon the reputation or skill of one or more of its employees. Consulting’s definition pursuant to the The Section 199A proposed regulations is “professional advice and counsel to clients to assist the client in achieving goals and solving problems”. The Section 199A proposed regulations also clump together activities by providing an example with regards to athletics. Not only will the athlete be considered as a SSTB, but the owners of the teams will also be considered an athlete for this purpose The Section 199A proposed regulations also tackle several planning techniques that were proposed to the IRS based upon SSTB. In…
Theodore Kiviat Named Partner at Longman & Van Grack
The law firm of Longman & Van Grack is proud to announce that litigation attorney Theodore Kiviat has been named Partner and Member of the firm. While Mr. Kiviat began his legal career in California and at multiple large commercial Maryland law firms, Mr. Kiviat has practiced commercial litigation and construction law at Longman & Van Grack since 2014. At Longman & Van Grack, Mr. Kiviat has represented clients related to commercial litigation, construction law, contract disputes, appeals, trade secrets litigation, real estate matters, probate litigation, and business disputes. Recently, Mr. Kiviat successfully obtained the maximum possible award from the Maryland Home Improvement Commission Guaranty Fund for one of the firm’s clients. Mr. Kiviat also recently was an on-brief attorney for a successful decision by Maryland Court of Special Appeals affirming a judgment in favor of a client against the Maryland Comptroller. According to Managing Partner, Adam Van Grack, “Ted brings a passionate advocacy to each of his cases, and he leaves no stone unturned to achieve the best outcome possible for each of his clients. We are thrilled to have Ted as part of our litigation team.” Since 2014, Theodore Kiviat has represented litigation clients in Montgomery County Circuit Court, Prince George’s County Circuit Court, Baltimore County Circuit Court, the Maryland Court of Appeals, Maryland Court of Special Appeals, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, DC Superior Court, DC Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. A seasoned civil litigator, Mr. Kiviat has over twenty years of multi-jurisdictional experience at the trial and appellate level zealously safeguarding the interests of individuals, organizations, and businesses of all sizes. Mr. Kiviat’s practice has included the representation of litigants at the trial and appellate level in contract disputes, real estate litigation, insurance claims related…
Robb Longman Presenting at the ABA Tax Section 2018 Meeting
Beginning today through this weekend, Longman & Van Grack Tax Attorney Robb Longman will be presenting on multiple tax law panels at the American Bar Association (ABA)’s Section of Taxation to the 2018 Midyear Meeting in San Diego, California. First, Robb will be a Panelist on a program titled “Worker Classification – the IRS, the DOL and the State of California.” As worker classification and the tax ramifications of classification continues to evolve, Robb will discuss a comparison of the IRS's and Department of Labor's classification tests and discuss both Section 530 relief and the Voluntary Classification Settlement Program. This panel will also highlight current worker classification issues in the State of California. Second, Robb will be a Panelist on the program titled “Employee Tax Audit Considerations." On this panel, Robb will discuss what issues can cause an employee tax audit to occur, the defenses than can be presented in an employee tax audit, and possible resolutions to an employee tax audit when liability does exist. Robb Longman’s extensive background in tax law and business law provides him with the ability to advise his clients on all types corporate matters but the tax issues related to those matters as well. In fact, Robb is not only the head of our Firm’s Tax Practice, Robb is the Assistant Secretary of the ABA's Tax Section and the former Chair of Maryland State Bar Association’s Tax Section. Robb regularly works with his business and individual clients to devise strategies to help them minimize their taxes in their business transactions and personal concerns.
Longman & Van Grack Wins Appellate Tax Decision Against Maryland Comptroller
Longman & Van Grack is proud to announce that yesterday the appellate and tax attorney team of Adam Van Grack, Robb Longman, and Theodore Kiviat successfully obtained a decision for their clients which would entitle the clients to a refund from the Maryland Comptroller of nearly half a million dollars. The Maryland Court of Special Appeals handed down the reported decision by Judge Kenney in favor of the firm’s client in Comptroller of the Treasury v. Wais Jalali, et al., No. 1671, Sept. Term, 2016. Specifically, the Court agreed with Longman & Van Grack’s Attorneys in affirming the firm’s victory in Maryland Tax Court and Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, ruling that the Maryland Comptroller wrongly withheld a refund due to the firm’s clients, Mr. and Mrs. Jalali. First, the Court of Special Appeals agreed with Longman & Van Grack’s argument that the underlying court properly determined that certain loans made to Mr. Jalali’s business were indeed “bona fide loans rather than capital contributions.” The Court of Special Appeals specifically agreed with Longman & Van Grack’s argument that “the Tax Court applied correct legal principles, evaluated the applicable factors in light of the circumstances, made findings of fact and drew inferences from those facts, and reached a conclusion that ‘a reasoning mind reasonably could have reached.’” Because the loans were determinate to be “bona fide loans,” the non-repayment of the loans could be deducted from Mr. and Mrs. Jalali’s income. Thus, the Court affirmed the lower court's ruling and ordered that the Maryland Comptroller refund Mr. and Mrs. Jalali the amount of their loss claimed on their tax returns with interest. Second, the Court of Special Appeals agreed with Longman & Van Grack’s argument that the Maryland Comptroller could not use a newly-argued tax code position to try and…
Forbes Quotes Robb Longman on Republican Tax Plan
Today, the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate are voting on the Republican's Tax Plan which could, if passed, be the broadest Federal tax reform in more than 30 years. As a result of this pending tax reform, Forbes sought the advice of Longman & Van Grack Tax Attorney Robb Longman regarding the effect that the proposed Tax Plan could have on real estate investors. One section of the Tax Plan specifically addresses allowing "people to deduct up to 20% of the income they get from pass-through businesses." In the Forbes article titled "President Trump Could Save $11 Million A Year From New Tax Bill", Tax Attorney Robb Longman told Forbes: "The new code is definitely going to have the most impact for real estate investors." Mr. Longman further explained why such individual investors would benefit from the proposed Tax Plan: "Those are the individuals who have used pass-through entities in the past." The Forbes article continued to state that: "The new bill allows people to deduct up to 20% of the income they get from pass-through businesses. In an apparent effort to stop people from acting like they operate pass-through entities just to get a 20% discount, the Senate version of the bill capped the amount of tax-free income at half of all wages paid to employees. That way real businesses, with lots of people working for them, can get big tax breaks. And holding companies that had one or two people cannot." While the current Tax Plan has not yet been passed by the House and Senate, it could be approved by the two legislative bodies as early as this evening. Robb Longman, who is the Chair of the Firm’s Tax Practice, regularly assists clients in all tax law matters and has testified before the Maryland legislature regarding…
Robb Longman Elected Fellow of American College of Tax Counsel
Longman & Van Grack is pleased to announce that Robb A. Longman has been elected as a fellow of American College of Tax Counsel (ACTC). The ACTC is a non-profit professional association that recognized tax attorneys who have made a substantial contribution and commitment to the improvement of the practice of tax law. In order to become a fellow of the ACTC an individual must be nominated and then undergo a rigorous screening process. The organization is limited to 700 tax attorney from across the United States. Robb Longman has been practicing tax law for nearly sixteen years, not including his time as a student attorney at the University of Baltimore School of Law. Robb is currently the Assistant Secretary of the American Bar Associations’ Tax Section and in the past has been the Chair of the Young Lawyers Forum and Tax Practice Management. In addition, Robb has been the Chair of the Maryland State Bar Association’s Tax Section. Robb has also volunteered for year running the Maryland State Bar Association’s Pro Bono program for Pro Se litigants before the United States Tax Court. American College of Tax Counsel Fellow Robb Longman has represented his clients before the Internal Revenue Service, United States Tax Court, Comptroller of Maryland and the Maryland Tax Court. Robb provides services to tax clients such as representing his clients for individual and business tax planning as well as working with his clients to resolve disputes with the Internal Revenue Service, Comptroller of Maryland and other state taxing agencies. You can reach Robb directly at (301) 291-5027.
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