2020 has been a year like no other in my lifetime, and I pray I never see another one like it. The fear of my friends and family getting sick, the worry over those who have lost their livelihoods, the anguish that comes from thinking of those at home in abusive relationships or struggling with depression, the impact on our economy . . . one of these alone is hard enough; but combine all of them together — that is a heavy burden to carry. That is why I hereby declare the holidays as essential! Read more
This is the first of two installments of this article. The second installment will be posted soon on the Tax Section’s blog.
I. Audit Statistics; What Are Your Chances of Being Audited?
In early 2020, the IRS published its 2019 data book, which contained audit statistics for the fiscal year that ended September 30, 2019. Here are the audit statistics for tax returns filed in calendar year 2018 (“CY 2018”):
A. Audit Rates for Individual Income Tax Returns.
Only 0.6% of individual income tax returns filed in CY 2018 were audited (about the same as in CY 2017). Of those audited returns, only 25% were conducted by revenue agents (down from 29%), and the rest were correspondence audits.
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New Associates Join The Law Offices of F. Bryan Brice, Jr.
The Law Offices of F. Bryan Brice, Jr. announced that Andrea Bonvecchio and Anne Harvey have joined the firm as associate attorneys.
Andrea Bonvecchio obtained a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida Levin College of Law with a concentration in Environmental and Land Use Law. During law school, she served as an environmental moot court team competitor and coach. Bonvecchio has prior experience as a conservation and land use intern for Conservation Florida and as a law clerk for Earthjustice.
Anne Harvey holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina and a master’s degree from Florida State University, where she served as a teaching fellow and taught a course in environmental policy. Harvey received a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown Law. She has worked as staff attorney and acting conservation director for Save the Manatee Club and as an associate attorney with Earthjustice.
Members of the Sports & Entertainment Law Section (“SEL”) found the following recent third-party articles to be of potential interest to Section members. Feel free to reach out to the Communications Co-chairs (Kelly Ryan and Jourdan Williams) if you would like to submit either personally written pieces or other third-party articles that would be of interest to SEL members.
The Dispute Resolution Commission would like to welcome four new members to the DRC! Zachary Bolen, Ketan Soni, Jayne Zanglein, and Lisa Johnson-Tonkins have all joined the Dispute Resolution Commission for a three-year term beginning Oct. 1, 2020.
On Nov. 17, 2020, the Supreme Court amended the MSC, FFS and Clerk Program Rules to allow the parties and the mediator to excuse a party from attendance. This provision was inadvertently deleted when the Supreme Court flipped the attendance presumption in June of 2020. The amended rules went into effect Nov. 23, 2020. Please see the Supreme Court’s website for all DRC rule sets.
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Dec. 2, 2020, marked the annual meeting between the Tax Section and the IRS, along with our invited guests from the Tax Committee for the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants. As with most meetings these days, it was held virtually. We were fortunate to have representatives from the IRS from locations other than just in Greensboro. Speakers included representatives from IRS Chief Counsel’s office, the Examination Division, Collections Division, Appeals Collection, Appeals Exam, and we ended with a brief discussion by our local IRS stakeholder liaison. Click here for the speakers’ contact information.
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This program discusses the impact of COVID-19 and provides updates in critical practice areas of particular interest to in-house attorneys, including employment, contracting, cybersecurity, privacy, and legal enforcement.
With the pandemic affecting every aspect of our personal and professional lives, learn and explore how to prioritize our own well-being during this challenging time.
When:
Thursday-Friday, January 21-22, 2021
Where:
Live webcast with real-time instruction
CLE:
North Carolina 6.00 MCLE hours, including 1.00 Substance Abuse/Mental Health and 2.00 Technology Training
Don’t miss out on this informative and valuable event! Early bird registration rate ends December 31, 2020!
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On November 23, 2020, the Paralegal Division Council voted to form a Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
The Paralegal Division recognizes that diversity and inclusion are more than just policies, programs, or head counts. They are about respecting the unique needs, perspectives and potential of all our division members.
The responsibilities of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee would include, but are not limited to:
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MIP’s Diverse Perspectives is a monthly blog feature to spotlight a member from North Carolina’s community of diverse attorneys and legal professionals. Members have the opportunity to share a personal perspective through a brief set of interview questions.
This month’s perspective is courtesy of Tawanda Foster Artis, Senior Staff Attorney, NC General Assembly, Raleigh, N.C.
What law school did you attend and what was your graduation year?
UNC School of Law, 2004.
What inspired or prompted you to become an attorney?
A desire to help others.
Please describe a barrier or obstacle you have overcome in your professional career?
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