Most of what you've read online about IRS problems is wrong, or at least misleading. I'm Darrin Mish. I practice tax law in Tampa and I've been doing this for 32 years. Here's what's actually true.
Hiring a tax attorney in Tampa is not the same as hiring a divorce lawyer or a real estate closer. Tax work is its own world. The credentials look similar from the outside, but the people inside the industry know there is a wide gap between attorneys who handle a tax case once a year and attorneys who live in this work every day.
Baseline Qualifications That Are Non Negotiable
Before you even start comparing tax attorneys, the candidate has to clear a few baseline qualifications:
- Active license to practice law in Florida, with no active discipline at The Florida Bar
- Authorization to practice before the IRS in all 50 states (any licensed attorney is, but it matters for non attorneys claiming the title)
- Direct experience handling IRS controversy cases, not just tax preparation
- Documented current malpractice insurance coverage
That third one is where most of the noise comes in. A lot of Tampa attorneys advertise tax services. Far fewer have spent their careers actually negotiating with the IRS.
Years of Practice Versus Years of Doing This Work
A 30 year attorney who has handled a handful of tax cases is not a tax attorney. They are an attorney with a side interest. The qualifications question is not how long the lawyer has been practicing. It is how long they have been doing IRS work specifically.
Ask the question directly. How many years has your practice been focused on tax controversy? How many cases do you handle in a typical year? Numbers tell you more than years on a website. Five hundred IRS cases handled in the last decade is a very different qualification than passing the bar 30 years ago.
The Credentials That Actually Matter
An LLM in Tax is a Master of Laws in taxation. It is a real credential and it indicates the attorney went back to school after law school to specialize in tax law. Not every great tax attorney has one. But if they do, it is meaningful.
Beyond that, look for things like membership in the American Society of Tax Problem Solvers, regular CLE coursework in IRS practice and procedure, and publication or speaking on tax topics. These are signals that the attorney is staying current, because tax law changes constantly.
Some attorneys also hold Enrolled Agent credentials alongside their law license. This is unusual and signals that the lawyer takes the procedural side of IRS practice seriously enough to maintain the IRS administered exam credential as well.
The Track Record Question
A track record in tax law is not just won and lost. It is the volume of cases resolved, the range of resolutions obtained, and the longevity of the practice. Ask how many Offers in Compromise the attorney has handled. Ask how many penalty abatements. Ask how many CDP hearings. Ask about Tax Court representation, because some tax attorneys never set foot in Tax Court.
A practice that has resolved over $100 million in IRS tax debt over the course of three decades is a different animal than a firm that opened last year and runs paid Google ads.
How to Verify the Credentials
Verification is not hard. The Florida Bar maintains a public lookup at floridabar.org. You can confirm the attorney’s status, see any disciplinary history, and check the year of admission. The IRS Office of Professional Responsibility maintains records of any practitioner suspended or disbarred from IRS practice. AVVO and Martindale Hubbell are useful as supplementary sources but they are also pay to play in part, so do not weigh them too heavily.
If the attorney claims an LLM in Tax, the issuing school is usually listed on their firm page. The big ones include NYU, University of Florida, Georgetown, and Boston University. A real LLM is verifiable.
What Personality Has to Do With It
You are about to share a lot of personal financial information with this person. You are also going to need to call them when things get scary, which they will at some point in the case. The attorney does not have to be your friend, but they should be somebody you can actually talk to.
If the consultation feels like a sales call rather than a conversation, that is the relationship you are going to have for the rest of the case. Trust your read.
Red Flags Among Tampa Tax Attorneys
Some red flags to watch for:
- Promises specific settlement amounts before pulling your transcripts
- Pressure to sign a retainer at the first meeting
- Unclear fee structures or fees that go up after you sign
- No clear answer when you ask who specifically will be working on your case
- A practice that handles tax matters as one of fifteen practice areas
- Online reviews dominated by complaints about non delivery or surprise fees
A Practical Vetting Story
One of our clients came to us after firing a different Tampa firm that had taken a $9,000 retainer for what was described as an Offer in Compromise. Six months in, the only work product the prior firm had generated was a signed Form 8821 and an automated transcript pull. No analysis. No proposal. No movement.
The basic qualifications questions in this article would have caught the problem before the retainer was signed. The prior firm had eight practice areas listed on its website, advertised tax resolution as one of them, and could not produce a single tax attorney biography. The intake was handled by a salesperson. That should have been the cue to keep looking.
My Background in This Work
After 32 years of practicing tax law in Tampa, I can tell you the questions above will save you a lot of grief. My practice is focused on IRS controversy and tax resolution. Not estate planning, not divorce, not personal injury. Just this. The Law Offices of Darrin T. Mish, P.A. has resolved over $100 million in IRS tax debt across more than three decades of practice.
Whether you hire me or another Tampa tax attorney, use the questions above. The right attorney for your case is out there. The wrong one will cost you more than the IRS already has.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a tax attorney or can a CPA handle my IRS case?
Both can represent you before the IRS, but tax attorneys bring attorney client privilege, deeper procedural and litigation experience, and the ability to take a case to Tax Court if needed. For collection or audit matters with real exposure, a tax attorney is usually the safer call.
How can I verify a Tampa tax attorney’s credentials?
Check the Florida Bar at floridabar.org for license status and discipline. Search the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility for any practitioner discipline. Verify any LLM in Tax through the issuing school.
Should the tax attorney be local to Tampa, or does that not matter?
Most tax controversy work is procedural and can be handled remotely. Local helps for in person meetings and for any state level Florida tax issues. For IRS only matters, the attorney’s experience matters far more than their zip code.
What is an LLM in Tax and do I need an attorney who has one?
An LLM in Tax is a Master of Laws degree in taxation taken after the standard JD. It signals deep specialization but is not required. Many excellent tax attorneys do not have one and many average ones do.
How many years of experience should a Tampa tax attorney have for a serious IRS case?
Volume of relevant cases matters more than years. Ten years of focused tax controversy practice is generally stronger than 30 years of general practice with a few tax matters mixed in.
What is the most important question to ask in the consultation?
Ask the attorney to walk you through how they would handle your case from intake through resolution. The answer tells you whether they actually do this work or are improvising.
Get Help Now
If you are dealing with an IRS tax issue and want to talk to a qualified Tampa tax attorney, you do not have to handle it alone. Contact the Law Offices of Darrin T. Mish, P.A. at (813) 229-7100 for a free consultation.