If you've got an IRS letter on your desk right now, you have a decision to make, and the clock matters. I'm Darrin Mish. I've spent 32 years helping people with exactly this kind of situation. Here's what you should do.
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you have an IRS problem and you’re trying to figure out who to trust with it. That’s a smart thing to wonder about.
There are a lot of people out there who will take your money and not do much with it. So let me tell you who I am, how I work, and what it’s actually like to hire me.
Then you can decide whether I’m the right fit.
Who I Am
I’m Darrin Mish, a tax attorney, and I’ve been practicing law for 32 years. My office is in Tampa, Florida.
I’m licensed in Florida, Colorado and Texas. I’m also admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court.
I didn’t start out in tax. I started out as a public defender.
I stood next to people on the worst day of their lives, when the full weight of the government was coming down on them. That job taught me something I’ve never forgotten.
When the government comes after you, you deserve someone who’s willing to stand up and fight for you. Someone who isn’t intimidated by the other side.
Why the IRS Is Different
The IRS is the most powerful collection agency in the world. It can take money out of your bank account, garnish your paycheck, and file liens against your property.
It can do all of that without going to court first. When you’re on the receiving end, it’s terrifying, and the IRS knows it.
My job is to take that fear and turn it into a plan.
Over the years, I’ve helped clients resolve more than $100 million in tax debt. I’ve handled bank levies, wage garnishments, federal tax liens, offers in compromise, payment plans, audits and penalty abatement.
I’ve handled innocent spouse cases, payroll tax problems, and years and years of unfiled returns. I’ve handled cases in Tax Court.
I’ve seen just about every kind of IRS problem there is. And 32 years of that has taught me one thing above all: almost every IRS problem has a way out.
It might not be the way out you want, and it might not be fast. But there’s almost always a path, and the reality is usually much more manageable than the nightmare in your head.
Tax Attorney or CPA?
People ask me this all the time. I’m not a CPA; I’m a tax attorney, and it’s a different job.
A CPA is an accountant. Good CPAs are worth their weight in gold for preparing returns, keeping books and planning, and I work with a lot of them.
But when you have a serious IRS problem, you want a lawyer. That’s especially true when the IRS is collecting, when there’s a lot of money involved, or when there’s any risk of it becoming a criminal matter.
A lawyer can take your case to court. And what you tell your lawyer is protected by attorney-client privilege in ways that what you tell your accountant often isn’t.
You Don’t Have to Live in Florida
Another question I get a lot: do you have to live in Florida for me to help you? No.
Federal tax law is the same in all 50 states, and the IRS is a federal agency. I help people all over the country, and people who live overseas too.
Most of my work is done by phone, online, or by working directly with the IRS on your behalf. A lot of my clients never set foot in my office.
What It’s Like to Hire Me
It starts with a conversation. You tell me what’s going on: what letters you’ve gotten, what the IRS is doing, how much you think you owe, and how many years you haven’t filed.
You don’t need to have it all figured out. Most people call me with a shoebox full of envelopes they’ve been afraid to open, and that’s fine; that’s what I’m here for.
Then we get authorized to speak for you. That’s a form called a power of attorney, and once it’s in place, the IRS talks to us, not you.
For a lot of my clients, that’s the moment they can finally breathe again. No more calls, no more sitting on hold for two hours, and no more trying to figure out what the agent on the other end of the phone really means.
Then I pull your IRS records. The IRS keeps transcripts for every tax year, and they show me what the IRS knows about you, what it has assessed, what it has collected, and where it is in the collection process.
Very often, what’s on those transcripts is different from what the client thought. Sometimes it’s worse; often it’s better.
Then I build a strategy. That might mean stopping a levy right away, filing old returns, or fighting an assessment that’s wrong.
It might mean negotiating a payment plan, an offer to settle for less, or hardship status that stops collection. The strategy depends on your situation, not on what’s easiest for me to sell you.
What I Won’t Do
I won’t promise you pennies on the dollar just to get you to hire me. You’ve probably heard those radio ads.
Some people do qualify to settle for less, and when you do, I’ll fight hard to get it. But a lot of people don’t.
Anyone who promises you a settlement before they’ve even looked at your finances is telling you what you want to hear, not what’s true. I’ll tell you the truth even when it isn’t what you want to hear; that’s what you’re paying me for.
I also won’t let your case disappear into a call center. When you hire my office, you’re hiring me: a small practice, direct communication, and a lawyer who actually knows your file.
Why I Still Do This
After 32 years, I still love the moment when someone who walked in scared to death realizes it’s going to be okay. The garnishment stops, the levy gets released, the offer gets accepted, or the years of unfiled returns are finally behind them.
People sleep again. That never gets old.
So here’s my advice whether you hire me or not. Don’t ignore it, because the longer you wait, the more they take.
Open the letters, find out where you stand, and get someone in your corner who knows how this system really works. If you want that someone to be me, let’s talk.
Call my office at (813) 229-7100 or visit getirshelp.com for a confidential consultation. We help people in all 50 states.
This article is general information, not legal advice for your situation.