CPA Lawyer Amelia Island, FL
If you are facing a tax audit, federal investigation, or other complex financial dispute in Amelia Island, consider retaining counsel who is also a certified public accountant. That combination allows your representative to review financial records, interpret returns, and build legal strategy without the delays that come from coordinating between separate professionals.
At Crepeau Mourges, our founding partners are dual-credentialed in tax law and accounting. An Amelia Island, FL CPA lawyer with genuine training in both disciplines can assess exposure faster, negotiate in the technical terms revenue agents use, and preserve attorney-client privilege over analysis that a non-lawyer accountant cannot protect. Schedule a free consultation today to discuss your matter.
Why Choose Crepeau Mourges as Your CPA Lawyer in Amelia Island, FL?
Dual Credentials in Law and Accounting
Our founding partners built their careers at the intersection of tax law and accounting practice.
Brian J. Crepeau earned a B.S. in Management Science-Accounting from Bridgewater State University in 1997 and a J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law in 2003.
Brandon N. Mourges holds an LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Baltimore School of Law and a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Brandon is a member of the American Association of Attorney-CPAs, the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants, and the Federal Bar Association.
Clients engaging a tax lawyer in Amelia Island, FL at Crepeau Mourges benefit from that combined training on every matter.
Forty Years of Tax Law Experience
Our team brings more than four decades of combined experience in federal and state tax cases. Brian handles tax disputes for individual and corporate taxpayers and for brokers, financial planners, and investment advisers. Brandon represents individuals and businesses in complex financial matters, including cases at the border of tax and white-collar criminal law. Our clients include domestic taxpayers, foreign clients with U.S. reporting obligations, estates, and closely held companies.
Recognition and Pro Bono Work
Brandon has been named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers, listed on Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under Hot List,” and selected as JD Supra’s Readers’ Choice Top Author in tax for 2020. He received the J. Ronald Shiff Memorial Pro Bono Award from the Maryland State Bar Association in 2015 for volunteer work with the Fort Meade Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.
What Our Clients Say
Clients consistently describe our approach as direct, responsive, and free of overpromising, as reflected in reviews like the one below.
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“Brian is a consummate professional who stays on top of tax law and treats clients with dignity. His billing is fair and his firm turns around work very quickly. He does not over promise but approaches tax issues with calm yet serious advocacy.” – Keith Seay
Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.
Types of Cases Our Amelia Island CPA Lawyers Handle
Our attorney-CPAs represent Amelia Island clients in the following federal and state tax matters:
- IRS audits and examinations. IRS tax cases include field audits, office audits, and correspondence audits for individuals and businesses, from initial notice through Appeals. We have written a general overview of the IRS audit process for clients who want background before an initial consultation.
- Florida Department of Revenue audits. Sales and use tax, corporate income tax, and reemployment tax examinations, including informal protests and formal administrative appeals.
- Criminal tax investigations. Method-of-proof cases, structuring allegations, false return charges, and grand jury investigations.
- Offshore account compliance. FBAR filings, FATCA reporting, streamlined disclosure procedures, and the IRS Voluntary Disclosure Program for clients with unreported offshore assets.
- Tax collection matters. Offers in compromise, installment agreements, currently-not-collectible status, and penalty abatement with the IRS and state revenue agencies.
- Unfiled tax returns. Catch-up strategies for clients with multiple years of unfiled tax returns, structured to minimize civil and criminal exposure.
- Trust fund recovery penalty and employment tax. Representation of owners and responsible persons assessed under IRC § 6672.
- FINRA and securities tax matters. Tax and accounting issues arising in disputes involving brokers, financial planners, and investment advisers.
Florida Legal Requirements for CPA Legal Representation
Tax representation in Florida draws on two bodies of law simultaneously. Federal practice is governed by the Internal Revenue Code, the Treasury Regulations, and IRS Circular 230, which sets the rules of practice for attorneys, CPAs, and enrolled agents representing taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service.
Florida does not impose a personal income tax, which is one reason many individuals and family offices locate in Amelia Island and other Florida communities. The state does tax corporate income under Chapter 220 of the Florida Statutes and sales and use transactions under Chapter 212, both administered by the Florida Department of Revenue. Each department generates audits, assessments, and appeals on a rolling basis.
Two points matter when choosing a representative. Attorney-client privilege protects communications with a lawyer in ways the narrower Section 7525 practitioner privilege does not, particularly in criminal proceedings where Section 7525 does not apply at all. And under Circular 230, only attorneys, CPAs, and enrolled agents may represent clients before the IRS, while only attorneys can appear in U.S. Tax Court or federal district court without further qualification.
Key Components of CPA Legal Representation in Amelia Island
Attorney-Client Privilege
Communications with a lawyer carry stronger privilege protection than communications with a non-attorney CPA. Representation by a dual-credentialed attorney-CPA allows accounting-level analysis to occur under attorney-client privilege rather than the narrower Section 7525 practitioner privilege, which does not extend to criminal matters or to state tax proceedings in most jurisdictions.
Records Review and Return Analysis
Tax cases depend on records. Returns, schedules, third-party information returns, bank records, and underlying books all require close review before a legal strategy can take shape. Accounting training speeds that review and reduces the likelihood that a material issue is missed in the initial assessment.
Penalty Exposure
Civil tax penalties range from accuracy-related additions at 20 percent under IRC § 6662 to civil fraud penalties at 75 percent of the underpayment under IRC § 6663. Abatement arguments depend on the specific facts of each case, with reasonable cause and first-time abatement standards applied under defined IRS procedures.
Criminal Exposure Assessment
Not every civil tax matter carries criminal risk, but some do. Early recognition of that distinction, and careful structuring of communications from the outset, is one of the most consequential decisions in any tax representation. Issues such as willfulness, material misstatement, and affirmative acts of concealment drive the analysis.
Collection Alternatives
When liability is established, resolution options include offers in compromise, partial-pay installment agreements, currently-not-collectible status, and in certain cases, discharge in bankruptcy. Each option carries eligibility requirements and strategic trade-offs that should be evaluated against the client’s full financial picture.
Cross-Border Reporting
Clients with foreign accounts or foreign business interests face reporting obligations under FBAR and FATCA, and the penalties for non-compliance are significant. Dual-credentialed counsel can quantify the exposure and identify the appropriate disclosure path.
Contact Crepeau Mourges
If you are facing an IRS audit, an IRS or state tax notice, or a matter that calls for both legal and accounting expertise, we would be glad to hear from you. Consultations are free, and we respond to new inquiries promptly. During the first conversation, we will review the documents you have on hand, discuss your options candidly, and provide an honest assessment of where the case stands.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation, get clear answers about your situation, and take the first step toward resolving your tax matter with experienced attorney-CPA representation.
