IRS APPROVED PROVIDER OF CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR ENROLLED AGENTS & CPAs

Pleadings | Motions | Briefs | Depositions | Trial

Litigate Civil Tax Controversies in U.S. Tax Court

Remote and In-Person Pro Bono Practice & Apprenticeships in Trial Practice for Low-, Moderate- & High-Liability Tax Cases

Press Release

Pleadings | Motions | Briefs | Depositions | Trial

Litigate Civil Tax Controversies in U.S. Tax Court

Remote and In-Person Pro Bono Practice & Apprenticeships in Trial Practice for Low-, Moderate- & High-Liability Tax Cases

Press Release

Tax Law Institute launches Litigation Service in U.S. & U.K.

Low-Cost "Flat-Fee"

The Tax Law Institute has just recently lunched its long-awaited Litigation Services Group based in Washington D.C.. The Group will offer low-cost, flat-fee federal tax counseling and legal representation in and before the U.S. Tax Court and specialize in the settlement and litigation of low, moderate and high-liability tax cases. The Group also will address matters of Civil Tax Fraud Defense and Tax Resolution. It is staffed by several United States Tax Court Practitioners and Tax Attorneys, with a support team composed of a seasoned federal tax researcher, a forensic CPA, and a forensic accounting and auditing investigator and legal researcher. The Litigation Services Group also maintains offices in London UK, and over the coming months, it will make an outreach to serve U.S. expatriates and EU community moderate-to-high-worth and corporate investors with taxable assets situated in the U.S..

Visit our Litigation Services website today at https://tlilitigationservices.com/services

ORIENTATION TO THE TAX BAR EXAMINATION

Moderated by Pro Bono Tax Litigation Counsel Jeffrey Thompson E.A.

AUDIO-VIDEO

Saturday, January 10, 2026 - 2 instructional hours (Apprenticeship Orientation same day)

Review and discussion of selected questions from the 2021, 2023 and 2025 ExamSoft, remotely administered U.S. Tax Court bar examination.
Learn test-taking techniques so that you can get through the four sections of the November 2027 U.S. Tax Court bar examination.
Discuss time-management techniques that will assist you when you sit for the bar examination in November 2027.
Learn how to complete arithmetic calculations quickly and avoid getting stuck on any question.
Ask questions of the moderator's experience as to how he prepared for the Tax bar exam and what difficulties he encountered while test-taking.
Learn about the ExamSoft platform and the do's and don'ts of remote exam test-taking.
Take a practice exam and receive graded test results followed by an explanation of answers.

LISTEN TO PREVIOUS ORIENTATION CLASS: https://stme.in/o47PVEZxWc

No Fee

Irc | FEDERAL TAXATION

Moderated by Tax Litigation Counsel Jeffrey Thompson E.A.

AUDIO-VIDEO

Saturday, January 17, 2026 thru Saturday, March 7, 2026 - 24 instructional hours

Tax Litigation Counsel Jeffrey Thompson, will cover a wide range of possible issues including a review of the important Internal Revenue Code sections and related case law.
His position as a trial practitioner requires him to stay up-to-date with the latest tax laws and regulations. Participants can be assured that they will receive accurate information about what the Tax Court examiners deem to be important as well as on testing-taking techniques. He will keep applicants informed and provide them with the best information to prepare for success when answering IRC questions on the exam.
Intensive remote review of prior questions and answers that appear in the Federal Income Taxation section of the U.S. Tax Court bar exam - the most problematic section of the bar exam for EAs and CPAs. Covers individual income taxation, corporate, estate and gift taxation, tax procedures, legal analysis and the structure and history of the Internal Revenue Code and relevant court interpretations.

A digital copy of Title 26 of the U.S. Code can be downloaded and will serve as the primary source material for the course along with various handouts.

Fee: $2195

GUEST SPEAKER JACK TOWNSEND | AUDIO-VIDEO

TOWNSEND'S FEDERAL TAX PROCEDURE

Guest Speaker Distinguished Professor John A. Townsend

Moderated by Professor Emeritus Michael Stuart

AUDIO ONLY | MESSAGING

Saturday, May 9, 2026 thru Saturday, June 27, 2026 - 27 instructional hours

Course includes commentary by Distinguished Professor Jack Townsend, invited guest speaker. He will address questions and answers to procedural questions that appeared on the last four tax bar examinations. Professor Townsend is the author of his best known work, Federal Tax Procedure, used by the Tax Law Institute to prepare applicants for the U.S. Tax Court Bar Examination.

Also, hear Professor Michael Stuart present critical excerpts from the acclaimed Townsend writing and, if time allows, Professor Stuart will cite question-types and suggest procedural answers.

Fee: $2195

FEDERAL INCOME TAXATION | Audio-Video

Moderated by Tax Litigaton Counsel Jeffrey Thompson, E.A.

AUDIO-VIDEO

Saturday, January 17, 2025 thru Saturday, March 7, 2025 | Presented in conjuction with IRC Sections Course

Intensive remote discussion presented in conjunction with the course IRC Sections | Federal Taxation. Discussion of prior questions and answers that appear in the Federal Income Taxation section of the U.S. Tax Court bar exam - the most problematic section of the bar exam for EAs and CPAs.
Covers individual income taxation, corporate, estate and gift taxation, tax procedures, legal analysis and the structure and history of the Internal Revenue Code and relevant court interpretations.

Fee: Combined with IRC | Federal Taxation Course

Learn More

2027 Comprehensive pre-exam tax bar review

Prepare to be "Admitted to Practice, U.S. Tax Court" in 2028

AUDIO-VIDEO | MESSAGING

Saturday, September 18, 2027 thru Saturday, October 30, 2027 - All day - 42+ instructional hours

Moderated by the Teaching Faculty at the Tax Law Institute and Guest Speakers. Spend all day Saturday (and occasional Sunday mornings) for eight (8) weekends in discussion and review of the following tested topics:

IRC | Federal Taxation
Federal Tax Procedure
U.S. Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure
Case Law
FRE as Applied in Tax Court
Legal Ethics
Review of 2021, 2023 & 2025 Selected Exam Questions

Fee: $4995

2026-2027 TAX BAR PREP | PRO BONO PRACTICE | AUDIO-VIDEO

What is CIVIL Tax Bar Preparation?

Our weekend remote study programmed is designed for busy CPAs and EAs and is rated as the nation's top Tax Bar Prep Program. Prepare to pass the upcoming 2027 Tax Bar Examination, administered online by ExamSoft in November 2027. Meet virtually with the nation's top observers and practitioners of Federal Tax Litigation and U.S. Tax Court Trial Practice, who know the IRC, the Tax Court Rules and courtroom procedure. Access a digital study platform that utilizes A.I. (Self-Instructive Tax Law Library) that instructs and presents tested subjects that appeared on previous Tax Bar Exams.
The Tax Bar Prep may be taken separately or combined with the Apprenticeship.

When do the classes meet?

Meet on Saturday mornings and afternoons for 2-3-hour remote audio-video discussions.

What do we cover?

Delve into Federal Tax Procedure and the IRC. Review precedential Tax Court cases and read published opinions. Learn the Federal evidentiary rules that are applied in Tax Court as well as the substantive Tax Laws. Discover the ethical rules of professional conduct and how they apply to United States Tax Court Practitioners. Memorize the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure and review partnership, corporation, trust, estate and gift tax - all of which is reinforced when you engage in pro bono student practice at Honolulu U.S. Tax Court via remote and in-person proceedings (Honolulu U.S. Tax Court student practice component). Learn-by-doing!

Pro Bono Training & trial Practice | Paid Stipend

Tax Bar Prep applicants participate remotely and in-person in our cooperative legal education Pro Bono Program at the Free Tax Clinic we support. Bar applicants-U.S. Tax Court apprentices include newly-admitted United States Tax Court Practitioners aka Tax Litigation Counsel who have or have not been FBI-vetted and are awaiting U.S. Tax Court instructions or approval to practice under an assigned bar registration number. All serve or assist as U.S. Tax Court pro bono student representatives, and are authorized to work under the supervision of our Tax Litigation Counsels and attorneys to help low-income and non-income qualifying taxpayers, who have docketed cases posted to the U.S. Tax Court calendar.

During weekly case assessments, audio-video conferences are held, where pro bono reps help to prepare POAs (Form 2848) and assist taxpayers who need guidance to fill-out online Petitions. In specific instances, petitions are prepared by Tax Litigation Counsel. Pro bono reps conduct research and perform case analyses under the direction of the Clinical Educational Coordinator of the Tax Litigation Clinic. Where non-qualifying clients who surpass the low-income threshold offer to pay a low-cost fee for legal services, legal practitioners participating in the free tax clinic referral program, may offer a quote and/or perform certain services, or where members of the Tax Litigation Clinic perform services that assist in case preparation, a small stipend (1099) may be paid (aka "cooperative education") to allow student-practitioners to to cover their expenses and recoup some of the costs for the program.

Work with paralegals from the IRS Independent Office of Appeals and IRS Office of Chief Counsel. Listen-in to Tax Litigation Counsel and Appeals' attorney discussions where Tax Litigation Counsel attempts to negotiate settlements. Where settlement has not been achieved at the IRS Independent Office of Appeals, pro bono reps assist with setting up a Branerton Conference by working with paralegals and help to define terms and conditions of a stipulation, which prepares all parties for pre-trial hearings and trial.

Participate in pre-trial procedures and hearings. Learn from the perspective of both a legal and tax representative.

Unfortunately, those admitted as special students (short-term) may not participate in pro bono representation as a longer-term commitment is required for Tax Court procedures that may take up to one year to be heard and adjudicated.

*Who teaches the courses?

Work with United States Tax Court Practitioners, tax attorneys and seasoned law professors. These individuals provide free legal services to an approved U.S. Tax Court non-academic clinical, student trial practice and calendar call program, organized by the Free Tax Clinic we support. Their insight and opinions are invaluable.
Confer in real-time with top tax and legal scholars and TLI-trained United States Tax Court Practitioners and tax attorneys, all of whom have been engaged in pro bono practice in the Honolulu U.S. Tax Court.

How long are the classes?

Log-in for weekly 2-3-hour class discussions where legal abstractions and applications in Tax Court are broken-down and spoon-fed, then analyzed. Talk about the ExamSoft setup so you know what to expect. Speak to successful and unsuccessful 2021, 2023 and 2025 test-takers. Hear how they prepared, how they answered questions and what mistakes they made.

What does it cost and how do I learn more?

$9,570 USD + Financing costs @ 10%

(Visit The Apprenticeship webpage to learn about the Combined Program)

►Student/Teacher Ratio: 1 to 1.25. Please take note that our Rolling Admissions Policy limits enrollment per class to ensure that bar candidates get the attention they deserve.

►Awards 40 CE Credits

Book an interview here

Remote audio-video delivery from a Virtual Conference Center. Click/tap link below for Course Descriptions and Schedules

Learn More

2026-2027 JOHN F. DEAN APPRENTICESHIP | SCHOLARSHIPS

REMOTE & iN-PERSON client Representation in U.S. Tax Court | HAWAI'I

The John F. Dean Apprenticeship is the nation's leading program for Federal Tax Litigation and U.S. Tax Court Trial Practice. If you are a non-attorney considering specializing in U.S. Tax Court litigation, the John F. Dean Apprenticeship and the USTCP exam are the direct pathway to that specialized practice.

Traditional law school apprenticeships take a minimum of four (4) years to complete in any of the 4 states where an individual is allowed 'to read' the law, under the supervision of a seasoned licensed attorney or judge. Afterwards, an individual is allowed to sit for the respective state bar examination. Whereas individuals who pass the Tax Court bar exam and then hang out their shingle to begin practice as a legal representative and officer of the Court are in fact going into a courtroom with no formal legal training.

Learn how to petition, negotiate settlements with appeals' attorneys and district counsel, conduct a Branerton Conference, write stipulations, motions and briefs, perform informal and formal discovery, collect evidence, answer at Calendar Call, prepare for trial (or pre-trial settlement), and how to work cooperatively with government attorneys and argue your client's case successfully before a U.S. Tax Court judge.

Designed for the ambitious CPA and EA who aspire to establish a lucrative and winning Federal Tax Litigation Practice in and before the U.S. Tax Court. Get the training you need to fill the seat at the table traditionally held by a tax attorney.

With your skill sets as a seasoned CPA and/or IRS enrolled agent, you can prepare yourself and get paid as both auditor and litigator. Become the legally-knowledgeable tax professional in your profession! Learn-by-doing before you step into Tax Court to represent a paying client! Participate in our mock hearings and mock trials that re-enact precedential Tax Court cases. Engage clients soon after you enroll as you begin work as a pro bono student representative and practitioner.

Work under the oversight of a experienced USTCP and tax attorney in remote and in-person Docketed-Appeals and Tax Court proceedings, with low-income clients of the Free Tax Clinic we support. As a student-volunteer, you will be eligible to participate in the free tax clinic's 2026-2027 Pro Bono Program and gain invaluable insight into the courtroom theater of small and regular tax cases.

Get involved with the procedural complexities of Tax Court litigation and trial practice while you work as a Litigation Services intern. Experience having direct contact with Tax Court judges, IRS chief counsel's office, court and judicial clerks and IRS appeals attorneys. Learn how tax litigators and government attorneys actually negotiate and compromise with each other. Learn how Tax Court cases are document-driven and why what gets admitted into the record shapes the evidentiary balance. Be in the room when the settlements are made and stipulations are signed. Login to hearings and trials and sit in the virtual 'second chair' at remote proceedings of the Court.

And after 18-22 months, you'll recognize that you have become a seasoned litigator and are actually ready to open your own practice with the confidence of a law school graduate who has earned an advanced degree. Traditional law and accounting firms will make lucractive job offers you never could imagined and long-term clients will see you under a different light. Read The Best Kept Secret.

►Student/Teacher Ratio: 1 to 1.25. Please take note that our Rolling Admissions Policy limits enrollment to just 5 students per class to ensure that every bar candidates get the attention they deserve.

►Awards 40 CE Credit

Book an interview here

REPRESENTATION BEFORE THE UNITED STATES TAX COURT

In partnership with the Free Tax Clinic we support

Winter | Spring | Fall 2026-2027 U.S. Tax Court Trial Sessions

Session 1

Case Preparation & Management

Choice of Forum
Eligibility to Represent a Petitioner Before the Tax Court
Managing Client Expectations
Litigating in Tax Court
Tax Court Jurisdiction
Pleadings
Pre-Trial Motion

Session 2

Mock Trials: Litigation Strategies | Honolulu U.S. Court (in-person June 1-June 4 2026)

Discovery
Pre-Trial Negotiations
Trial Preparation and Presentation of Case

Session 3

Post-Trial Matters: Briefs, Opinions, Decisions, Motions & Trial Practice

Tax Court Appeals
Special Matters | Small Tax Cases, Collection Due Process, Short Discussion Topics and Spousal Defenses

Mock Student Trial Practice & U.S. Tax Court Clinics & Pro Bono Program

under oversight of participating counsels.

►Fee: $29,995 + $250 Registration Fee + $4,995 for online access to Tax Law Library + $1717 for required textbook etc. Visit The Apprenticeship webpage to learn more.

Remote audio-visual delivery from the Nantucket Apprenticeship Virtual Conference Center

Tax Law Institute
1717 N Street NW
Washington DC
+1-202-800-9230

Litigate Civil Tax Controversies in U.S. Tax Court

Litigate Civil Tax Controversies in U.S. Tax Court

"Unreservedly recommended ... truly a superior program ... and dedicated to the public interest"