Laurie B. Kazenoff, Tax Attorney

In private practice Ms. Kazenoff has successfully represented clients against the IRS and New York State in the complete abatement of Responsible Person Liability Assessments under the withholding tax provisions, including abatements in separate cases involving officers in the offending corporations, in the amounts of $2,000,000 and $300,000.  She has favorably resolved cases in pending court cases, saving thousands in litigation costs for her clients.  She has successfully represented clients in the abatements of penalties in various situations involving hundreds of thousands of dollars, including late filing, late payment and negligence penalty cases due to reasonable cause. She has favorably settled collection cases with both the IRS and New York State involving high profile individuals and businesses, including a $17 million options case.   She has negotiated favorable settlements with both the IRS and Department of Labor involving pension plan qualification and compliance issues.  She successfully challenged a $1.3 million adjustment against a non-profit corporation.  She has successfully represented clients in the releases of levies and liens and negotiated installment payment agreements and offers in compromise.  She has also negotiated favorable settlements and achieved "no change" results in a number of IRS and NYS examinations.

     Laurie B. Kazenoff was a Senior Tax Attorney for the Internal Revenue Service's Office of Chief Counsel, Brooklyn District Counsel.  She litigated cases before the United States Tax Court and was counsel to the Brooklyn District's Employee Plans and Exempt Organizations Division. In this regard, she was assigned to high profile cases involving the qualification of pension plans and excise tax issues. She was a member of Chief Counsel's Tax Exempt Bonds initiative and was also a part of the Coordinated Examination Programs involving Colleges, Universities, and Hospitals involving major tax exempt institutions located in the North Atlantic Region.

    Laurie B. Kazenoff was also counsel to the Collection Division responsible for the review of Offers in Compromise, priorities in Bankruptcy, and issues involving IRS Liens and Levies.  Ms. Kazenoff was an Instructor for Chief Counsel's Employee Plans Litigation Attorney Training Program in Washington, D.C. and also lectured to other Brooklyn District Counsel attorneys on Employee Benefit topics, including Prohibited Transactions and Minimum Funding Deficiencies.

    Laurie B. Kazenoff was assigned to high profile cases while a Senior Attorney with the IRS, some of those were: John J. Waters. v. Comm. (litigated Tax Court case involving computer leasing and application of at-risk limitations); Drexel, Burnham, Lambert Co., Inc. et al., Debtor (handled pension issues involving reasonableness of actuarial assumptions in individual defined benefit plans in negotiation of United States' claims in bankruptcy); Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz v. Comm (litigated one of three test cases involving reasonableness of actuarial assumptions in individual defined benefit plans); Furniture Marketing Specialists Defined Benefit Pension Plan v. Comm. (Summary judgment in statute of limitations issue; negotiated sizeable settlement in IRS' favor): Cumberland Farms, Inc., Debtor (negotiated settlement of prohibited transaction and minimum funding deficiency excise tax claims re: pension plans); Morganbesser and International Union of Operating Engineers v. U.S. (key case involving exemption of pension plan as "labor organization" even though not qualified under ERISA), Doubleday & Company, Inc. v. U.S. (handled subsequent years issues including pension reversion issue and tax benefit rule involved in merger);  Estate of Eric Strober v. Comm. (computer leasing issue involved in estate case); Zuckerman v. Comm. (prevailed in proving embezzlement income involving second mortgage financing):  U.S. v. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (originated summons to MIT and referral for enforcement, IRS prevailed alleging waiver of attorney-client privilege in previously disclosed documents to Defense Contracting Audit Agency).