TAXLITIGATOR – Tax Controversy (Civil & Criminal) Report

We’re pleased to announce that Robert S. Horwitz and Philipp Behrendt along with Steven Jager (Fineman West & Company) will be teaching a free live online course on Employee Retention Credit – Enforcement Penalties and Examination Strategies offered by the UCLA Extension Tax Controversy Institute on September 30, 2025 from 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. (PST).

This timely course explores the latest enforcement measures surrounding the Employee Retention Credit (ERTC) under the newly enacted One Big Beautiful Bill. Designed for tax professionals and advisors, the session will provide practical guidance on handling IRS examinations, understanding promoter penalties, and managing refund claims in light of new statutory limitations. Participants will gain insights into how recent legislative changes impact ERTC eligibility, documentation, and risk exposure.

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Robert S. Horwitz is a Principal of Hochman Salkin Toscher Perez P.C. and has over 40 years of experience as a tax attorney specializing in the representation of clients in civil and criminal tax cases, including civil audits and appeals, tax collection matters, criminal investigations, administrative hearings and in civil and criminal trials and appeals in federal and state courts. He has served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Taxation Section of the State Bar of California and was Chair of the Taxation Section for 2015-2016 year. He was previously Chair of the Tax Procedure and Litigation Committee of the State Bar Taxation Section.

Prior to joining Hochman Salkin Toscher Perez P.C., Mr. Horwitz was with a boutique tax controversy firm in Orange County, where he represented clients in civil and criminal tax cases in the U.S. Courts of Appeal, U.S. district courts, California superior courts, and before the Internal Revenue Service, the California Franchise Tax Board, the Board of Equalization, the Employment Development Department and the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.

Mr. Horwitz was previously a trial attorney, US Department of Justice Tax Division and an Assistant United States Attorney, Tax Division, Los Angeles. He was the 2022 recipient of the Joanne M. Garvey Award for lifetime achievement in and outstanding contributions to the field of tax law and the 2021 recipient of the Orange County Bar Association, Tax Chair Recognition award.

For more information, please contact Robert S. Horwitz at horwitz@taxlitigator.com

Philipp Behrendt is an Associate of Hochman Salkin Toscher Perez P.C., licensed in California as well as in Germany and assists in advising clients in civil and criminal tax controversies as well as international money laundering investigations stemming from tax avoidance structures. He also focuses on the technical aspects involved in advising voluntary disclosures in connection with DeFis, NFTs, and other crypto assets. Philipp is a Liaison to the Young Lawyer Committee for the ABA Tax Section’s Civil and Criminal Tax Penalties Committee and served on the Beverly Hills Bar Association’s Barristers Board of Governors from 2022 to 2023. Philipp is the Chair of the Beverly Hills Bar Association’s Tax Section.

For more information, please contact Philipp Behrendt at behrendt@taxlitigator.com