S. Mark Barnes

S. Mark Barnes has more than 35 years of tax controversy experience. He graduated for the University of Utah College on law in 1987, and spent 30 years as a trial attorney for the Internal Revenue Service. He left the Service in 2017, and has represented clients in private practice since that time. He currently practices for the firm Expert Tax Law. While representing the IRS he spent decades litigating before the the United States Tax Court and the United States Bankruptcy Court. During his 30 years with the government, he represented the service in both small and large cases. He served on several large litigation teams, including some of the largest litigation projects undertaken by the government. Mark also developed expertise in international tax and expertise in large valuation cases. He was known for his expertise in cases that required expert witnesses and dealt with sophisticated financial instruments and complex valuations. After leaving the government, his litigation experience covers both small and large tax cases, including international tax, financial products and valuation related issues. His tax practice includes both civil and criminal cases, at both the federal and state levels.

Mark strongly believe that in any significant tax controversy case, you need a tax litigator. In his thirty years with the IRS, agents and IRS attorneys were very aware of which tax representative could litigate, and which representatives would eventually be forced to cave. When push comes to shove, too many representative are simply forced to concede, because they do not have the credentials or the ability to litigate the case. If you want your case taken seriously, hire one of the few tax attorneys in Utah capable of trying a case. In most cases, the goal is not to litigate, but to reach a favorable settlement. However, you are much more likely to obtain a favorable settlement if the IRS or the State Tax Commission take your representative seriously.