Sean M. Golding

My mother is an immigrant Asian who was a recent widow and unaware of U.S. filing and reporting requirements. When I was made aware of her situation, I freaked out. Apparently, I had foreign assets for several years and none of it had been reported! I scoured the Web for information. There is a lot o...f misinformation and fear mongering online. While this really stressed me out, it caused my mother severe anxiety. The misinformation and horror stories paralyzed her and it required several rounds of firm conversation with a firm hand to encourage her to move forward with the process. I first went to a "Boutique" Beverly Hills Firm--all the attorneys there had worked for the IRS for several years and had direct experience. I paid for two hours worth of initial consult, and the lawyer basically outlined the options. However, despite the attorney's direct experience with working for the IRS previously, there were nonetheless pauses in the conversation which made me wonder just how many of these cases he had undertaken previously. For example, at the start of the conversation, he was confident our situation was definitively not OVDP but the more he spoke the more he began recommending it despite no change in our fact pattern. And some questions he could not immediately answer without requiring some introductory fluff while he worded out his answer. And lastly, I asked him whether X would be considered a Foreign Financial Asset or not, and he was unable to give me a definitive answer and stated he would have to do research. Unconvinced, I kept searching--I wish I knew about this website earlier, in fact. I found Sean's blog posts online and then I read the reviews he posted. I scheduled a call with him right away. After I spoke with Sean, I knew he was my guy. He answered all of my questions immediately and without hesitation--he had heard them all before and it was exceedingly clear to me he had done hundreds of these cases before. Once I signed the retainer and was officially underway, the streamlined efficiency of the paperwork and process gave me further confidence. Golding and Golding is definitely a churner and this is the highest compliment I can give. Why? Because you want a law firm that churns out a bunch of these cases with a high success rate. Although Sean has the knowledge and breadth to be a full service tax and estate planning firm, I am pretty sure he only focuses on these Voluntary Disclosure type cases. There is only so much time in a day. If I had signed with that "Beverly Hills Boutique" law firm, I have no doubt that attorney would still be in the beginning stages, and another tax year would have passed by. Sean combines the best of both worlds: the streamlined efficiency of an extremely specialized high volume automated firm but with the near concierge-level curated service, and personal touch of a Boutique law firm. Of the several attorneys I have unfortunately had to retain just this past year, Sean is the ONLY attorney whom I did not have the babysit. I never have to follow up with Sean. I never have to ask what the next steps are. And because Sean allowed a flat rate, I did not have the additional stress of worrying my next three worded email would cost me 0.1 of an hour. Sean responds very quickly, if not immediately. He communicates often, but with brevity. His answers are concise and extremely informative. For example, I can ask Sean a question, while reasonable and quick, is outside the scope of our Retainer Agreement, and Sean will politely answer a full fledged concise response. At most, I just saved a full billable hour. At worst, I just got an invaluable headstart to track down my answer. Lastly, Sean cares for his clients. I can not stress how rare it is to find an attorney who genuinely cares. I have been gushing about Sean for a while now. I always liked Sean, but after having to deal with many other attorneys since Sean, I have come to value and appreciate him that much more.

3 years of amended tax returns and 6 years of delinquent FBARs, plus a thoroughly researched reasonable cause statement citing the tax laws of both countries and the treaties between them. All from a jumble of papers faxed from my files. Sean had the issue resolved in less time than it took me to ...find out what the problem was in the first place, managing to head off both penalties and the painful, costly streamlined disclosure process I had been expecting. After calling a dozen different law firms and receiving quotes for ridiculous sums, I was considering applying for streamlined disclosure on my own and simply eating the massive penalties. Thanks to Sean, I didn't have to.

Sean was extremely helpful, patient, and responded within a few hours of my initial consultation request. After a quick chat, Sean helped me understand that my instance did not require an international tax attorney. I was highly impressed with the time that he still took to discuss my situation, even... after we after we both came to this realization. If I ever find myself in need of his services, I would absolutely hire him.

Sean @ Golding and Golding was very patient, articulate and professional in handling my case. He was available by both phone and e-mail and provided answers to all my questions to my satisfaction. Once I hired him and provided the required documents, he was very quick in preparing and submitting the ...amended returns. I highly recommend him.