Sean M. Golding

Both my wife's and my widowed 80+ years old foreign national mothers had added our names to their accounts in case they become disabled mentally and/or physically so that we could withdraw from their accounts and help them with all their needs . The money in those accounts were our parent's life sa...vings, not ours and we would never touch that money as long as our mothers are alive. But then we read a very scary news article on the internet about penalties on the undisclosed overseas accounts. We were very worried and did not know what to do until we browsed the internet and came across with Sean Golding's very knowledgeable postings about the overseas accounts including a posting exactly described our situation. We were willing to pay the penalty for the streamlined process and very concerned about severe penalties for OVDP, however Sean explained to us that a reasonable cause exists since this is not our money and we had no other choice but have our names in the accounts to help our old mothers. Sean knew everything about the international tax law and provided us excellent help and guidance when we were obtaining all the information that was needed, He was very precise and clear when responding to our questions. He would respond to our email messages and return our phone calls literally in minutes, and for most of our phone calls, his office would connect us to him right away. The paperwork that he prepared for our case was very organized, neat and very easy to review. Any one looking for a competent attorney for international tax issues, without any doubt Sean is the one!

After over 20 years of marriage my foreign spouse told me she has seven bank accounts overseas in her home country. I checked online about this predicament and can tell you that I was scared witless after reading about the Streamlined Procedure and the Voluntary Disclosure Program -- and what the Tr...easury and IRS can do! I met with a local lawyer and was not impressed with his understanding of these programs; an international CPA whom my wife trusts recommended we find a lawyer who specializes in tax law, so I searched the internet and found Golding & Golding, a law firm specializing in international tax. After my first consultation with Sean I was fairly certain I wanted to hire him; right away he knew what I was talking about, knew the forms I mentioned, and knew how much 5% was going to cost me if I opted for the Streamlined Procedure. After listening to my story he said I had two possibilities: Streamlined Procedure or a Reasonable Cause Letter. Before contacting Sean I had ruled out the Reasonable Cause because who would believe my story? Well, Sean believed me and told me we *might* qualify for Reasonable Cause. My wife and I considered what Sean said and thought over his proposal, then finally decided to hire him on 23 March -- a few short weeks before income taxes were due). We had a teleconference during which he explained to us what is involved in the Streamlined Procedure and the Reasonable Cause path; and, the benefits and detriments of each course of action. After hearing our story again, Sean felt that the Reasonable Cause path was possible, but he insisted the decision was *ours* to make. My wife and I conferred off-line a bit, then we selected the Reasonable Cause Procedure. Sean's paralegal sent us a questionnaire so they could better understand our predicament. After agreeing to terms and paying the fee we were sent an in-depth questionnaire regarding the number of accounts, total funds, and bank addresses. Sean quickly was able to collate all our data onto the six FBARs and three 1040Xs and sent drafts for our review and correction. Additionally -- Sean gave me a bonus by agreeing to peruse my current 1040 to ensure I had not made any errors about claiming foreign accounts. I sent my final packet with wet signatures to Golding & Golding on 14 April; on 16 April (Sunday) Sean informed me that he has already submitted our Reasonable Cause Letter. To say that I was surprised at Sean's professionalism and promptness is an understatement. I am impressed. I can't tell you how relieved my wife and I are now that you he is representing us; it's as if a huge load has fallen from our shoulders. We are really pleased with the swift attention Golding & Golding dedicated to our problem, and how Sean has allayed our fears. We won't be looking over shoulders for the IRS like others might. We are comforted by Golding & Golding's dedication to stand by us and represent us if contacted by the IRS. Many thanks for the peace of mind you've given us. We both affirm that this was money well-spent.

I had done a lot of research contacting several attorneys before speaking with mr. Golding, right away he came back to me not only faster than anyone else, but going through my options and taking the time to really answer any questions I had in a free initial consultation. He has constantly been fast... at replying and clearing out any concerns I, as a foreigner with little US tax experience, had. I can easily say Sean has relieved me of a lot of stress and handled my case fast, accurately and very professionally.

The EDD was breathing down my neck. I was being audited and accused of miscategorizing 100s of workers as independent contractors. And because of that I was facing potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars of unpaid payroll taxes, penalties and late fees if things didn't go in my favor. In no unce...rtain terms, this was the fight of my business' life. So I knew I needed a champion tax attorney. All total I interviewed seven law firms and chose Golding & Golding out of all of them. Sean Golding himself represented me. He was exceptionally bright and professional with the added bonus of being personable and warm. It was a year-long battle, but under Sean's advocacy, we won at the first level appeal and the second level appeal. The audit concluded with not only my owing no money but also with a ruling that every one of my 100+ workers were PROPERLY categorized as independent contractors not employees. I'm happy to give this little testimonial about Golding & Golding because a) they deserve it and b) I shudder to think what might have happened if I'd gone elsewhere or worse, tried to go it alone. If you're in need of tax or legal advice, I would highly recommend this firm.