Patel Law Offices
Board-certified tax attorney; IRS controversies, offshore accounts, voluntary disclosures
Free ConsultationHourly $300–$600📍 Jersey City
Got a letter from the IRS in Jersey City and not sure what to do? A tax attorney stands between you and the IRS or the New Jersey Division of Taxation, and unlike a preparer, what you tell them is protected by attorney-client privilege. Tax lawyers handle audits, back taxes, liens and levies, payment plans, offers in compromise, and the criminal cases that grow out of unfiled returns or unreported income. When a dispute cannot be settled with the IRS directly, it heads to the U.S. Tax Court, where a lawyer can challenge the bill before you have to pay it. Jersey City and Hudson County residents also deal with New Jersey's own income and business taxes, which have their own appeal process. Tax attorneys here generally charge $300–$600 an hour, and full representation on an audit or a settlement like an offer in compromise often runs $3,500–$10,000 or more depending on how much you owe and how complex the case is. The firms below handle IRS audits, tax debt resolution, liens and levies, and criminal tax matters for Jersey City clients.
Updated June 18, 2026
Board-certified tax attorney; IRS controversies, offshore accounts, voluntary disclosures
IRS civil audits, criminal tax investigations, employment tax, and fraud defense
CPAs, tax attorneys, and enrolled agents; tax debt resolution and IRS negotiation
IRS challenges, audits, back taxes, and tax strategy for individuals and businesses
Tax controversy only; IRS and New Jersey Division of Taxation disputes
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There is a real difference between a tax preparer and a tax attorney, and it matters most when something has already gone wrong. A preparer files returns. A tax attorney represents you in a dispute, and your conversations with them are protected by attorney-client privilege, which a preparer cannot offer. If you are facing an audit, a large back-tax balance, a lien on your property, a levy on your wages or bank account, or any hint of a criminal investigation for unfiled returns or unreported income, that privilege is exactly what you want.
Most IRS problems have more than one exit. An installment agreement spreads the balance over time. An offer in compromise can settle the debt for less than the full amount if you genuinely cannot pay it all, though the IRS approves these selectively and the paperwork is demanding. Currently-not-collectible status pauses collection when paying would leave you unable to cover basic living costs. Penalty abatement can remove penalties for reasonable cause. When the IRS will not budge, you can challenge the bill in the U.S. Tax Court before paying it, which is one of the few places a lawyer can fight the number itself. Jersey City residents also face the New Jersey Division of Taxation, with its own audit and appeal track through the Tax Court of New Jersey.
On cost, plan for $300–$600 an hour, with full representation on an audit or a settlement typically running $3,500–$10,000 or more, scaled to what you owe. That sounds steep until you compare it to the balance at stake: a good tax attorney often saves far more than the fee by reducing the liability, stopping a levy, or keeping a civil problem from becoming a criminal one. Move quickly, because IRS deadlines are short and missing one can cost you the right to challenge the bill.