x Michael Ablan Five Star Reviews

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    Top Tax Attorney

  • Attorney Michael Ablan
  • Nation's Top One Percent 2015 Badge

    Distinguished Counsel

Mr. Ablan earnestly gives and receives respect from his clients and in the community. He practices in Wisconsin, Minnesota, the United States Tax Court and United States Court of Appeals, and both United States District Courts in Wisconsin.

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Experienced Lawyer Zealously Represents Your Interests

How Can We Help You?

At Ablan Law, our long-term focus has been on protecting the rights and interests of our clients throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota. Attorney Michael Ablan has zealously represented clients in a variety of practice areas since 1974. He leverages his decades of experience and intricate knowledge of the law to provide exemplary legal services to individuals and businesses.

As a lifelong native of La Crosse, Wisconsin, Attorney Michael Ablan established his firm in La Crosse in 1974, followed by additional offices in Hayward, Wisconsin, and La Crescent, Minnesota. He is an active member of the community, serving as President of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Coulee Region and on the board for 20 years and as the former President of the La Crosse County Bar Association.

Mr. Ablan structures his law practice around the areas of law that will most likely affect the lives of other community members. He assists businesses with establishing the best legal entity to protect them from personal liability and afford the most favorable tax treatment. He helps protect families and your legacy through comprehensive trust and estate planning services. He assists clients with tax issues and real estate issues, including representation in eminent domain cases. He also assists accident victims to recover compensation after being harmed by another party’s negligence. Learn more about his legal services below.

Whether he is drafting a document or representing you in court, you can expect an unparalleled commitment to client dedication and satisfaction. Attorney Michael Ablan’s commitment to his clients has garnered him respect from the legal community and multiple awards and recognitions. When you choose Ablan Law for legal representation, you have the peace of mind of knowing that you are incapable of hands.

Tax Law

Tax Controversies

Although you may believe, as many people do, that the Internal Revenue Service is an agency out of control, the IRS and the state taxing authorities are in fact well structured and well defined organizations. Because of this, an experienced tax attorney, such as attorney Michael Ablan, is able to utilize the system to the advantage of his client. In other words, in order to be effective, knowledge of how the system works is critical, as is knowing the requirements.

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Personal Injury

Personal Injury

A personal injury occurs when a person has suffered some form of injury, either physical or psychological, as the result of an accident. The most common type of personal injury claims are road traffic accidents, injuries sustained by animals, accidents at work, tripping accidents, assault claims, accidents in the home and defective product accidents. Since 1974 the Michael Ablan Law Firm has been successfully representing injured people.

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Attorney Ablan

Eminent Domain

Government expansion in reaction to public demand has caused an increase in the need for government to acquire real estate for housing and other areas of public concern. Unfortunately, in order to accomplish these ends the government acquires real estate owned by individuals or businesses. It does so by exercising its right under what is called the power of eminent domain.

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General Business Partners

General Business

Businesses operate through their agents, their boards of directors (Corp.), their employees, their members (LLC), their partners, and their officers. The business is responsible in almost every instance for the conduct of these human beings. Business litigation can involve injuries to customers, including products liability, intentional misrepresentation (fraud) or negligent misrepresentation, false advertising, breach of fiduciary duty, invasion of privacy, and, more generally, negligence to its customers.

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Real estate

Real Estate

The attorney’s tasks in a real estate transaction depend heavily on whether it is a commercial transaction or a residential transaction. Furthermore, the clients understanding of real estate law and procedure will play an important role in deciding how much time the attorney will dedicate to the project.

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Trust and Estate Planning

Trust And Estate Planning

The law of trusts and estates is the body of law which governs the management of personal affairs and the disposition of property of an individual in anticipation of the event of such person’s incapacity or death. An experienced attorney such as the Michael Ablan Law Firm has many tools at its disposal in order to protect your wishes.

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Testimonial

Every Person Who Walks Through Our Door Is Important To Us.

Frequently Asked Questions

He brings the same high level of competency to guest speaking and participating in community activities.

1. When do I need a tax lawyer?

You should consult with a tax lawyer any time that you have questions regarding tax issues or if a major tax problem comes up. A tax lawyer can help you guide you throughcomplex procedures and transactions that may involve a large tax amount, such as buying or selling a business or negotiating to pay off a large tax debt. You should contact a tax lawyer immediately if you:
• Are accused of tax evasion or tax fraud
• Received notice of a tax audit by the IRS or another tax authority
• You’re facing a collection of over $10,000
• Any time you are contacted by the IRS you can contact attorney Michael Ablan to establish a flat fee one hour consult to determine if you need an attorney.
• If you haven’t filed in several years and wish to do so in a safe environment

2. The IRS agent seemed nice. Why should I just deal with her instead of paying for a tax lawyer?

Internal Revenue Service agents are expected to carry out their duties politely and respectfully. However, do not mistake this professionalism for friendship. The agent’s interests are inherently contradictory to your own. The agent wants to collect as much taxes, penalties, and interests as possible, while you want to minimize these amounts. A tax lawyer will represent your interests and establish a cordial buffer between you and the IRS agent.

3. Will the IRS agent be angry if I hire a tax lawyer?

While you may be concerned that hiring a tax lawyer will make you look suspicious, almost without exception IRS agents welcome the involvement of a knowledgeable tax lawyer because they do not have to spend as much time explaining the basics and they are trained to organize your file and responses. Many agents expect a tax lawyer’s involvement if the case is complicated or involves a lot of money. Tax law requires an agent to stop an interview if you say you want to consult with a tax lawyer.

4. Why should I hire a tax lawyer?

Tax lawyers have specified knowledge about the Internal Revenue Code. Tax procedures are often very complicated and warrant the assistance of a knowledgeable and experienced tax attorney who can help you understand your rights and fight for a fair outcome. A skilled tax lawyer like Michael Ablan who has practiced since 1974 can be of vital assistance to you before or after you receive an adverse determination during an audit. By involving a tax lawyer early in the process, you typically mitigate your exposure because you speak with one voice before the IRS. Contradictions raise suspicion. Having one knowledgeable voice usually helps to prevent a much larger tax controversy from developing. In other words, talking directly to the agent without knowing exactly the most accurate answer can be risky because it doesn’t allow time for you to look up documents and be properly prepared.

5. What is field audit?

A field audit is a tax audit that the Internal Revenue Service conducts at a taxpayer’s home, office, or place of business. The purpose of the audit is to look through your financial records to check for any errors and to confirm that you have filed your tax return correctly. The agent assigned to your audit will complete a thorough accounting after examination of your documents. He or she will also conduct an in-person interview. An office audit is not conducted in person.

6. What things can spur an audit?

While the IRS may conduct an audit from a sample of taxpayers at random, some audits are spurred when there is a red flag associated with your filing. Common things that may spur an audit include:
• Data entry errors, such as not typing or writing in your Social Security Number correctly or making a math error
• Unreported income that does not match with other tax records that have been prepared by your employer, clients or others
• Claiming too many deductions that you are not eligible for
• Using the wrong filing status
• Claiming non-existent dependents
• Having self-employment income, especially when you do not report a profit for at least three out of the last five years
• 1099 income doesn’t match what’s on your tax return.
• Lack of proper documentation if your business could also be treated as a hobby.

7. Who should be present at an audit?

At the outset only the lawyer should be present to sort out the issues that the agent wants to discuss, to find proper documentation and to prepare your for your answers. and then at some point you should be present at an audit, along with anyone who helped prepare your tax filings. You should also have a tax lawyer on your side who can help answer questions for you.

8. When should an audit take place?

Absent a pandemic or other reasons for IRS furlough, Mail-in audits are usually commenced within seven months of the filing of the tax document. They often take 3-6 months to complete. Field audits are usually commenced within a year after you file a return and are usually completed within 3-6 months. Typically, the IRS only has three years from the date you filed the return or that it was due (whichever is later) to complete the audit.

9. When should I appeal the determination made during an audit?

If you disagree with the information described in your Notice of Determination, assessment or other conclusion by the IRS believe that your tax debt was not calculated correctly, or you believe that the finding was unfair or illegal, you may wish to appeal the decision. This appeal must be filed within 30 days.

10. What is the United States Tax Court?

“You have the right to petition, within 90 days, the United States Tax Court if you receive a formal “Notice of Deficiency”. This notice is jurisdictional, in other words you cannot petition the Tax Court without it. The United States Tax Court is an independent court that was created by Congress to allow taxpayers to dispute adverse IRS determinations. It is not part of the Internal Revenue Service and the Tax Court is independent of it. There are courts of this nature in 60 U.S. cities. Michael Ablan has been admitted to practice law before all of the United States Tax Court’s since 1980.

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