Tax(person) at the Door: Bankruptcy, Exemption Planning, Collection Powers, Lien

Steven L. Walker is a tax attorney in San Jose, California.  He advises clients on tax controversies and litigation with the Internal Revenue Service, Franchise Tax Board, and state and local taxing agencies.  Steven represents clients in civil and criminal tax matters, including individual international tax, voluntary disclosures, offshore matters, audits, appeals, litigation, and collection.  He also assists clients with state tax matters, representing them before the California Franchise Tax Board, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, and the Employment Development Department, and the Office of Tax Appeals.

Steven also handles trusts and estate matters for clients in Silicon Valley, including estate planning, trust and probate administration, and probate and trust litigation. He is currently obtaining an Estate Planning Certificate from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington D.C.

Jolene is an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Tax Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, where she primarily handles bankruptcy tax litigation in the Central District of California. She also serves as the Office’s Criminal Bankruptcy Fraud Referral Coordinator. She is frequently sought-after as a bankruptcy tax expert to present at bar events and to train others, including law students, the IRS, and other federal agencies, as well as chapter 7 trustees, chapter 13 trustees, subchapter V trustees, other AUSAs and private practitioners, on important bankruptcy matters. In addition, she has taught multiple courses on bankruptcy-related matters at the National Advocacy Center. Within her office, she takes an active mentorship role and assists in training the externs in the Tax Division, taking a personal interest in their growth and career development.

Dennis Brager is a California State Bar Certified Tax Specialist and a former Senior Trial Attorney for the Internal Revenue Service’s Office of Chief Counsel. In addition to representing the IRS in the United States Tax Court, he advised the Service on complex civil and criminal tax issues.

He now has his own five-attorney firm in West Los Angeles, and has been featured every year from 2008-2021 as a Super Lawyer in the field of Tax by Los Angeles Magazine. Dennis Brager has filed cases in the United States Tax Court on behalf of over 320 taxpayers.

Mr. Brager has limited his practice to representing clients having criminal and civil tax disputes with the IRS, the Franchise Tax Board, the California Department of Tax and  Fee Administration (formerly the State Board of Equalization), and the Employment Development Department–both at trial and administrative levels.

Senior partner, Bovitz & Spitzer (bovitz-spitzer.com, 1991-present).

Board Certified, Business Bankruptcy Law, American Board of Certification (abcworld.org, 1993-present; past chair of American Board of Certification).

Certified Specialist, Bankruptcy Law, State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization (californiaspecialist.org, 1993-present; past chair of Board of Legal Specialization).

Rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell (martindale.com, AV rated 1993-present). Selected Southern California “Super Lawyer” in Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights (20 years).

Adjunct Professor of Law: Loyola Law School, Los Angeles (1982-1987); University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law (2022); California Western School of Law (2022-present).

Inductee, American College of Bankruptcy, Class XXXIV (scheduled March 2023) 

Lawyer Representative, U.S. District Court, Central District

of California, Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference (2018-2023).

Mediator (1995-present) and contributing editor, Bankruptcy Mediation News (U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California, 2019 present).

Executive editor, Personal and Small Business Bankruptcy Practice in California (CEB.com, 2003-2006). Past president, Los Angeles Bankruptcy Forum (labankruptcyforum.org, 2000-2001).

Education co-chair (2001) and conference co-chair (2004), California Bankruptcy Forum.

Information Technology Committee, United States Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California (2012-present).

Columnist and coordinating editor, American Bankruptcy Institute Journal (abi.org, 2014-2021). Webmaster, bankruptcydog.com (calendar site for bankruptcy professionals). 

Musician, more than 647 songs (bovitz.biz).