FOR TAX ATTORNEYS
Structured client intake — ready before the brief reaches you
When a client arrives with an IRS notice, the first-hour intake is already done: notice type identified, deadline computed, documents requested, escalation flag evaluated, and a structured handoff packet produced. You start from organized facts.
Workflow support only. Not legal or tax advice. No response drafting.
The brief that arrives ready to use
Clients forward IRS notices. The question is what happens in the first hour: who captures the deadline, requests the documents, and produces a structured file before the attorney starts the substantive work? Right now, that usually means a forwarded email, a phone call, and an ad-hoc intake process that depends on who fielded it.
TaxRiskOS replaces that first hour with a repeatable intake workflow — structured, timestamped, and formatted to be handed directly to the attorney. The attorney starts from a complete file, not from a forwarded attachment.
What the intake packet contains
Notice identification
Notice type, code, and a plain-language summary of what the IRS is asserting or requesting — not legal advice, but a structured starting point for the attorney's analysis.
Computed deadline
Response window computed from the notice date using rule-based logic specific to the notice type. The attorney confirms this against the printed notice before any strategy begins.
Document checklist
Notice-type-specific list of the documents typically needed before substantive work begins — filed return, transcripts, third- party information, prior correspondence.
Escalation flag
A routing flag indicating the appropriate level of review. Criminal-investigation contacts surface a hard stop and a counsel-immediately instruction. High-stakes collection and deficiency notices flag for partner or senior review.
Intake notes
Structured notes field for the intake practitioner. Captures anything the client said that doesn't fit a structured field.
Timestamped audit trail
Every step of the intake is recorded with a timestamp. Who ran it, what was captured, what was flagged, and when. A clear record for the file — before the representation engagement even opens.
Criminal-investigation contact — a hard stop
When a matter involves IRS Criminal Investigation special-agent contact, TaxRiskOS does not proceed with intake. Instead, a hard stop panel appears with a single instruction: engage tax-controversy counsel before speaking with anyone or producing any documents. No workflow output is generated for that matter beyond the stop notice itself.
This is one of the few things TaxRiskOS is opinionated about: criminal-investigation contact is not a routine notice workflow. It stops at the intake gate.
What TaxRiskOS never does
- Provides legal advice, tax advice, or an opinion on the merits
- Drafts IRS responses, correspondence, or documents
- Communicates with the IRS on anyone's behalf
- Makes representation decisions — those stay with the attorney
- Draws legal conclusions from escalation flags — flags are routing labels, not determinations
Frequently asked questions
Does TaxRiskOS provide legal conclusions or tax advice?
Never. TaxRiskOS produces workflow outputs — deadline windows, document checklists, escalation routing flags. It does not determine liability, advise on strategy, or draw legal conclusions. That is what the attorney does. The boundary is explicit throughout.
What is the escalation flag for criminal-investigation contact?
When a special-agent contact is entered, the intake stops immediately. A hard stop panel instructs the user not to proceed and to engage tax-controversy counsel before speaking with anyone or producing any documents. No workflow output is generated for that matter beyond the stop notice.
Who operates TaxRiskOS — the attorney's firm or the referring practitioner?
Either model works. The pilot is open to CPA firms, enrolled agents, and law firms. If an attorney is receiving matters after a referring CPA or EA has done the intake, TaxRiskOS can run on either side of that handoff.
What format is the handoff packet?
Structured text — 11 clearly labelled sections covering the notice summary, computed deadline, document checklist, escalation flag and reason, intake notes, and a timestamped audit trail. Formatted for easy copy/paste or attachment to any matter management system.