University of Chicago Law School Federal Tax Conference 2025
2025-11-07
Caroline D. Ciraolo will participate as a panelist in a session titled “Is Section 6103 Providing The Protections It Promised? And Should It?” at the University of Chicago Law School’s 78th Annual Federal Tax Conference on Friday, November 7, 2025, from 10:20 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. Central at the Gleacher Center.
The panel will be moderated by John Hildy, partner, Mayer Brown LLP, and will include a presentation by Joseph Thorndike, Contributing Editor, Tax Notes and Director, Tax History Project at Tax Analysts, regarding the historical context of Section 6103. Following the presentation, the panelists, including Caroline and Michael Desmond, member, Miller & Chevalier, and former IRS Chief Counsel, will engage in a discussion regarding the scope of Section 6103, the application and limitations of the many statutory exceptions, and current scrutiny in light of agreements between the IRS and other federal agencies to support the Administration’s enforcement priorities.
You can learn more about the conference and register here.
About Caroline
Caroline is the former Acting Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Tax Division and now a partner with Kostelanetz LLP. Her practice focuses on federal, state, and cross-border civil tax controversies, including representation in sensitive audits, administrative appeals, and litigation, providing tax advice, conducting internal investigations, and representing individuals and entities in criminal tax investigations and prosecutions. She also serves as a consulting and testifying expert witness and an independent mediator in tax disputes.

White Collar Support Group™ Tuesday Speaker Series: A Panel on Restitution & Forfeiture, presented by the Women’s White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA)
2025-11-11 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Caroline D. Ciraolo will join fellow members of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA) to present a panel on “Restitution and Forfeiture” to the White Collar Support Group Tuesday Speakers Series. The webinar will take place November 11, 2025, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern.
The discussion will cover the fundamentals of restitution and forfeiture orders. Attendees will learn the differences between forfeiture and restitution, how the two concepts converge, types of assets subject to forfeiture and restitution, unique IRS issues related to restitution and corresponding civil tax liabilities, and how to limit potential exposure during white-collar criminal proceedings.
Caroline will be joined by Margaret Graham and Jillian Berman, former Department of Justice prosecutors who represented individuals and entities in government investigations and criminal and regulatory matters. They will share their insights on forfeiture and restitution in federal criminal matters and how practitioners can strategize their defenses considering recent DOJ practices.
The White Collar Support Group™ is a community of individuals, families, and groups who have been impacted by the criminal justice system. Over the past ten years, over 1,650 members have participated in over 490 weekly support group meetings from every state in the country – and Canada, the U.K., South America, Central America, Israel, Mexico, Europe, Scandinavia, and the Caribbean. The WCSG provides peer and mentoring support, white-collar job and career connections, relevant news and events, advocacy initiatives, partnerships with other nonprofits, and a wide array of other resources.
About Caroline
Caroline is the former Acting Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Tax Division and now a partner with Kostelanetz LLP. Her practice focuses on federal, state, and cross-border civil tax controversies, including representation in sensitive audits, administrative appeals, and litigation, providing tax advice, conducting internal investigations, and representing individuals and entities in criminal tax investigations and prosecutions. She also serves as a consulting and testifying expert witness and an independent mediator in tax disputes.

84th Institute on Federal Taxation (San Francisco)
2025-11-16 - 2025-11-21
Kostelanetz attorneys Andrew Weiner and Bryan C. Skarlatos will speak at the 84th Institute on Federal Taxation, hosted by the NYU School of Professional Studies. The conference will be held in San Francisco at Fairmont Hotel from November. 16-21, 2025.
Andrew’s session, “Nuts and Bolts of a Partnership BBA Audit,” will take place on November 19th at 1:45 p.m. Pacific. He will be joined by Mary I. Slonina of KPMG.
Bryan’s session, “The Role of the Tax Advisor in the Tax System: Ethical and Penalty Standards for Advising Clients,” will take place on November 21st at 5:15 p.m. EST. He will be joined by Michael R. Stein of Hochman Salkin Toscher Perez P.C. and G. Michelle Ferreira of Greenberg Traurig.
The Institute on Federal Taxation is a six-day conference that offers practitioners the opportunity to earn over 40 hours of continuing education credits in a plethora of complex tax law topics. Session topics will include current developments in tax controversy, international taxation issues, trusts and estates, executive compensation and employee benefits, practice ethics, and more.
You can learn more about the conference and register here.
About Andy
Andy focuses his practice on tax controversies, both civil and criminal, at all stages of the administrative and judicial process. A former U.S. Department of Justice attorney, he has argued approximately 50 tax cases in the U.S. courts of appeals. He is a Forbes contributing columnist on tax controversy and tax policy and a frequent writer and speaker on tax issues. He is also a fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel.
About Bryan
Bryan focuses his practice on assisting clients with navigating tax penalties and voluntary disclosures. He provides expert testimony on tax penalties to governmental bodies and teaches courses on tax penalties at New York University School of Law, where he also created and co-chairs the NYU Tax Controversy Forum. Bryan is recognized by Super Lawyers as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in New York and Best Lawyers in America has twice named Bryan “Lawyer of the Year” for Tax Litigation in New York.

2025 CBIT Fall Tax Day
2025-11-20 20:45
Megan L. Brackney will present a program on “Tax Controversy & Basics of Tax Procedure” at the 2025 Fall Tax Day hosted by the Committee of Banking Institutions on Taxation (CBIT).
The CBIT Fall Tax Day will be held on November 20, 2025, from 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Arno Ristorante in New York, NY. Megan’s panel will be held at 2:30 p.m.
Learn more about the program here.
About Megan
Megan is a tax controversy attorney with a distinguished track record of delivering exceptional results for clients facing complicated and difficult tax issues. Megan is the Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Taxation. She is also a frequent speaker and contributor to local and national conferences on taxation, ethics in tax practice, IRS penalties, and civil tax controversy.

IRS Exam & Enforcement Trends: What Private Investment Funds Need to Know
2025-12-02 14:30 - 15:15
Caroline Ciraolo will join a panel titled IRS Exam & Enforcement Trends: What Private Investment Funds Need to Know, at the PIF Tax and Accounting Forum virtual conference on December 2, 2025, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Eastern. Continuing education credit is available.
The panelists will address tax enforcement trends concerning partnerships and high-income taxpayers in light of recent changes at the IRS and areas of increased scrutiny that fund managers and investors should be mindful of. Attendees will learn how to effectively manage private investment fund audits and navigate re-established IRS guidance on investment entities.
Caroline will be joined by Jennifer Breen, partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, and Miri Forster, partner and National Tax Controversy & Dispute Resolution Leader at Eisner Advisory Group LLC.
You can learn more about the virtual conference and register here.
About Caroline
Caroline is a former Acting Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Tax Division and a founder of Kostelanetz’s Washington, D.C. office. Her practice focuses on federal and state civil tax controversies, including representation in sensitive audits, administrative appeals, and litigation, providing tax advice, conducting internal investigations, and representing individuals and entities in criminal tax investigations and prosecutions. She also serves as a consulting and testifying expert witness and an independent mediator in tax disputes.

UT Law CLE 2025 Taxation Conference: What to Do With All the Data?
2025-12-04
Melissa Wiley will present a program titled “What to Do With All the Data? Substantiating Tax Positions in the Face of Tidal Waves of Data” at the University of Texas School of Law CLE 73rd Annual Taxation Conference. The conference is being held at the AT&T Conference Center in Austin, TX on December 4, 2025. Continuing education credits and virtual attendance options are available.
Melissa’s session takes place from 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Central. In this session, Melissa will discuss the role of Big Data in how taxpayers and practitioners interface with tax authorities, and how to best advocate for clients in the Digital Age.
You can learn more about the conference and register here.

Public Records: A Legal Primer for Attorneys
2025-12-16 15:00 - 16:00
Usman Mohammad will present a webinar for the National Business Institute (NBI) titled Public Records: A Legal Primer for Attorneys. The webinar is on December 16, 2025, and will run from 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Eastern.
In the webinar, Usman will show attendees how to effectively navigate public records and gain critical information to advocate for clients. The webinar will begin with an overview of federal and state laws, including Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and the types of information that is typically available via public record. Attendees will learn best practices for drafting and filing public record requests, as well as how to handle common causes of public record request denials and delays.
You can learn more about the webinar and register here.
About Usman
Usman is counsel at the New York City office of Kostelanetz LLP. Usman’s practice includes New York City and State government procurement matters, civil and criminal tax controversies including tax whistleblower matters, and commercial litigation.
