About Kelly
Years ago, I found myself sitting in law school in Moot Court wearing an oversized itchy blue suit. It was a horrible experience. In a desperate attempt to avoid anything like that in the future I enrolled in a tax course. I loved it. I signed up for another. Before I knew it, in addition to my JD, I had an LL.M Taxation. I needed only to don my cape… Taxgirl® was born.
While at law school, I interned at the estate & gift attorney division of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). At IRS, I participated in the review and audit of federal estate tax returns. At one audit, where I was the lead, opposing counsel read my report, looked at his file, and said, “Gentlemen, she’s exactly right.” I nearly fainted.
Today, I am a managing shareholder at The Erb Law Firm, P.C., where I focus on tax law including domestic and international estate and tax planning; tax compliance and controversy matters such as tax delinquencies, offers in compromise, and audits. I am licensed to practice in PA, NJ, and in the U.S. Tax Court. I am also permitted to practice law on a pro bono basis in NC through the Legal Aid of North Carolina.
In addition to my legal practice, I write extensively about tax. I am a Senior Contributor at Forbes where I write about tax and tax policy, including tax-related security & technology issues. I also have a regular column at Bloomberg Tax – you can catch my latest post here.
I’ve written and been interviewed about taxes for CNN Money, CNBC, Reuters, Time, and US News & World. I’ve also been asked to explain taxes in plain English by media outlets like National Public Radio’s Marketplace, Esquire, CBS Radio, Inc., Martha Stewart’s Living, and Marketwatch, and a number of podcasts.
I’ve appeared in a number of books, including authoring a chapter on careers in tax law for the American Bar Association. I’ve published Ask the TaxGirl: Everything Parents Should Know About Filing Taxes and Home, Sweet, Rental: Busting the Hype of Homeownership together with Forbes, and I’ve created and co-authored 100 Things You Need To Know About Money (Forbes’ most successful e-book).
I still give interviews and speak as much as my schedule will allow. You might have seen (or heard) me recently in El Paso where I presented on Tax Tips for Freelancers and Small Businesses in the Travel Industry for SATW; in Lisbon where I spoke about tax evasion and sports (with an emphasis on soccer) for the Warwick Legal Network; or in Vegas at the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) where I opened the conference addressing challenges in the tax profession.
You can find more about what I write and what I’m doing here. (Did I mention that I drink a lot of coffee?)
And just to clarify, there are a number of folks flitting about the internet who feel that it’s okay to use my trademarks (Taxgirl®, Ask The Taxgirl® and Taxes From A To Z®). It’s not. If you find yourself a bit confused, here are a few tips:
- If it says Taxgirl® and doesn’t talk about tax, it’s probably not me. And if it’s giggly stuff about staying out too late and partying, also not me (I have three kids, who are you kidding?).
- And if it involves anything illicit, definitely not me – remember, my mother could be reading.
- I don’t answer questions on yahoo.com or other sites like Quora or sell tax (or other) software.
- Most importantly, if it’s a tax site not affiliated with taxgirl.com or taxgirlpodcast.com, it’s not me.
And finally, let’s make sure we understand a couple of things, ok?
- Unless you have a representation letter in hand, you and I don’t have an attorney-client relationship, capiche? I mean, I’m sure you’re a nice person. I appreciate you stopping by the blog. But it doesn’t mean anything more (I’m having a weird deja vu to a couple of bad dates in college).
- This blog doesn’t constitute legal advice. If you have questions, you can check out the archives and see if I have some answers (but don’t forget to read my disclaimer). If you can’t find your answer, you can always try asking me. But if you have real questions – i.e. you’re hiding in a closet while the feds bang on your door – you need to consult with a tax professional. If you live in my corner of the world, that might be me. But see #1.
- I do have ties to a law firm. And rumor has it, I am a practicing attorney at said law firm. But this blog is not affiliated with my law firm. The other partner and my malpractice carrier insist on it. And I have to live with one of them. And it’s not my malpractice carrier. So, again see #1.
- I’m not responsible for anything anybody says on this blog except me. But play nice. I don’t want to have to throw you out of here (there’s that deja vu to college again).