Charles T. Almond's Tax Payer Clinic Took my $6,500 retainer and provided no representation Atlanta Georgia

I first spoke with Charles Almond in mid-July 2007, when he informed me that the IRS had made dramatic changes in its Offer In Compromise Program whereby the IRS allowed most taxpayers to completely satisfy their tax debts for one time payments of a few cents on the dollar. As justification of the $6,500 retainer, Mr. Almond advised me that he was an attorney who had represented many prominent clients and corporations before the IRS and that he would be personally handling my tax case. On July 27, 2007, paid the $6,500 retainer, signed a retainer agreement with Mr. Almond and executed a Power of Attorney Agreement (IRS Form 2848) naming Charles Almond as my attorney-in-fact to represent me before the IRS.

After Mr. Almond has received my $6,500 retainer it was very difficult to reach him on the phone and in fact I only spoke with him one time after he received the retainer. Under the Retainer Agreement Mr. Almond had only two responsibilities: (1) insulate me from further contact with the Internal Revenue Service; and (2) secure a settlement with the IRS incorporating my selecting plan of resolution. He did neither. In fact the last time I had any contact with Mr. Almond was on late August of 2007, after that Mr. Almond provided no further representation.

Subsequently, I received from the IRS Tax Examination Changes, Notices of Deficiency and additional Levies. I appealed the proposed income tax examination change and represented myself at a Collection Due Process Hearing (even though the IRS notified Charles Almond of the hearing as my authorized representative) on March 19, 2009. Mr. Almond never secured any settlement for me with the IRS and as of late March I finally was able to pay my entire tax bill which including penalties and interest was significantly higher than when I hired Charles T. Almond. The retainer I paid Charles Almond was $6,500 and as a result of his representation I saved nothing. In fact, due to his failure to provide any representation in securing a settlement I incurred higher penalty and interest charges on my tax liability.

I recently sent Mr. Almond a certified letter demanding the return of my retainer for failing to provide the representation he was contractually obligated to under the terms of the Retainer Agreement and received no response. If anyone reading this post is considering hiring Charles T. Almond to represent them in a tax matter I would strongly urge them to stay away. If you have had a similar experience with Charles T. Almond I would urge you to file a complaint with the State Bar of Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct and the IRS Director of the Office of Professional Responsibility.

BLS
LDF, Wisconsin
U.S.A.