I need a Tax Lawyer/Help in Austin ASAP

[ThrowittoRoy]

I did my taxes last year (for CY2006) on Turbtax, as i've done them for 8 years and never had issues.
I got a letter from the IRS saying I owe them a bit over $8K.
Somehow, I screwed up how I entered selling my ESPP stock from an old job. (I spent quite a bit of time entering all the data, so i'm thought I was fine)
Over 6 years at a past job, I paid about 23K for ESPP stock, and sold it all for about 19K. The IRS got data from the brokering place and see a discrepancy in that they don't see the fact that I paid 23K for it over time, and only see it as a 19K gain.

So I need help getting this paperwork taken care of in a hurry. (due March 12)
I'll gladly pay someone who can fix my issue but i'd prefer someone who is not going to charge me a couple of grand.

IRS stuff scares me, and I've tried calling them but they never answer the phone. I went to HR Block, but they were useless. They just told me what to do, but I want someone to actually do the paperwork, so I know it's done right, for piece of mind. Can anyone suggest a name and number?

I went to Findlaw dot com and i see plenty names on there, it's just hard figuring out who's not going to charge me way more than necessary.

Thanks in advance.

 

[pasotex]

if 2k is a lot to spend for you, you need to look for a cpa or a former IRS agent because a good tax lawyer will not touch something for less than 2k

 

[BattleshipTexas]

You need a CPA not a tax lawyer.

 

[jimmyjazz]

A CPA could prepare the paperwork in a couple of hours. It shouldn't even cost you $200.

The kicker will be avoiding an audit -- I don't know if this kind of an event is a red flag for the IRS, but fixing it may not be enough to keep them from wanting to snoop around later on. It's probably not a big deal if you don't have any other tax oddities (like ESPP or non-ISO options, etc.).

 

[LadyHornAustin]

CPA here - you definitely don't need a tax lawyer, a CPA will be fine and depending on the complexity of your return (he or she will have to do a complete recalculation) you shouldn't have to pay more than a few hundred dollars. It's simply going to be a matter of reporting the cost basis of your stock on Schedule D and then carrying the revised total over to your 1040. If you're in Austin, shoot me a PM and I can refer you to someone.

 

[ThrowittoRoy]

Thank you everyone, I appreciate the advice.
LadyHornAustin, I sent you a PM.

 

[Dr Fear]

You need a tough smart lawyer who will litigate... not capitulate.