About Us
Stephen P. Kauffman is a former IRS Agent, an attorney admitted to practice in state and federal courts in Maryland, DC, and Virginia, a Maryland CPA, and the founder of The Kauffman Group. He has extensive experience representing clients with serious civil and criminal IRS and state tax issues, including unfiled returns, inaccurate returns, IRS audits, IRS collections, and IRS criminal investigations.
Mr. Kauffman attended Loyola College, where he majored in accounting, and was a member of the men's NCAA intercollegiate lacrosse team. After completing his undergraduate work, Mr. Kauffman passed the CPA examination while working full time as an IRS Agent. While continuing to work full time as an IRS Agent, Mr. Kauffman attended the University of Maryland School of Law in the evenings, finishing the four (4) year program in three (3) years.
During law school, Mr. Kauffman distinguished himself as being one of only two evening students in his year selected as a member of the Editorial Board of the prestigious Maryland Law Review. Mr. Kauffman was also the recipient of the coveted Morton P. Fisher, Jr. Award for the best work in income tax.
After completing law school, Mr. Kauffman began his legal career working for a mid- sized Baltimore law firm, where he was given many opportunities to learn about tax, business and litigation. With his accounting background, representing small to medium-sized businesses was a natural fit. He also sought opportunities to do litigation and trial work, and when those opportunities arose, he seized them with a passion. Consequently, and unlike most tax attorneys who have little if any jury trial experience, Mr. Kauffman has nearly fifteen (15) jury trials.
Mr. Kauffman stayed with his first law firm for ten (10) years, seven (7) years as an associate attorney, and three (3) years as a partner. During this first decade of his professional career, he learned a lot about the law as a profession and as a business. He left to start his own law firm in the mid-1990s, and in 2004 he formed Skeen & Kauffman, LLP (the "Law Firm") with his friend and law partner, James D. Skeen, Esquire.
Recognizing that many of his clients also needed specialized accounting services, particularly the preparation of amended and unfiled tax returns as well as monthly outsourced accounting services, Mr. Kauffman formed Kauffman Kim, LLP (the “Accounting Firm”) with his friend and accounting partner, John S. Kim, CPA.
Mr. Kauffman has earned Martindale-Hubbell’s AV-rating, as well as being designated a Super Lawyer in tax law, which means that he has been recognized by his peers as being among the best attorneys in the country. He has written articles on tax and litigation that have been published in professional journals, spoken to attorneys, accountants and enrolled agents about practicing before the IRS, and until recently, was an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland School of Law teaching student to represent underserved individuals in the Low -Income Tax Clinic.
Kauffman Group
The Kauffman Group is an affiliation of Steve’s Law Firm and Accounting Firm. The Kauffman Group’s key practice areas are Tax, Business, and Litigation.
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