J.D., Georgetown Law Center, 2003
Cum Laude
Admitted to the California Bar on December 2, 2003
Board Certified Taxation Law Specialist
B.S., Accounting, University of Southern California, 2000
Cum Laude
Pedram Ben-Cohen is an Attorney-at-Law and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) who specializes in civil and criminal tax controversy and litigation. Mr. Ben-Cohen is also a Certified Taxation Law Specialist, certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He has been selected to the Southern California Super Lawyers list in the field of Tax Litigation by Super Lawyers an honor achieved by no more than five percent of lawyers in Southern California. In addition, Mr. Ben- Cohen has been quoted as a tax expert by the media, including Forbes Magazine, Bloomberg, and Tax Notes International. Mr. Ben-Cohen represents clients in civil and criminal tax matters, including audits, appeals, litigation, voluntary disclosures, offshore matters, and collection defense. He also assists clients with state and local tax matters, including representation before the California Franchise Tax Board, the State Board of Equalization, and Employment Development Department.
Prior to establishing the Ben-Cohen Law Firm, PLC in 2009, Mr. Ben-Cohen was associated with the international law firms of Latham & Watkins, LLP and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP. He also gained tax controversy experience working at Deloitte & Touche, LLP and the Tax Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Mr. Ben-Cohen was admitted to the California Bar in 2003.
Mr. Ben-Cohen is a member of the Tax Section of the American Bar Association and admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court and the United States District Court.
Representative Engagements
- Mr. Ben-Cohen has developed an expertise in sensitive civil tax examinations where fraud or substantial penalty issues may arise.
- Mr. Ben-Cohen represents a number of taxpayers who are being criminally investigated by the Department of Justice for underreporting income and overreporting deductions.
- Mr. Ben-Cohen handles criminal tax fraud investigations.
- Mr. Ben-Cohen obtains criminal clearance for taxpayers that may have committed tax crimes through the IRS’ Voluntary Disclosure Program.
- Mr. Ben-Cohen represents taxpayers facing criminal and civil tax disputes with the California Franchise Tax Board and other state and local taxing agencies.
Education
Mr. Ben-Cohen earned his law degree cum laude from Georgetown Law Center. While at Georgetown, Mr. Ben-Cohen was a member of The Tax Lawyer, where he published The Real Estate Exception to the Passive Activity Rules in Mowafi v. Commissioner and the New Burden Shifting Statute, 55 TAX LAW. 96 (2002). Mr. Ben-Cohen has also published Public Civil Defenders: A Right to Counsel for Indigent Civil Defendants, 10 GEO. J. ON POVERTY L. & POL'Y, 1 (2003).
He earned a B.S. degree cum laude from the University of Southern California, where he majored in accounting.
Articles
OVDPs: The IRS Should Put Its Money Where Its Mouth Is
Tax Notes International
IRS’s Offshore Bait and Switch: The Case for FAQ 35
Daily Tax Report
New Safe Harbor For Like-Kind 1031 Exchanges
Real Property Section Review, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Volume V, Issue 4
Payments by Majority Shareholders to Minority Shareholders to Secure Change in Control: Ordinary Income or Capital Gain?, Daily Tax Report
By Pedram Ben-Cohen
Consideration of Subject Matter Jurisdiction of District Courts Required When Preparing Cases Where Taxpayers Seek Solely Statutory Interest, Daily Tax Report
By Pedram Ben-Cohen
The Real Estate Exception To The Passive Activity Rules In Mowafi v. Commissioner And The New Burden Shifting Statue, The Tax Lawyer
By Pedram Ben-Cohen
Public Civil Defenders: A Right To Counsel For Indigent Civil Defendants
By Pedram Ben-Cohen & Simran Bindra
Client Reviews
I approached Mr. Ben-Cohen regarding a pending case with the State of California and my small business. During a time that was quite stressful, I found Mr. Ben-Cohen to be the perfect person to represent me and my company. He communicated with me in clear terms so that I understood everything that...
I am an international tax advisor and have worked with Pedram on more than a dozen difficult and challenging cases. Pedram's clients and fellow advisors highly respect him because he has an uncanny ability to quickly identify and work diligently to resolve his clients' issues. Pedram is pragmatic in...
Top Drawer Tax Fraud Lawyer. Pedram got me out a CI jam I thought I would not resolve. He is also fair and reasonable with his billing. I interviewed 4 top Tax Fraud Lawyers in LA and went with Pedram...Glad I did!
Pedram Ben-Cohen at Ben-Cohen Law Firm, PLC is one of the most incredible, creative, and caring attorneys I have ever dealt with. He gave us hope but also gave us the reality and worst case scenario. He fought for us tooth and nail. The attention and time Pedram put into the case was like no other...
A few years ago I had a major tax problem and I was looking for the right professional tax lawyer. I interviewed at least five experts and all of them were very professional. I am very picky. When I met Mr. Pedram Ben-Cohen, it took me no more than five minutes to decide that he was the one, and I...