Managing Partner

Email:  [email protected] 

Chandara Diep is a Managing Partner our firm.  She was our firm’s first hire, and has been with RJS LAW from its transition from a solo practitioner into a full-service law firm. Ms. Diep handles collection cases with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Franchise Tax Board (FTB), California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA), and the Employment Development Department (EDD). Prior to her current role, Ms. Diep has worked in various positions at our firm. She obtained her paralegal certificate from the University of San Diego and completed her training at a local law firm in San Diego where she researched laws related to corporations and corporate tax legislation. As a paralegal at RJS LAW, Ms. Diep handled the case management for our firm and assisted with hundreds of civil tax controversy cases involving the federal and state government, including audits, installment agreements, offers in compromise, and penalty abatements. At her current position, Ms. Diep continues to specialize in federal and state tax controversy, international tax, and landlord/tenant disputes, and is a key member of our team on many active cases.

Chandara Diep received her Master of Law in Taxation from the University of San Diego School Law. While at USD she worked with the Federal Income Tax Clinic for several years, where she helps low-income individuals resolve their tax problems. She also earned her Juris Doctorate from the California Western School of Law, where she focused her studies on tax controversy and corporate law. She was awarded with a scholarship to California Western, and was an honor roll student and a member of California Western Law Review where she helped write and edit scholarly articles to be published in the California Western Law Review Journal. Ms. Diep also completed her undergraduate degree at the University of California San Diego in Political Science and Law and Society. Ms. Diep devotes a great portion of her time to pro bono work, volunteering at organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Cambodian Buddhist Society, and participating in National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) events. She is a member of the New Lawyers Division (NLD) in San Diego as well as Consumer Attorneys of San Diego (CASD).

Chandara Diep is an active member of the local community. She co-teaches a Federal Tax Procedure and Policies class at the University of San Diego, School of Business.

Awards:

• San Diego Best Attorneys- San Diego Metro Magazine 2018
• Best of the Bar- San Diego Business Journal 2017
• Women of the Year Finalist- San Diego Magazine 2016
• Women Who Mean Business Finalist- San Diego Business Journal 2016

Practice Areas:

• Civil Tax Controversy
• Criminal Tax
• Corporate Law
• Tax Planning
• Individual and Entity Tax Planning

Representative Matters:

• Assisted in the settlement of multiple taxpayer liabilities through the IRS Offer in Compromise program; settled two liabilities of over a hundred thousand dollars for less than 5% of the amount owed.
• Assisted in a successful IRS penalty abatement for a twelve thousand dollar penalty issued by the IRS.
• Assisted in several high dollar audits; successfully defended a commercial real estate developer and entrepreneur in an IRS audit with hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake.
• Successfully abated PIT assessments for several clients facing Employment Development Department liabilities.
• Handled several high value insurance claims for a major corporate client caused by the September San Diego blackouts.
• Assisted clients by successfully setting up several Franchise Tax Board payment plans and in stopping collection activity.
• Assistant to counsel for a major criminal tax investigation ultimately resulting in no jail time for the accused client.
• Drafted several tax court petitions on behalf of clients.
• Handled numerous real estate matters and landlord-tenant issues on behalf of clients.
• Formed several corporations and assisted clients with small business tax issues.
• Assisted in several State Board of Equalization Audits for Subway Franchisees as well as local businesses.
• Successfully negotiated settlements with the SBOE saving several successful businesses over hundreds of thousand dollars.
• Represented numerous clients in IRS, FTB, EDD, and SBOE appeals with successful results.
• Represented numerous clients in trust fund assessments with the IRS and SBOE.
• Successfully prepared and argued an innocent spouse claim involving liability of more than 20 years old.

Professional Affiliations:

• American Bar Association, Tax Section
• San Diego County Bar Association, Tax Section
• Consumer Attorneys of San Diego
• New Lawyer’s Division

Admitted to Practice before the following Courts:

• United States Tax Court
• United States District Court for the Southern District of California
• Supreme Court of the State of California

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