Soraya Abernethy
Founding attorney, Abernethy Vandermeer
Soraya started the firm after years answering audits for a regional accounting firm's clients, where she saw how much turned on the first reply. She handles audits, appeals and the cases that go to the Tax Court.
Credentials
Soraya's admissions and training
Bar admissions
California
2009
Courts
United States Tax Court
2010
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
2010
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
2014
Education
LL.M. in Taxation, Loyola Law School
2009
J.D., University of California, Davis, School of Law
2008
B.A., Economics, California State University, Sacramento
2004
Languages
English
Farsi
Fluent
Memberships
California Lawyers Association, Taxation Section
Sacramento County Bar Association
How Soraya runs a file
Soraya reads every audit letter herself before anyone else touches the file. Her summaries are one page, and she rewrites them until a client can follow them without a call.
She's careful about scope. A reply that answers more than was asked invites more questions, so hers answer exactly what the examiner raised, with documents tabbed to match.
She copies the client on every letter that goes to the IRS, and explains each one in a few plain sentences before it's sent.
Talk to Soraya
Send the notice and say it's for Soraya.