Several years ago, I attended a tax problem resolution seminar in Denver with the intention of expanding my practice to include tax issues. One of my classmates at the seminar was a lawyer from Tampa named Darrin Mish. Over the past few years, Darrin has built a growing tax problem resolution practice with clients in Florida as well as nationally (since IRS problems are federal, your search for a tax problem lawyer need not be limited to your local area).
Darrin has an informative and easy to follow blog/podcast called the IRS Problem Solver blog. His blog posts include text and video, which I suppose technically makes his blog a "vodcast." In any event, his June 12, 2007 post deals with the discharge of taxes in bankruptcy, and I recommend it to you. In this short video blog post, Darrin sets out the basic rules of discharging taxes in bankruptcy.
In the post, Darrin notes that one of the services he offers is to analyze your tax situation to determine whether your taxes are discharged in bankruptcy. If you have any significant amount of tax debt and are considering bankruptcy, you should strongly consider retaining a knowledgeable tax lawyer like Darrin to do this analysis. If you want to speak with Darrin, you can reach him toll free at (888) 438-6474.
I have done this type of analysis but I spend my time representing bankruptcy and Social Security disability clients. Most bankruptcy lawyers – myself included – do not have the time to keep up with changes in the rules relating to the discharge of tax debts and I am far more confortable filing a "tax bankrutpcy" with the analysis and input of a tax problem consultant.