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Overview
Stephen J. Turanchik is an attorney in the Tax practice at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Stephen's practice focuses on tax controversy and litigation at the state and federal levels and tax advice on international reporting.
Stephen previously litigated for six years for the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division, Civil Trial Section out of Washington, DC. He has substantial litigation experience, and during his tenure with the Tax Division, he handled hundreds of tax cases in federal, bankruptcy, state and probate courts. He received an Outstanding Attorney award from the Tax Division in 2003.
Education
- B.A. in Economics from the College of the Holy Cross, May 1992.
- J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, May 1995
- LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law, May 1999.
Representations
- A multibillion dollar U.S. pension fund in European refund claim suits in excess of $50 million.
- Served as international tax reporting subject matter expert for independent examiner in U.S. Department of Justice Swiss Bank Program.
- A bank holding company in U.S. Bankruptcy Court regarding tax allocation agreement of $50 million and income tax refunds in excess of $7 million.
- An internet service provider in employment tax audits in New York, California and Washington State.
- Investment managers and financial institutions on compliance obligations under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act.
- A virtual currency exchange in examination by the Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
- Clients on tax consequences relating to expatriation from the United States.
Notable Published Court Decisions
- Blum v. Comm’r, T.C. Memo. 2012-16, 2012 WL 129801 (2012)
- Samueli v. Comm’r, 132 T.C. 37 (2009)
- In re Anton Noll, Inc., 277 B.R. 875 (1st Cir.BAP 2002)
- Nault v. United States, 99 AFTR2d 2007-1027 (D.N.H. 2007)
- Subash v. I.R.S., 514 F.Supp.2d 114 (D.Mass. 2007)
- Johansen v. United States, 2006 WL 4391304 (D. Mass. 2006)
- United States v. City of Cambridge, 98 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5895 (D. Mass. 2006)
- United States v. Verduchi, 95 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 2168 (D.R.I. 2005)
- Stuart v. United States, 89 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 540 (D. Mass 2002) aff’d, 337 F.3d 31 (1st Cir. 2003)
Insights
- Senate Advances Market Structure Markup and Wyoming Launches FRNT Stable Token - January 12th, 2026
- CFTC Nomination Hearing Highlights Market Structure Legislation, OCC Issues Interpretive Letter 1186 and Congress Introduces ‘Bitcoin for America Act’ - December 1st, 2025
- Federal Government Is Back to Work: Updates on Market Structure Legislation, Howey Test Application, ETP Staking, Crypto Spot Trading and Stablecoin Demand - November 17th, 2025
- DeFi Proposal Pauses Market Structure Talks, First Staking Spot ETPs Launch in the US, and Treasury and IRS Release Guidance - October 13th, 2025
- Crypto Tax Update – April 2025 - April 11th, 2025
Engagement & Publications
Speaking Engagements
- How to Handle an IRS Summons and Other Related Stuff, CalCPA Beverly Hills Hollywood Discussion Group, June 14, 2019, CalCPA Pasadena Discussion Group (July 29, 2019)
- Cryptocurrency Mining and Investing Operations: How to Account for Them, Accounting and Finance Show (July 23, 2019)
- Taxation of Virtual Currency (An Update), CalCPA San Fernando Valley Discussion Group (July 9, 2019)
- U.S. Taxation and Regulation of Cryptocurrency, Pasadena Bar Association (April 19, 2019)
- Foreign Disclosure Issues and Bitcoin Reporting, Westside Business Manager Roundtable (March 4, 2019)
- CPA-Client Privilege: Confidentiality and Limitations, Lorman Webinar (Feb. 27, 2019)
- Foreign Disclosure Issues: Fixing the Past, AICPA National Tax Conference (Nov. 13, 2018)
- Understanding CPA Communication Privileges in Tax Practice, AICPA National Tax Conference (Nov. 13, 2018)
- Where Do We Stand Today With Taxing and Regulating Cryptocurrency, AICPA National Tax Conference (Nov. 12, 2018)
- U.S. Taxation and Regulation of Cryptocurrency, Integra International Webinar (Sept. 27, 2018)
- Defending IRS Audits and Collections, Webcredenza Webinar (Aug. 1, 2018)
- International Tax Enforcement and Compliance, Philippine American Society of Certified Public Accountants, Los Angeles (June 16, 2018)
- Taxation of Virtual Currency, San Fernando Valley CPA Discussion Group (June 5, 2018)
- Non-Traditional Issues Associated with the New Partnership Audit Rules, Don’t Let Your Child Grow Up to be a Partnership Representative, USC Tax Institute (January 2018)
- When the Past Isn’t the Past, Correcting Past Wrongdoing, USC Tax Institute (January 2018)
- Foreign Asset Reporting and Enforcement in Today’s World, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (Nov. 7, 2017)
- Demystifying Virtual Currency, AICPA National Tax Conference (Nov. 7, 2017)
- The IRS and DOJ Continue to Prioritize Employment Tax Enforcement – Are You and Your Clients Prepared? California Tax Bar & California Tax Policy Conference 2017 Annual Meeting (Nov. 2, 2017)
- Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, IRS International Enforcement Presentation, Loyola Law School (Oct. 4, 2017)
- New Developments in Taxation, CalCPA Santa Clarita Discussion Group (Aug. 4, 2017)
- Taxation of Settlements: The Pitfalls Every Litigator Needs to Know About, Beverly Hills Bar Association (June 7, 2017)
- You Settled, Now What About the Taxes? JAMS Mediation ADR Services (April 19, 2017)
- When the Company Is the Target: Ethical and Other Issues, USC Tax Institute (Jan. 24, 2017)
- Demystifying Virtual Currency, CalCPA Beverly Hills Hollywood Discussion Group (Jan. 20, 2017)
- Disclosure of Foreign Interests and IRS International Enforcement Priorities, Chinese American CPA Association (Oct. 21, 2016)
Involvement
- Adjunct Professor – Loyola Law School, LL.M. Program, Income Taxation of Property Transactions (Summer 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2019)
- Adjunct Professor – Golden Gate University, Masters of Taxation Program, Taxation of Property Transactions (Fall 2009, Fall 2010 and Fall 2011)
- Chair and Executive Committee Member – Los Angeles County Bar Association, Taxation Section (2014-2015)
- Coordinator – 2012 LACBA/California State Bar Tax Section Delegation from May 6-8, 2012
- Corporate and Pass-Through Entities Committee, Chair – California State Bar, Taxation Section (2012-2015)