IRS Appoints New Office Of Professional Responsibility Chief
By by Mike Godfrey, Tax-News.com, Washington
31 December 2003

Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Mark W. Everson announced on Tuesday the appointment of Cono Namorato to the post of Director of the Office of Professional Responsibility, in a move that the IRS hailed as an important step towards restoring faith in the nation’s tax system.

Commenting on the appointment, Everson explained: “He shares my concern about the erosion of professional standards among some attorneys and accountants. This appointment should signal an expectation that tax practitioners live up to their professional obligations.”

The Office of Professional Responsibility investigates allegations of misconduct or negligence against tax practitioners, and enforces the standards of practice for those who represent taxpayers before the IRS. Namorato’s appointment is particularly pertinent in the light of recent headlines surounding this issue, and the publication of new conduct guidelines by the IRS and the Treasury this week.

Namorato has been a member of the Washington law firm of Caplin & Drysdale since 1978, representing and advising clients on criminal and civil tax matters. He began his career as an IRS Special Agent in Brooklyn from 1963 to 1968, then spent 10 years in the Justice Department’s Tax Division, rising to the position of Deputy Assistant Attorney General in 1977.

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