Evening star., 1951-11-18
Tax Agency 10 Quiz
Lawyers and Others
On Incomes, Ethics
By George Beveridqe

Attorneys and accountants who
want to continue practicing be-
fore Treasury Department agen-
cies win have to answer specific
questions next spring about their
income tax returns and any crimi-
nal convictions or violations of
professional ethics.
These questions it was learnedi
last night, will be drawn up on
small QUESTIONABLE cards." prob-
ably three by five inches in size
to form the basis of the depart
ment's review of some $1,000 ad-
missions on file.
Under department plans. cur
rent practice cards will be declared
void after next March 81. and
the QUESTIONABLE cards will be
filed along with applications for
renewal licenses.
Prompted by Probe.
Orders for the sweeping review
came after sharp criticism by the
House Ways and Means SubcOm-
mittee investigating scandals
within the Internal Revenue Bu-
reau. Citing specific instances,
members said they were shocked
to find that even convicted crimi-
mails, in some cases, have retained
cards permitting them to practice
before the Government agencies.
Subcommittee officials have
served notice that they want to
go more deeply into the whole
question OF the licensing operation.
Meanwhile, it was learned, the
House inquiry also has touched
off an effort in legal circles here
to foster comprehensive study
of questions which involve legal
appearances before Government |
agencies. The District bar organi- +.
cations are interested specifically
in the practice of law by persons
othersthan lawyers, and by at
torneys who come here from other
areas to appear before Federal
agencies. it was reported.
Seeks to Get Meeting.
At a meeting last week, officials .
of the District Bar and the Fed
eral Bar Associations delegated
Attorney William E. Leahy to con-
tact officials of the District Court
and the United States Court of /
Appeals about the possibility of a
meeting.
My JOB" Mr.. Leahy said, sis
to see if I could arrange meet
ing with representatives of both
courts, who III turn would meet
with representatives of the Fed
eral and District Bar Associations
in order to threSh out the entire
question of unauthorized practice
of law, as well as the practice here
by attorneys who are not members
of the bar in the District
John L. Graves. chairman of
the Treasury Departments Com
mittee on Practice, said the new
review actually will serve two pur-,
poses.
The first, he said, will be to
clear the committees files of any
persons who. because of unethical
actions or other reasons. should
not be allowed to hold practice
cards.
Revised in 1884.
The second, he said, will serve
to bring up to date the number
of qualified persons who still want
cards. The current list of $1,000
persons. which dates back to 1921,
last underwent full scale revi-i
sion" in 1884. Then, Mr.. Graves
said, the committees list was cut
from $4,000 names to about 26 900.
No one knows how many per-
sons will apply for renewal cards, i
Mr.. Graves said. Many. he pointed
out. have died or retired since the
lists last were checked. Others,
who may have applied in order to I
participate in a single case. may
no longer be interested. |.
While the renewal question
naire cards have not yet been pre-
pared, Mr.. Graves said they would
contain questions about income
tax returns, whether the appli-
cants ever have been disciplined
by professional organizations and
whether they ever have been con-
vlcted of any crime.
Subject to Perjury.
These cards, which will not be
notarized but which will be sub
ject to perjury affldavits, will be
checked against existing file
cards. If there is no apparent rea-
son for further investigation, re-
neWal cards will be issued i'm
mediately, MI Graves said.
The three man committee has
not yet asked for additional per-
sonnel, the chairman said but he
added that the administrative
load to handle the situation Ger
tainly will require additional
legal and clerical help
Unlike plans for the renewal
survey Mr.. Graves said, every
original applicant is required to.
fill out a more lengthy question
naire and is investigated by In
tefnal Revenue Bureau intelli-
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