Yes and no. Most, if not all, of the work to resolve a tax issue will be dealt with by telephone and fax. There is no real advantage to having a local tax expert solve your tax problem, except for your peace of mind. If you feel safer when you look your tax expert in the eye and shake their hand, do it. Just keep in mind that face-to-face meetings are not cheap and that local small firms often don't have all the resources that firms that operate at the national level.