Virus Poses Extra Obstacles for Attorneys With Tax Court Cases

The new coronavirus pandemic is increasing the challenges for attorneys representing clients at the U.S. Tax Court, a place already slow to technological advancement.

Attorneys have long grappled with technological barriers at the court—not being able to electronically file petitions or access many case documents online, for example. But now that the building is shuttered until further notice, tax professionals are facing additional hurdles, and they fear it could get worse the longer the virus outbreak continues.

The court has historically struggled with a backlog of cases, a situation that got worse during the 35-day government shutdown at the end ...