Understanding IRS collections involves more than just technical expertise; it requires a solid grasp of ethical obligations. This course offers tax professionals an in-depth exploration of Circular 230, the IRS's guidelines regarding practitioner conduct in the context of collections. Attendees will encounter real-world scenarios and practical advice to navigate ethical dilemmas effectively, ensuring compliance while protecting client interests and their professional integrity. By the end of the session, participants will feel equipped to address common challenges in tax collection representation.
Learning Objectives:
Identify ethical issues common to tax collection representation
Classify best practices for handling ethical concerns
Evaluate relevant rules from the Internal Revenue Code and Circular 230 and their application to collection scenarios
Describe the impact of ethical practices on professional reputation in tax collection situations
Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00pm
Location: Live Webinar
Speakers: Rebecca Sheppard, Esq and J Peter Haukebo, Esq both Partners at Frost Law
Benefit: 1 CPE credit
Cost: Free for members, Guests pay $25
This session will begin with a brief chapter meeting for the annual board member election.
Then, Fairfax City Mayor Catherine Read and her panelists will examine both the opportunities and challenges presented by AI adoption, including workforce displacement, job creation, skills transformation, and the growing need for reskilling and upskilling. The conversation will also address how local government, educational institutions, and private employers can collaborate to ensure that Fairfax remains competitive, resilient, and innovative in an AI driven economy. Offering practical insights, real world examples, and actionable strategies for navigating the future of work, this session hopes to outline what can be done today to prepare for tomorrow.
Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026
Time: 8:30 am - 9:30am
Virtual event with link provided in confirmation.
Speakers: Fairfax City Mayor Catherine Read and guests
Benefit: 1 CPE credit
Cost: Free for members and students (with student ID), Guests pay $25
Details: 8:00-9:00 am Tuesday, May 12, 2026 Live Virtual Meeting: Zoom meeting information will be sent with your email confirmation. Presenter: TBD Benefits: 1.0 hour of CPE (free to Northern Chapter VSCPA members; non-members pay $25)
In response to a growing retirement savings gap, the Commonwealth of Virginia mandates certain private sector businesses to register and facilitate a retirement savings plan for their employees. Commonwealth Savers, formerly Virginia529, launched RetirePath Virginia in 2023. Join this session for an overview of the Commonwealth’s auto-enrollment, state-facilitated retirement savings program and what eligible employers need to do to stay compliant.
Attendees will leave the session with an understanding of:
Why this law was passed
Requirements to stay compliant
Who is required to take action
What eligible Virginians need to know
Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2026 Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00pm Location: Live Webinar Speaker: Mary G. Morris is the Chief Executive Officer of Commonwealth Savers (formerly known as Virginia529) Benefit: 1 CPE credit Cost: Free for members, Guests pay $25
Presenter Bio:
Mary G. Morris is the Chief Executive Officer of Commonwealth Savers (formerly known
as Virginia529), which provides the largest tax-advantaged education savings program in
the country with the Invest529 and CollegeAmerica programs; the tax-advantaged
disability savings ABLEnow and ABLEAmerica programs; and RetirePath Virginia, a
state-facilitated workplace private retirement program launched in June 2023.
Commonwealth Savers also sponsors SOAR Virginia, which administers a variety of
scholarship and access, affordability, and attainment initiatives to foster inclusion in
educational access and make post secondary education more affordable and accessible
to all.
Mary works with the executive team to develop the strategic vision and coordinates the
operations, resources, outreach, and investments of Commonwealth Savers; she is
involved in state and federal legislative and governance issues relating to 529, ABLE and
private retirement initiatives and policy. Mary is a lawyer and, in private practice,
specialized in tax, public finance, securities and ESG matters. In the public sector, earlier
in her career she served as a Virginia Senior Assistant Attorney General for Tax and
Finance and served a term as the Treasurer of Virginia.
Mary earned her Juris Doctor and Master of Law and Taxation from the Marshall-Wythe
School of Law, College of William and Mary. She is active in both national 529
organizations, having served terms as Chair of both the College Savings Plans Network
and the College Savings Foundation. Mary is a member of the boards of the Virginia
Council on Economic Education (VCEE) and the Virginia Foundation for Community
College Education (VFCCE) and a former board member of Junior Achievement of
Central Virginia (JACV). more info...
Details: 8:00-9:00 am Tuesday, July 14, 2026 Live Virtual Meeting: Zoom meeting information will be sent with your email confirmation. Presenter: TBD Benefits: 1.0 hour of CPE (free to Northern Chapter VSCPA members; non-members pay $25)
