Fortress Financial Services, Inc. : : Qualifications

The representation that you receive is only as good
as the representative to whom your case is assigned.

With many of the larger tax resolution firms around the United States, you have no idea who your case will be assigned to. Although the salesperson may sound great, you risk winding up with a representative with little or no experience. Turnover can be high, so your case can be shuffled from one representative to another, again and again. This often results in high fees, poor service, and no results. So why not take advantage of the benefits of going with a smaller firm like Fortress? The personalized service, higher quality representation, and superior results make Fortress the clear choice.

In order to be authorized to practice before the Internal Revenue Service, a representative must typically be either a C.P.A., an enrolled agent, or an attorney (to view the relevant law, go to http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/pcir230.pdf and scroll to Section 10.3). This law is designed to protect taxpayers by requiring representatives to demonstrate a certain level of competence and good moral character. It also protects taxpayers from unauthorized representatives who cannot be disbarred or disciplined for taking advantage of their clients.

Other firms cut costs by employing representatives who are not authorized to practice before the Internal Revenue Service. By law, government collection agents are not required to speak with or negotiate with representatives that are not legally authorized. Many government agents justifiably refuse to deal with unauthorized representatives. Firms that abuse the use of unauthorized representatives attempt to circumvent this by hiring one or a handful of attorneys who "on paper" represent you, but in reality know little or nothing about your case.

At Fortress, we don't play games with the requirement that your representative be legally authorized to practice before the Internal Revenue Service. You won't chance having your case handled by an inexperienced or incompetent representative. The risk of your case being transferred from one representative to another, again and again, is virtually nonexistent.

Instead, your case will be personally handled by one of our following licensed experts.

Stephen K. Galgoczy, Esq. is the founder and President of Fortress Financial Services. Steve holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington (focus on Finance and Marketing). Steve attended Seattle University School of Law on an academic scholarship. He graduated cum laude and in the top 25% of his class. He holds a license in good standing with the Supreme Court of the State of Colorado and is admitted to practice in United States Tax Court. Steve Galgoczy has never been disciplined by the Colorado Bar Association.

Before creating Fortress, Steve spent four years as the top Associate with two of the largest tax resolution firms in the United States. During his career as a tax negotiation specialist, Steve has personally handled over 1000 cases involving delinquent taxes. Steve has negotiated countless Installment Agreements and Offers in Compromise. He has prevailed on scores of Appeals and has saved millions of dollars on behalf of his clients. Steve has extensive experience handling some of the most difficult tax collection cases found in the world of tax negotiations and is considered by many to be the best tax negotiation specialist in the country. He demonstrates an unwavering commitment to excellence and client satisfaction each and every day. If your case requires a creative solution, Steve will find it.

Jeremy R. Dickman, Esq. holds a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from the University of Oregon. After working as a copy editor at a major newspaper, Jeremy attended the University of Oregon School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor. Jeremy holds a license in good standing with the Supreme Court of the State of Oregon. Jeremy Dickman has never been disciplined by the Oregon Bar Association.

Before entering the tax negotiation field, Jeremy was a successful litigator and criminal defense specialist. With the persuasive skills of a trial attorney and the attention to detail of an editor, Jeremy was a welcome addition to the Fortress team of experts. After training extensively under the tutelage of Steve Galgoczy, Jeremy has applied his advocacy skills seamlessly into the arena of tax negotiations. Jeremy consistently obtains outstanding results on behalf of his clients and has proven to be a champion of taxpayers' rights.

Peter R. Brantley, Esq. holds a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from Colorado College. After working as a corporate litigation support specialist for one of Portland, Oregon's largest corporate law firms, Peter attended Willamette University College of Law on an academic scholarship, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree. He holds a license in good standing with the Supreme Court of the State of Oregon. Consistent with the unblemished track record of all Fortress attorneys, Peter Brantley has never been disciplined by the Oregon Bar Association.

Prior to becoming a tax negotiation specialist, Peter honed his legal skills as an extern for the Oregon Supreme Court and became an expert in a wide variety of governmental legal issues as the sole law clerk for Oregon's Administrative Law Judges at the Office of Administrative Hearings. With his experience in government-related administrative law and high-stakes corporate litigation, Peter quickly became a formidable defender of taxpayers in collections with both the Internal Revenue Service and numerous state taxing authorities. While generally affable in demeanor, Peter has demonstrated excellent instinct and judgment in terms of "choosing his battles wisely" with the taxing authorities. Under appropriate circumstances, Peter will not hesitate to fight relentlessly for the benefit of his clients. This dynamic and tactful approach has led to regular occurrences of remarkable results for the benefit of Peter's clients.

David K. Petzinger, Esq. not only earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Idaho, he also earned an LL.M. in Taxation (this is a post-doctorate Master's Degree) from the University of Washington. He holds a license in good standing with the Supreme Court of the State of Washington. David Petzinger has never been disciplined by the Washington Bar Association.

Prior to joining Fortress, David worked for the prestigious Seattle law firm, K & L Gates, where he was involved with a variety of large civil litigation cases. He possesses polished negotiation and advocacy skills derived from his previous experience as a criminal defense attorney. David also gained experience representing taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service and in United States Tax Court before he joined Fortress. David's education and experience in tax law coupled with his strong ability to negotiate make him a very effective advocate for taxpayers facing America's most formidable creditor-the Internal Revenue Service.

John D. Adamson, Esq. holds a Bachelor's Degree in International Studies from the University of Oregon as well as a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oregon School of Law. Between college and law school, John obtained "real world" business experience as the manager of a small business. John holds a license in good standing with the Supreme Court of the State of Oregon. John Adamson has never been disciplined by the Oregon Bar Association.

After earning his law degree, John worked for the federal government in both the Department of Interior and the Department of Veterans Affairs. As a law clerk in the Regional Solicitor's Office and an administrator at the VA, he gained an extensive knowledge of administrative operations and procedure within the federal government. Having first hand experience running a small business and working within two vast governmental agencies, John has developed an exceptional talent for advocating the interests of small businesses before large governmental agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service.

David M. Feldman, Esq. holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Economics with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of California at Santa Barbara. In addition, David holds a Juris Doctor degree from Lewis and Clark School of Law as well as an LL.M. (master's degree) in Taxation from the University of San Diego School of Law. He holds a license in good standing with the Supreme Court of the State of Oregon. David Feldman has never been disciplined by the Oregon Bar Association.

Prior to joining Fortress, David fought for taxpayers in collections with the IRS while working for a Low-Income Legal Tax Clinic located in downtown Portland, Oregon. It was here that he gained valuable experience representing taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service, and developed outstanding tax-related negotiation and advocacy skills. David helped settle multiple tax liabilities for a fraction of his clients' debts before joining the team of experts at Fortress. David's professionalism combined with his advanced tax-related education and front-line experience in tax negotiations have predictably translated into great things for his clients--most notably, protection from enforcement and extremely favorable results.

Jennifer J. Eales, Esq. received her Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California where she graduated from their esteemed Entrepreneur Program. Jennifer attended the University of San Diego School of Law on an academic scholarship where she was a member of the University of San Diego Law Review, and Order of the Coif. Jennifer graduated cum laude and in the top 6% of her class. Jennifer is licensed to practice law in both California and Oregon, and she is in good standing with the Supreme Courts of both states. Jennifer Eales has never been disciplined by either the California or Oregon Bar Associations.

Jennifer has extensive experience both as general counsel for large companies and as a corporate associate for large and prestigious law firms. Prior to joining Fortress, Jennifer practiced law in Los Angeles, California and Bend, Oregon for many years representing clients with a variety of business issues as well as multimillion dollar transactions. In addition to her substantial experience as a business law attorney, Jennifer has also started and run two small businesses of her own, one of which received national attention from the Oprah Winfrey Show, USA Today, People Magazine, and the New York Times. As a seasoned small business owner, Jennifer has an intimate understanding of the struggles and challenges faced by entrepreneurs on a day to day basis. With her unwavering determination to help the plight of the American small business owner, her superior negotiation skills, and her broad based business acumen, there is little wonder as to why she quickly became one of Fortress's most effective advocates.

Tax collection representation is not what most attorneys would consider glamorous work. As a result, very few top caliber attorneys pursue careers in this field. Our staff is a rare exception to this rule.