Roland A. Sabates - Expat Legal Services

Managing Member

Roland Sabates, founder of Expat Legal Services Group, has devoted his entire career to developing creative strategies and solving tax problems for international clients. After obtaining his law degree and MBA he managed a tax research team with H&R Block’s Tax Institute and devoted his personal attention towards the needs of American expatriates, foreign nationals with U.S. tax exposure, and tax filers in Puerto Rico and other United States Possessions.

With H&R Block he established a virtual tax preparation practice serving American clients in over 175 countries, placing particular emphasis on making tax compliance easy and reliable, with an eye towards the unique needs of the expat community. He left the company in 2016, joining Hood Law Group in Kansas City, expanding his practice to estate and business planning and tax litigation, while continuing to focus on international legal issues.

Roland has unique experience navigating the financial landscape encountered by American expatriates. He brings robust knowledge of U.S. income tax treaties, foreign pensions and tax-deferred savings options, passive foreign investment company taxation, controlled foreign corporation and partnership rules, U.S. taxation of foreign trusts, and foreign information reporting obligations. He has gained experience working with clients throughout the world and has expansive knowledge of the tax and financial systems in the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, and Australia. Having helped hundreds of American expats become compliant with U.S. tax laws while living overseas through entry into the various voluntary tax disclosure programs offered by the IRS, Roland takes particular care in making sure his clients understand their options and have all the support and guidance they need back home.

While anchored in international taxation, his experience working with cross border business transactions, estate planning, and immigration law allows him to deliver a complete solution to his expat client base.

EDUCATION

Juris Doctor, University of Missouri Kansas City

Master of Business Administration, University of Missouri Kansas City

Bachelor of Science, Business, University of Kansas

ASSOCIATIONS & MEMBERSHIPS

Missouri Bar

United States Tax Court

The Order of Barristers

American Immigration Lawyers Association

International Trade Council of Greater Kansas City

PRESENTATIONS

Pre-Immigration Tax Planning, AILA KS/MO Annual Meeting, Overland Park, Kansas (Spring 2016)

U.S./U.K. Tax Talk, 2016 Corporate Relocation Conference, London, United Kingdom (February 2016)

U.S. Tax Issues for Non-Citizens, AILA KS/MO Chapter, Kansas City, Missouri (Fall 2015)

Overlooked Tax Issues for International Assignees, Forum for Expatriate Management Spring Meeting, Kansas City, Missouri (Spring 2015)

PUBLICATIONS

What Do You Mean I Need to Keep Filing U.S. Tax Returns?, The American Hour – Taxing Issues, 2015, at http://www.worldofexpats.com/what-do-you-mean-i-need-keep-filing-us-tax-returns

Top Tips for Breaking the Stalemate of US Tax Returns, The American Hour – Taxing Issues, at

http://www.theamericanhour.com/storage/downloads/08-09%20Tax%20News.pdf

Passive Foreign Investment Company Reporting – No Longer Just a Concern of the High Net Worth Investor, EA Journal, September 2013, at http://digital.graphcompubs.com/publication/?i=172479&article_id=1487543&view=articleBrowser&ver=html5#{“issue_id”:172479,”view”:”articleBrowser”,”article_id”:”1487543″}

QUOTED

US pensions taxation expats’ ‘No. 1 concern’, International Investment, Helen Burggarf, February 18, 2016, at http://www.internationalinvestment.net/regions/us-tax-treatment-pensions-expats-no-1-concern/

Six Financial Mistakes People Make When Retiring Abroad, The Wall Street Journal, Anne Tergesen, December 13, 2015, at https://www.wsj.com/articles/six-financial-mistakes-people-make-when-retiring-abroad-1450062190

How to Manage Your Money if You Retire Abroad, Kiplinger, June 2015, at http://www.kiplinger.com/article/retirement/T037-C000-S004-how-to-manage-your-money-if-you-retire-abroad.html

On the Trail of the Elusive U.S. Expat Taxpayer, The Wall Street Journal, Helen Burggarf, April 1, 2015, at https://blogs.wsj.com/expat/2015/04/01/on-the-trail-of-the-elusive-u-s-expat-taxpayer/

Living Abroad? Expat Taxpayers Face Special Challenges, U.S. News & World Report, February 24, 2015, at https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2015/02/24/living-abroad-expat-taxpayers-face-special-challenges

Americans abroad find citizenship too taxing to keep, USA Today, March 8, 2014, at https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/03/08/usa-citizens-relinquish-passports-tax-filing/5859371/

IRS expands amnesty program once reserved for expatriates, Kathleen Pender, San Francisco Gate, July 9, 2014, at http://www.sfgate.com/business/networth/article/IRS-expands-amnesty-program-once-reserved-for-5610558.php

Attention, American expats in Canada: The IRS is eyeing you, The Globe and Mail (Canada), June 13, 2014, at https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/taxes/attention-american-expats-in-canada-the-irs-has-its-eyes-on-you/article19140900/

Nearly One-Third of U.S. Expats Confused By U.S. Tax Filing Requirements, Global Banking and Finance, February 26, 2014, at https://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/nearly-one-third-of-u-s-expats-confused-by-u-s-tax-filing-requirements/

Spend that Tax Refund Wisely, The Wall Street Journal, March 10, 2013, at https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323628804578344120211713226

68% of American Expatriates have considered giving up their U.S. citizenship as a result of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), The Yucatan Times, at: http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2014/04/68-of-american-expatriates-have-considered-giving-up-their-u-s-citizenship-as-a-result-of-the-foreign-account-tax-compliance-act-fatca/