“Every time I help a client successfully resolve their tax dispute, watch the built-up stress melt away, it’s an incredibly rewarding feeling for me.”
ABOUT DEAN
Dean helps individuals and corporations successfully resolve disputes with the Canada Revenue Agency. He represents clients in objecting to reassessments and, where necessary, appealing to the Tax Court of Canada.
Tax disputes are stressful and arduous. Dean loves helping his clients put their disputes in the past, seeing the weight lift from their shoulders. Dean’s clients appreciate that he is organized, thorough in his analysis and a great communicator.
Dean knows that clients are best served when their tax lawyer works in synergy with their accountant. He has great respect for the specialized skills and knowledge that accountants bring to the table.
Read More A graduate of the University of McGill’s Faculty of Law, Dean began his legal career working as a lawyer for the judges of the Tax Court of Canada after being selected for the Court’s prestigious clerkship program. This experience gave him a behind-the-curtains perspective on what it takes to win a tax dispute. Dean frequently presents on tax-related topics to the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, the Canadian Bar Association, Royal LePage Team Realty, and others. He is considered an expert by TaxnetPro and frequently writes for Thompson Reuters publications. Dean’s spouse works in a leadership position for the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Education. Their daughter loves story time and puppet shows.
REPRESENTATIVE WORK
- Assisting a client who had been assessed over $1 million in third-party penalties, we convinced the CRA to waive all the penalties. By, accomplishing this early in the litigation process, our client to avoid undue stress and legal costs from additional procedural steps.
- Providing legal counsel and litigation we helped a couple whom the CRA accused of keeping money off-shore for tax purposes and accordingly reassessed for 25 consecutive years dating back to the 1980s. The CRA reassessed them $50,000 of tax and charged them over $180,000 of interest. Ultimately, we convinced the CRA to reduce the total amount owing to $13,000.
- Aiding restaurant owners, who admittedly were not reporting all of their income, Hazlo Law reduced their total amount owing from $875,000 to $225,000. By doing so, they were able to keep, allowing them to keep their house and business.
- By convincing the CRA to drop the property flipping portion of a reassessment and reduce some ancillary components of the reassessment we successfully. This saved our client a total of $284,000.
- Helping a client fight a net worth assessment that CRA conducted on him and his business we convinced the CRA to allow the client to deduct business expenses he had paid in cash, despite not having receipts. The CRA’s decision saved him and his business hundreds of thousands of dollars in total.
INSIGHTS
HazloLaw’s Dean Blachford Featured on CAPITAL Magazine
The Ottawa Board of Trade has featured Dean Blachford, tax dispute resolution and litigation lawyer with HazloLaw – Business Lawyers, on page 32 of its spring edition of CAPITAL Magazine. The article was written pre-COVID-19, [...]
How to Avoid and Refute CRA Gross Negligence Penalties
Dean Blachford, Tax Litigation Lawyer Alexander Krush, Articling Student What are Gross Negligence Penalties? When the CRA conducts an audit and believes that the taxpayer intentionally under-reported their taxes, they will assess the taxpayer a [...]
When Making Business Decisions in Response to COVID-19, Factor in CRA’s Collections Powers
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, business owners are having to make incredibly difficult decisions about how they allocate their precious financial resources. In order that business owners can make informed decisions that are [...]
The Voluntary Disclosure Program: What You Need to Know
The Voluntary Disclosure Program (“VDP”) allows taxpayers to disclose incomplete or inaccurate information regarding their previous income tax filings in exchange for relief from criminal prosecution, penalties and interest. While the taxpayer is still left [...]
HazloLaw’s Dean Blachford Hosts CPA Ottawa’s 2020 Tax Update
On February 6, 2020, Dean Blachford, Tax Disputes Resolution and Litigation Lawyer of HazloLaw-Business Lawyers, hosted and moderated the annual CPA Ottawa's 2020 Tax Update panel. The CPA Ottawa’s Annual Tax Update has become a [...]
What Our Clients Say
When I came to Dean, the CRA had reassessed me $1.3 million. When Dean was finished, the CRA had dropped the reassessment entirely. Dean earned my trust and confidence from the beginning. He is a great communicator. He kept me abreast of developments and made himself available to respond to all of my questions. I was most impressed with his legal knowledge and acumen.
Dean Blachford is an exceptional tax litigator: smart, effective, kind and compassionate. He knows the law and he gets the job done. But most importantly, he cares about the people who come to him for help. I have nothing but praise for Dean for his efficient and prompt resolution of my issue.
What I respect about Dean is that he didn’t sugarcoat things for me. He told me that succeeding in my personal and corporate tax appeals would be difficult. Then he did the work necessary to get the results.
Dean is extremely dedicated and dependable. He was always someone I could rely on. In the end, he helped me get the outcome that I was looking for.
It was clear to me from the outset that Dean had a plan and that he was taking ownership of my appeal. He always seemed to be in control of the situation. He made me feel confident by telling me what the next step in the process would be and what to expect. He told me about the risks of pursuing various options and ultimately negotiated a settlement that I was comfortable with.
Dean was handed my complicated appeal as we were awaiting our court date. He spared no effort in endeavouring to master all of its details. After which he skillfully liaised with the assigned Justice solicitor, and, to my great astonishment, was able to convince her to quash all of the charges. I still don’t know if I am more astonished or thankful. Throughout what was a trying ordeal for me, Dean was unfailingly professional; a consummate communicator, and an insightful master of the tax law regime. I can’t thank him enough for his robust and polished efforts on my behalf.
JOIN OUR TEAM
We are a collaborative team and take great pride in our ability to provide an environment where mutual respect, responsiveness, and out-of-the-box thinking is valued. If you are passionate about Business Law or International Law or Tax Dispute & Resolution Litigation and, are a creative and driven individual – we would love to speak with you.