According to taxanalysts.com, in March of 2009, incoming American Bar Association Section of Taxation Chair Karen Hawkins was tasked with taking over the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility.

It had been a tough few years for OPR, which struggled with changing professional standards from congressional legislation and a heavy backlog of cases. Hawkins almost immediately revitalized the office and, in fact, led it to new heights with the backing of former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman.

However, after the government loss in Loving and a mounting number of other litigation setbacks to OPR's plans to more closely regulate return preparers, it's fair to ask whether the office’s golden age is now over.