Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2011 
Julian A. Fortuna is a member of the Corporate and Business and the Resort, Hotel and Hospitality Groups at Taylor English Duma LLP where he practices business and tax law with a focus on domestic and international tax planning for business entities, owners and executives. Mr. Fortuna also represents clients in civil and criminal tax cases before the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), the Georgia Department of Revenue and various other federal, state, local and foreign tax authorities. He litigates cases in the United States Tax Court and the Georgia Tax Tribunal. He also prepares wills and trusts, advises clients regarding business and succession planning, and represents fiduciaries and beneficiaries in estate and trust matters.
Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Fortuna was Vice President and General Tax Counsel for InterContinental Hotels Group ("IHG") where he was responsible for structuring the domestic and international tax impacts of numerous mergers, acquisitions, dispositions and other corporate transactions, as well as construction projects, leases, exchanges and other real and personal property transactions. Mr. Fortuna was also responsible for state and local tax matters (including property, sales/use and occupancy taxes). He also directed tax research and planning for cross-border financing, captive insurance, and the worldwide use of trade names and other intangible assets. He represented IHG before the IRS and various other tax authorities on audits, appeals, and ruling requests, and pursued tax regulatory and legislative changes for the benefit of IHG with U.S. Treasury and Congressional personnel in Washington D.C.
Prior to joining IHG, Mr. Fortuna spent eleven years in the tax department at Deloitte and Touche where he served a variety of corporate and individual clients, and prior to that he served four years in the U.S. Treasury Department at Office of the Chief Counsel for the IRS where he was responsible for litigation in the United States Tax Court. Mr. Fortuna distinguished himself at the Office of Chief Counsel by winning seven of the eight cases he tried (he won a third of the other case), including two fraud cases and an accumulated earnings tax case. Mr. Fortuna is active the State Bar of Georgia (Treasurer, Tax Section; Member, Fiduciary Law Section); Atlanta Bar Association (Vice-Chair, Tax Law Section; Member, Estate Planning and Probate and Criminal Law Sections); American Bar Association (Member, Tax Section); Atlanta Tax Forum; and Lawyers Club of Atlanta. His recent speaking engagements include: "Addressing Liquidity Concerns Upon the Death of An Owner of a Closely-Held Business", Brightworth, Atlanta, GA, 2009; “Year End Income, Estate and Gift Tax Planning” 2009 (Small Firm/Solo Practitioner Section of Atlanta Bar), 2010 (Fiduciary Law Section of Gwinnett Bar), 2011 and 2012 (The Seminar Group). Mr. Fortuna consistently receives outstanding ratings from his peers both for his ethical standards and his legal abilities: certified by Martindale-Hubbell® as “AV- Preeminent” in Taxation, Resorts and Leisure, and Trusts and Estates; selected for inclusion in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® for Tax Law and Tax Controversy/Litigation; designated a Super Lawyer in Taxation by Thompson Reuters for 2011 and 2012; and listed among Georgia Trend’s 2011 Legal Elite in Taxes/Trusts and Estates.
Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Fortuna was Vice President and General Tax Counsel for InterContinental Hotels Group ("IHG") where he was responsible for structuring the domestic and international tax impacts of numerous mergers, acquisitions, dispositions and other corporate transactions, as well as construction projects, leases, exchanges and other real and personal property transactions. Mr. Fortuna was also responsible for state and local tax matters (including property, sales/use and occupancy taxes). He also directed tax research and planning for cross-border financing, captive insurance, and the worldwide use of trade names and other intangible assets. He represented IHG before the IRS and various other tax authorities on audits, appeals, and ruling requests, and pursued tax regulatory and legislative changes for the benefit of IHG with U.S. Treasury and Congressional personnel in Washington D.C.
Prior to joining IHG, Mr. Fortuna spent eleven years in the tax department at Deloitte and Touche where he served a variety of corporate and individual clients, and prior to that he served four years in the U.S. Treasury Department at Office of the Chief Counsel for the IRS where he was responsible for litigation in the United States Tax Court. Mr. Fortuna distinguished himself at the Office of Chief Counsel by winning seven of the eight cases he tried (he won a third of the other case), including two fraud cases and an accumulated earnings tax case. Mr. Fortuna is active the State Bar of Georgia (Treasurer, Tax Section; Member, Fiduciary Law Section); Atlanta Bar Association (Vice-Chair, Tax Law Section; Member, Estate Planning and Probate and Criminal Law Sections); American Bar Association (Member, Tax Section); Atlanta Tax Forum; and Lawyers Club of Atlanta. His recent speaking engagements include: "Addressing Liquidity Concerns Upon the Death of An Owner of a Closely-Held Business", Brightworth, Atlanta, GA, 2009; “Year End Income, Estate and Gift Tax Planning” 2009 (Small Firm/Solo Practitioner Section of Atlanta Bar), 2010 (Fiduciary Law Section of Gwinnett Bar), 2011 and 2012 (The Seminar Group). Mr. Fortuna consistently receives outstanding ratings from his peers both for his ethical standards and his legal abilities: certified by Martindale-Hubbell® as “AV- Preeminent” in Taxation, Resorts and Leisure, and Trusts and Estates; selected for inclusion in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® for Tax Law and Tax Controversy/Litigation; designated a Super Lawyer in Taxation by Thompson Reuters for 2011 and 2012; and listed among Georgia Trend’s 2011 Legal Elite in Taxes/Trusts and Estates.
