Best Lawyers in America for Litigation and Controversy - Tax

A. Lavar Taylor has 30 years of experience in handling civil and criminal tax controversies. He handles litigation in U.S. District Court, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, U.S. Tax Court, U.S. Court of Claims, U.S. Courts of Appeal, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He also handles administrative disputes within the IRS, including audits, collection matters, criminal investigations, administrative hearings with the Office of Appeals and Collection Due Process appeals. Mr. Taylor, prior to entering private pr...

David A. DeJarnett is a partner in the Martinsburg office of Bowles Rice and concentrates his practice in trust and estate law, federal and state taxation, and corporate, LLC and partnership law. His estate planning practice includes providing clients with planning techniques to meet their objectives. These objectives may include minimizing the effect of estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes through the use of credit shelter trusts, charitable remainder trusts and irrevocable li...

Anthony C. Willoughby is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Litigation and Controversy - Tax and Tax Law. Anthony C., who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2019. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Anthony C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Kristina E. Somers is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation and Controversy - Tax and Tax Law. Kristina E., who practices law in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been recognized since 2011. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kristina E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Joe’s practice is focused on federal, state and local taxation, including planning and controversy resolution. Joe has represented clients successfully before the Tennessee tax administrative bodies and before Tennessee courts, including the Tennessee Supreme Court. Joe represents a number of Fortune 500 companies with respect to their Tennessee tax matters. Joe also represents clients in federal tax controversy resolution, including administrative appeals and representation before the ...

Derek W. Kaczmarek is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation and Controversy - Tax. Derek W., who practices law in Scottsdale, Arizona, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Derek W. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Richard J. Sapinski is a Member of the Sills Cummis & Gross White Collar and Corporate Investigations and Integrity Practice Groups. His practice involves white collar defense on both federal and state levels and civil and criminal tax litigation, as well as international tax reporting and compliance issues. Before entering private practice, he was employed by the IRS Office of the District Counsel as a Trial Attorney and later as a Special Trial Attorney (international) with the IRS Offi...

Mr. Fox is the managing partner of Ivins, Phillips & Barker. He was named in 2012 by the Washingtonian Magazine for the fourth straight year as one of the outstanding tax lawyers in Washington, D.C., in the Washington Post Magazine's list of Super Lawyers for the third straight year, and has been named in Best Lawyers in America in each of the last ten consecutive years. Although, during his 47 years with the firm, Mr. Fox devoted a substantial portion of his activities to international a...

"He is an effective negotiator and effectively uses relationships to obtain optimal results for clients. He has early recognition of cases for trial settings and/or settlement, sees the big picture and creates strategies for the future to protect the client." -Patricia Bligh, Chubb & Son, Inc.

Jeff chairs Varnum's employee benefits practice group. He has 25 years of experience working with employers, executives and third-party administrators on a wide range of employee benefit, executive compensation and individual retirement matters, including plan design, plan administration, benefit plan disputes and tax planning for retirement. He also helps solve complex tax issues in business and investment transactions, especially those involving pass-through entities and oil and gas activit...

Louis E. Wooten III is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation and Controversy - Tax, Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Louis E., who practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2011. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Louis E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Eric Smith is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation and Controversy - Tax. Eric, who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Eric is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Judson A. Welborn, a member of Manning Fulton's litigation section, concentrates his practice in the areas of real property litigation, construction litigation and business litigation. He has extensive experience representing clients in the state and federal courts of North Carolina, as well as administrative agencies and arbitration forums, in a variety of litigation matters involving real property and title insurance disputes, construction disputes, franchise, taxation and other business di...

RANDY E. FISHER is an attorney with the law firm of Thomas & Fisher, P.A. in Greenville, South Carolina. He practices in the areas of taxation, estate planning, trusts and estates, probate, partnership, limited liability company and corporate law, and mergers and acquisitions. He is a certified specialist in the fields of both Taxation Law, and Estate Planning and Probate Law by The Supreme Court of South Carolina. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Taxation Law,...

Curtis Elliott has practiced tax law for more than 25 years. He helps entrepreneurs and family business owners address their tax, estate planning, trusts and estates and business succession planning goals. Mr. Elliott has deep experience helping business owners develop estate planning structures for their family businesses. His clients range from closely held companies to large industrial enterprises owned and actively managed by multiple family generations. His work involves the use of share...

David Scruggs has represented taxpayers in appeals in numerous states and before local and state boards of equalization. He has also represented taxpayers in litigation before state and federal courts. He was co-counsel in the landmark Memphis Bank & Trust Co. v. Garner property tax case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. He is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He was also recently selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2019 in the fields of Administrative/Regula...