Tax Law

Reston Virginia Tax Law Attorneys

Zell Law provides sophisticated international, federal, state and local tax advice to advance clients’ interests in an environment of complex and rapidly changing tax laws. The firm advises clients in their ongoing and transactional planning, tailoring structures to meet business and financial goals in a manner that makes the best use of tax incentives and minimizes the impact of taxation.

We also represent clients in civil tax controversies and regularly serve as special tax counsel to other law firms, accounting firms, and investment banks. We have assisted clients in structuring legislative proposals and presenting them to Congress, the Treasury Department, the IRS, other agencies, and industry coalitions. Contact a tax law attorney admitted to practice in Virginia, Maryland and District of Columbiatoday to discuss your tax matter.

Closely-Held Businesses

Zell Law’s closely-held business clients include mature businesses, often owned by family members and operating as limited liability companies or S Corporations, and start-up businesses that may have the potential to become publicly-held companies. The firm advises clients on a variety of matters, including the right form of organization for their enterprises; the structure of executive compensation packages (especially in start-up situations), the interaction between business tax planning and estate planning; and the tax aspects of particular business and financial matters that arise in the course of business. For start-up and later-stage companies in high technology areas such as electronics, computer components and software, planning often includes venture capital financings, technology licensing and corporate joint ventures. At the same time, Zell Law utilizes extensive knowledge of estate planning to structure the most tax-effective succession plans for business owners.

Partnerships and Joint Ventures

Zell Law's attorneys are experienced in structuring complex economic relations among parties doing business in the form of entities taxed as partnerships, including limited liability companies. These arrangements may be joint ventures formed for a limited purpose among otherwise independent businesses or may be a single business operating in the flexible mode afforded by a tax pass-through entity. The firm regularly structures entities that include complex, disproportionate allocations of economic and tax incidents, and designs flexible executive equity incentives that are particular to the tax pass-through regime.

Tax-Exempt Entities

Zell Law has represented many tax-exempt entities, such as health care and educational organizations and private foundations, in obtaining tax-exempt status and provides these organizations with advice on issues of particular concern in their ongoing operations, including related taxable and exempt activities. The firm also counsels clients in their ongoing restructuring as they enter into taxable ventures and establish for-profit affiliates to improve their cash flow, enabling them to benefit from unrelated business opportunities while maintaining their exempt status. Mr. Zell has represented pension funds and tax-exempt investors in structuring investments to achieve maximum rates of return while avoiding unrelated business taxable income.

Dispute Resolution

Zell Law represents individual and corporate clients in tax controversy disputes with the IRS, at the audit and appeals levels, before the collection division, and in the early stages of criminal investigations. The firm’s goal is to negotiate a favorable settlement for the client, avoiding time-consuming and expensive litigation. Mr. Zell also has represented clients in civil matters in the Tax Court, Federal District Court and the Claims Court.