Businesses and individuals need effective guidance to cope with the complex and ever-changing tangle of tax laws. Andrews Kurth tax lawyers understand the complexities of federal and state taxation and are engaged in a broad spectrum of services representing corporate, limited liability company, partnership and individual clients, as well as trusts, estates and foundations. We closely monitor changing tax laws to maximize the benefits of planning to meet client objectives, and are known for our ability to communicate complex tax concepts in plain English.

Making the tax code work for business

Any business transaction can have adverse tax consequences if it isn’t properly structured. Andrews Kurth tax lawyers bring sound corporate finance knowledge to the planning and execution of asset-based financings, mergers, acquisitions, asset purchases and sales (including those involving oil, gas and other natural resources), project financings, corporate reorganizations and bankruptcies.

We regularly advise a wide range of public and private clients, particularly publicly traded partnerships and real estate investment trusts (REITs), on choice of entity, acquisition planning and exit strategy considerations. We also have significant experience in the income tax aspects of complex debt instruments and real estate investments by tax-exempt investors—areas where deep experience can make a big difference.

Meeting personal financial goals

The tax code often is one of the most important influences on financial planning for an individual, family or emerging business. We combine careful analysis and innovative techniques to meet client objectives and maximize financial benefits in estate and personal tax planning, executive compensation and employee benefits planning.

We counsel clients regarding estate planning, family businesses, gratuitous and intergenerational asset transfers and advise clients on probate and estate administration matters.

Our employee benefits and executive compensation lawyers have extensive experience with most issues that arise concerning qualified pension and profit sharing plans, health and most other types of welfare benefit plans, stock option and other types of equity incentive plans and other types of non-qualified deferred compensation plans or arrangements. We work with large and small employers to ensure that their benefit plans and arrangements are properly documented and in full compliance with all applicable regulatory guidance issued by the IRS.

In addition, our lawyers function as skilled advocates before the IRS and the Department of Labor (DOL) to secure favorable determination or ruling letters and advisory opinions or prohibited transaction exemptions, and to resolve any reporting or other compliance issues. When employers or individuals face tax audits or administrative hearings, we are consistently successful at resolving the dispute in negotiations with the DOL, IRS or state and local taxing authorities.

We regularly pursue the most difficult controversies in U.S. Tax Court and other federal courts. For example, Andrews Kurth handled a landmark tax case before the U.S. Supreme Court, and convinced the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse a District Court ruling in favor of the IRS.

Achieving your objectives

Tax laws change constantly, and interpreting them takes skill and insight. Andrews Kurth tax lawyers never forget that one of the real challenges of tax law is working with clients to find the right answers.

We think it’s far more important to tell you what you can do, rather than what you can’t.