Team of 5 Tax Controversy Attorneys Joins Bradley in Its Atlanta Office
Bradley is pleased to welcome partners Jeff S. Luechtefeld, John Nail, and Sean R. Gannon, as well as senior attorney Gabriella Cole and associate Jessica R. Stephan, in Atlanta as members of the firm’s Tax Practice Group. All were previously with Chamberlain Hrdlicka White Williams & Aughtry.
“We are delighted that this group of highly accomplished tax controversy attorneys is joining the firm. Their significant litigation experience and deep understanding of the IRS allows them to offer strategic solutions for our clients,” said Bradley Atlanta Office Managing Partner Sidney S. Welch. “The addition of these attorneys also strengthens and enhances Bradley’s federal tax controversy capabilities, as well as being synergistic with the firm’s government enforcement and investigations work. The Atlanta office is continuing our growth strategy with tremendous legal talent, and we look forward to their collaboration.”
Mr. Luechtefeld represents Fortune 500 companies, private equity firms, closely held businesses and high-net-worth individuals in IRS examinations, appeals and litigation. He regularly defends clients before the United States Tax Court, U.S. District Courts and in the Circuit Courts of Appeal. Mr. Luechtefeld assists clients in resolving a wide range of tax disputes, including those involving listed transactions; amortization of intangibles; foreign tax credits; bad debt and worthless stock deductions; accounting method changes; executive compensation; and claims for research credit and domestic production deductions. He also represents clients subject to governmental inquires in responding to summonses and subpoenas. Previously, he led the regional tax controversy practice for a Big Four accounting firm and was a special trial attorney with the IRS Office of Chief Counsel. Mr. Luechtefeld earned his LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, his J.D. from the University of Missouri Columbia School of Law, and his B.S. in Finance from Missouri State University.
Mr. Nail represents Fortune 500 companies, closely-held businesses, and high net worth individuals in all stages of disputes with the IRS, from managing the examination and appeals process to handling litigation before the United States Tax Court, Federal District Courts, and Federal Courts of Appeal. He has helped clients address a wide range of issues, including matters involving listed transactions, the validity of Treasury Regulations, executive compensation disputes, debt/equity determinations, bad debt deductions, employment tax disputes, SECA tax compliance, foreign bank account disclosures, and estate and gift valuations. Mr. Nail is also active in the Criminal and Civil Penalty Committee of the ABA Tax Section as a co-chair of the Legislative & Administrative Subcommittee. He earned his J.D. (cum laude) at Wake Forest University School of Law and his B.S. from the College of Charleston.
Mr. Gannon regularly advises Fortune 500 companies, large Fund of Funds structures, and closely held businesses clients in IRS examinations, appeals and litigation. Mr. Gannon provides representation on a wide range of matters, including transfer pricing, intangible-asset valuation, research credits, energy investment and production credits, debt-equity determinations, loss deductions, and employment tax obligations. He previously served as a special trial attorney with the Office of Chief Counsel for the IRS and was a member of the management group of the Tax Controversy practice for a Big Four accounting firm. Mr. Gannon earned his LL.M. in Taxation at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, his J.D. from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School, and his B.A. from Michigan State University.
Ms. Cole is a tax and litigation attorney who has a specific focus on tax controversy law, representing corporations and individuals against the IRS and state departments throughout the audit, administrative appeals, and litigation processes. Her experience in tax controversy includes conservation easements, the research and development tax credit, the employee retention credit, the 179D tax deduction, and private letter rulings. Ms. Cole is also one of the founding members of the Atlanta Women in Tax Association. She received her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center, her M.B.A. from the University of Houston C.T. Bauer College of Business, and her B.S. (magna cum laude) from Kennesaw State University.
Ms. Stephan represents partnerships, corporations, and individuals in federal and state tax disputes. She has experience managing disputes with the IRS throughout the audit and administrative appeals process and advising taxpayers in matters before the United States Tax Court and Federal Courts of Appeal. She received her J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, an LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and a B.B.A. (summa cum laude) in Finance from Mississippi State University.
Bradley’s Tax Practice Group offers a broad range of services covering all aspects of federal, state, and local taxation laws for individuals and businesses. The firm’s tax attorneys serve a diverse client base and have direct experience handling unique tax issues in a wide range of industries. More than half of the partners in the Tax Practice Group are elected Fellows in either the American College of Tax Counsel or the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, both of which are elite groups of nationally recognized tax or trust and estate attorneys.
Bradley’s Atlanta office has more than doubled in size since it was established in May 2023 with 20 lawyers from leading law firms across the market. The Atlanta office is ranked as a “Leading Firm” in Georgia in the 2023 edition of Chambers USA, and half of the firm’s Atlanta attorneys are recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for 2024.
