Tax Planning & Tax Return Preparation - Top Atlanta Law Firm

We assist our clients in achieving their personal and business objectives by developing and instituting strategies for paying the least amount of federal, state and local tax.

Strategies change as the tax laws and business environment change and as individuals and businesses mature. We often represent individuals, many of whom own businesses or work for businesses. Entrepreneurs who start up and sell businesses involve us in the legal and tax aspects of the business. Corporate executives involve us in stock option planning, employee benefits planning, employment agreements and severance agreements. We also represent individuals regarding the financial and tax implications of prenuptial agreements and postnuptial adjustments and divorce settlements and will contests. See Prenuptial Agreements, Disputes & Postnuptial Adjustments.

Good tax planning is followed by filing tax returns with the IRS. As part of our continuing service, we prepare federal and state tax returns for individuals and companies that are consistent with the tax planning we have done and provide support for tax positions taken. In some cases, the IRS audits tax returns. We regularly represent clients and their businesses before the IRS. Sometimes our first contact with new clients is in connection with IRS tax issues. (See Tax Audits, Appeals & Litigation for help with audit issues.)

Since we practice in Probate & Estate Administration, we are particularly skilled in preparing estate tax returns, estate income tax returns, trust income tax returns and gift tax returns. Additionally, we form foundations for clients and prepare the required exempt organization tax returns.

Three of our attorneys have undergraduate and graduate degrees in Tax or related areas of practice. C. Murray Saylor, Jr. has a BS in Economics and an MS in Accounting from the Wharton School, The University of Pennsylvania. He was head of the Tax Department of Touche Ross in Atlanta and was a Founding Partner of Deloitte & Touche. Ed Rappaport has a Bachelor of Accounting from the McComb School of Business of the University of Texas and a Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Florida. James Killough received a Master of Laws in Taxation from Emory University School of Law.

A number of our lawyers are active in various bar associations and other tax professional groups. Murray Saylor was President of the American Academy of Attorney-CPAs and has been a board member since 1986; he also was Estate Planning Committee Chair. Murray Saylor was President of the Atlanta Tax Council and is still on the Board of Directors. Ed Rappaport and James Killough are members. Ed was President and a Director of the North Atlanta Tax Council. Murray was Chair of the Tax Section of the Atlanta Bar Association and still serves on the Board as Immediate Past President. Ed Rappaport is a member of the Tax Section. Murray and Ed are members of the Tax Section of the State Bar of Georgia. Murray is a member of the American Bar Association Tax Section.

Some of our lawyers have articles or presentations concerning tax issues. Murray Saylor was counsel on an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court by the Attorney/CPAs. In Comptroller v. Wynne the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that there cannot be double taxation of non-resident individuals in Maryland business income. Murray has written articles on tax issues for The Mortmain, The Atlanta Lawyer, The Attorney-CPA, and Medical Practice Management. Additionally, he wrote a section on taxes for the book Women and the Law: A Guide to Women’s Legal Rights in Georgia. Ed Rappaport has written articles on tax for the Estate Planning Magazine and written a chapter about asset protection planning in Financial Planning for Physicians and Healthcare Professionals. Jacquelyn “Jackie” Saylor has written tax related articles for The Mortmain and The Information Exchange, the newsletter for the Sole Practitioner/Small Firm Section of the Atlanta Bar Association.

Ed, Murray, Jackie and James Killough have made presentations on tax issues. Jackie and Murray spoke at a planned giving seminar on the Tax Relief Act of 2010. Murray has also spoken in front of the American Association (Academy) of Attorney-CPAs, the Atlanta Bar Association Section meetings and the Georgia Society of CPAs including the Managing Your Money Conference with Clark Howard. For the last several years Ed has given a lecture to the Sports and Entertainment Section of the State Bar of Georgia on tax considerations for athletes and entertainers. In November 2016 he spoke on tax and other legal considerations for professional athletes as a panel member at the North American Law Summit on Tax and Legal Considerations for Professional Athletes. Jim Killough spoke on sales tax nexus issues for Lorman CLE programs on state taxation.

Jackie and Murray have received awards for Georgia Trend’s Legal Elite, The Best Lawyers in Georgia, Taxes, Estates & Trusts Category and Georgia’s Legal Elite, Top Rated Lawyers by Martindale-Hubbell and Super Lawyers. Murray has also received awards from Five Star Wealth Managers as seen in The Atlanta Magazine.