Offices in NYC, DC, and Atlanta to Expand Reach of Combined Firm’s Sophisticated Tax Controversy and White-Collar Criminal Defense Practices
NEW YORK (June 4, 2024) — Kostelanetz LLP, with one of the country’s premier boutique tax and white-collar criminal defense practices, has combined forces with Atlanta-based WELTY PC to create a powerhouse national tax controversy practice with extraordinary experience in handling civil and criminal tax matters from negotiation with tax authorities through all phases of litigation.
Kostelanetz LLP, as the newly blended firm is known, now has several locations, including offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., and now, Atlanta, GA, effective as of June 1, 2024. The addition of 10 new attorneys and three new litigation support personnel will augment the firm’s already deep bench of former government lawyers from the IRS and Department of Justice.
For more than 75 years, Kostelanetz LLP has built a global reputation as a law firm of choice for clients facing high stakes in civil and criminal tax controversies, government investigations, white-collar criminal defense, tax and estate planning, complex commercial litigation, and government procurement and contracting.
Like Kostelanetz LLP, WELTY PC, helmed by seasoned tax controversy litigator Todd Welty, has made a name for itself in the tax bar by taking on multi-faceted, high-profile tax controversy and litigation disputes involving the IRS’s priority enforcement matters.
“Todd is a terrific lawyer, with an unmatched reputation for handling — and winning — some of the largest and most complex civil tax matters,” said Kostelanetz partner Bryan Skarlatos. “So uniting our two groups of veteran tax attorneys into the most experienced tax controversy practice in the country was a very easy decision.”
“After more than two decades of knowing the firm’s work, my respect for the superior level of knowledge and skill that Kostelanetz attorneys bring to their clients could not be higher,” said Todd Welty. “There are only a handful of people who I would want to practice with at this stage in my career, and they all work at Kostelanetz.”
Both Todd and Andy Steigleder, who, prior to joining WELTY PC, was a tax litigation partner at Mayer Brown, will join Kostelanetz as partners.
The addition of an Atlanta office will also allow Kostelanetz to strengthen its ties to Spelman College. The historically Black liberal arts college for women located in Atlanta is known for its academic rigor and rich history as the No. 1 ranked Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Spelman has been a great source of talent for the firm since 2021, when Kostelanetz expanded its Pre-Law Paralegal Program for high-achieving college graduates to include an internship for pre-law undergraduates at Spelman College. The Kostelanetz internship program has been so successful that, this summer, five Kostelanetz employees will be Spelman alumna, and one will be a rising Spelman senior.
Kostelanetz’s newly expanded civil tax controversy practice will build upon the firm’s longstanding reputation as “a leader in tax controversy and tax litigation” (Legal 500) and “a go-to boutique for tax controversy” (Chambers USA). Whether it’s facing an IRS audit, contesting a tax assessment, resolving a dispute through the administrative appeals process, or, if necessary, trial and appellate courts, Kostelanetz attorneys guide companies and high-net-worth individuals through the process and provide them with the best options for resolving the matter favorably. By demystifying interactions with the IRS and DOJ, Kostelanetz attorneys aim to empower clients with the information they need to protect their interests.
Kostelanetz has more tax controversy attorneys than most large firm practice groups. In fact, large firms often call on Kostelanetz attorneys as co-counsel in some of the most complex and sensitive tax controversy cases because there are very few issues or fact patterns that the firm’s attorneys have not encountered.
Approximately half of the firm’s legal team has significant government experience, including a former Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Tax Division, a former Chief of the IRS Criminal Investigation, several attorneys with experience in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, a former Special Trial Attorney for the IRS Office of Chief Counsel in New York, several attorneys with criminal and civil DOJ Tax Division experience, and several former Assistant United States Attorneys. As a result, Kostelanetz attorneys are fully familiar with the practices of the IRS, the DOJ, and other taxing authorities.
Rounding out Kostelanetz’s domestic and international civil and criminal tax controversy work, the firm’s other key practice areas include white-collar criminal defense, estates and trusts, transactional tax planning, civil litigation, and government procurement and contracting. Kostelanetz LLP and its attorneys have been honored and recognized for their work on tax controversy, tax fraud, white-collar criminal defense, estate and tax planning, commercial litigation, and other practice areas by major, independent national and international legal rankings agencies, including Chambers USA, The Legal 500, Best Lawyers, and Super Lawyers. The firm’s lawyers are members of some of the most prestigious legal associations in the country, including the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American College of Tax Counsel, and the Litigation Counsel of America. Kostelanetz attorneys have also been included on lists of the most influential lawyers in New York, including City & State NY’s “Law Power 100” list.
