WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 3, 2025) — Kostelanetz LLP is pleased to welcome Melissa Wiley as a partner in the Washington, D.C., office focused on civil tax controversy matters for business and high-net-worth clients.
Melissa brings more than two decades of civil tax controversy and litigation experience to Kostelanetz, augmenting the firm’s stellar reputation as a premier civil and criminal tax controversy boutique.
An actuary by training who has worked at both law firms and a Big Four accounting firm, Melissa will continue her successful record of representing corporate, institutional, and individual clients with tax controversy matters in litigation and before all levels of the IRS, including audits, appeals, and matters before the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility. She has deep experience representing clients in voluntary disclosures, in matters involving international information return reporting, and other allegations of tax noncompliance or reporting failures. She also leverages her insurance background to counsel on matters involving captive insurance companies.
Melissa is frequently asked to speak and present at conferences and in professional learning environments on IRS enforcement priorities, estate and gift tax, civil tax penalties, legal ethics related to tax, the changing jurisprudence regarding anti-money laundering, and the Corporate Transparency Act of 2021.
She is a Regent for the Federal Circuit for the American College of Tax Counsel. She is also an active member of the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants), where she chairs its IRS Advocacy and Relations Committee, and she serves as the Vice Chair for Membership, Diversity, and Inclusion for the American Bar Association’s Tax Section. As part of her pro bono practice, Melissa serves on the board of directors for the Community Tax Law Project, a taxpayer clinic that represents low-income taxpayers in disputes with the IRS or local and state tax authorities.
For more than 75 years, Kostelanetz LLP has built a global reputation as a law firm of choice for clients facing high-stakes controversies and negotiations with government agencies. Our attorneys have extensive experience in tax controversy, tax fraud, government investigations, white-collar criminal defense, and tax and estate planning. We are regularly called upon to handle the most challenging and sensitive cases and internal investigations. Important parts of the firm’s practice include commercial litigation and government procurement and contracting. To learn more or to contact a Kostelanetz attorney, explore Our People and Practice Areas.