An ex‑U.S. DOJ/IRS Lawyer with 40 Years of Top Experience Knows How to Help.
“A Legal Background That Is Recognized by Top Professionals as ‘Phenomenal.’”
Initial Consultations, Call Today! — Reach Out Today.
From Dynamic Redmond, WA: A Full‑Range IRS‑Dispute Lawyer with National Stature and Vast IRS‑Dispute Experience that Actually Includes . . . [scroll down, a lot]
- IRS Audits, Administrative Disputes, and Litigation
- IRS Criminal Tax Matters
- IRS Income and Excise Tax Disputes
- IRS Payroll Tax Disputes
- IRS Estate and Gift Tax Disputes
- IRS Corporate Tax Disputes
- Erroneous Reporting on 1099‑MISC of Return of Capital Paid as Substitute Payment in a Short Sale
- Form 1120‑F/Penalties for Failure to Withhold on FDAP/ECI
- IRS Penalty Disputes
- Disputes over Assessed and Statutory Interest
- Disputes over Limitations Statutes, Including Mitigation, Equitable Tolling, Equitable Recoupment, Offset, and Informal Claims for Refund
- Disputes over Alleged Tax Shelters and Lack of Economic Substance
- Tax Disputes Involving Tax‑Exempt Entities
- Challenges to the Faulty Regulation under IRC s. 1061(c)(4)(A) Respecting the Taxation of Carried Interest Paid by Hedge Funds
- Disputes over the Valuation of Tangible and Intangible Property, including Goodwill
- Expert Tax Opinions for Purposes of ASC 740
- Disputes over Alleged Prohibited Transactions
- Disputes over Listed Transactions
- Deductions for Worthless or Partially Worthless Debts
- Deductions for Theft Losses and Casualty Losses
- Change‑in‑Accounting‑Method Disputes
- Disputes over Charitable Contributions Made to Donor‑Advised Funds
- Disputes over Return‑Preparer Penalties
- Disputes over Proper Responses to IRS IDRs, Formal Document Requests, and Summonses (Issued During Audits)
- Responses to IRS CP‑Series Forms — CP2000, CP162, etc. (Precursors to an Audit)
- Removal and Enforcement of IRS Liens and Levies
- Offers to Settle Large IRS Debts
- Requests for Innocent‑Spouse Relief
- Disputes/Controversies Involving the U.S. Constitution (Not Limited to Tax Issues)
- Challenges to Federal Rules and Regulations that Overreach (Not Limited to Tax Issues)
- Federal Tax‑Return Filing Obligations of Visa and Green‑Card Holders
- Foreign Bank Account/FBAR Non‑Filings and Disputes
- Amendment of Tax Returns to Include Form 8938, Respecting Specified Foreign Financial Assets (FATCA)
- Amendment of Tax Returns to Include a Form 5471, Respecting Certain Interests in Certain Foreign Corporations
- Amendment of Tax Returns to Include a Form 3520, Respecting Receipt of Certain Foreign Gifts and Transactions with Foreign Trusts
- Disputes/Controversies with the U.S. Department of Justice
- Disputes/Controversies with the U.S. Department of the Treasury
- Disputes in Federal Courts, Including Appellate Courts
- State and Local Tax Disputes and Litigation in IL, DC, and WI
- Disputes with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
- Corporate Transparency Act (Final Regulations Issued by FinCEN on 9/29/22, effective 1/1/24)
- Cryptocurrency Reporting, Including on Amended Returns
- Appeals of Social Security/Medicare Premium Adjustments Under IRMAA.
- Suspicious Activity Reports (SAR)/Anti‑Money Laundering (AML).
A Tax Lawyer Who Has a Premier Legal Background, and a Washington Location.
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Maybe you have a dispute with the IRS or expect one. Tom, with a singular background, can help.
Here are the three primary qualities that a taxpayer, expecting or involved in a dispute with the IRS or U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) tax authorities, should seek out when hiring a tax‑dispute lawyer:
A Long Record of First‑Chair, Top‑Tier Tax‑Dispute Accomplishment — Preferably Forged in the Federal‑Court “Crucible” and National in Scope.
Judgment Seasoned by a Decade or More of Representing the IRS in Court, and then a Decade or More of Representing Blue‑Chip Taxpayers against the IRS. Experience on “Both Sides of the Ball.”
Integrity‑ and Expertise‑Based Credibility with IRS and U.S. DOJ Tax Authorities, and with Federal Courts.
And if the tax dispute has possible criminal overtones, a fourth quality is critical as well: Criminal‑Tax Experience, Preferably as a Federal Prosecutor.
A Premier National Stature + A WA Innovation‑Triangle Location
Having represented the IRS during the first half of his tax career, and having represented a plethora of blue‑chip corporate, non‑profit, and individual taxpayers during the second half …
Having first‑chaired in court a vast array of complex and mega‑dollar civil federal tax cases from coast‑to‑coast for 40+ years at the very highest reaches of the tax profession …
Having tried over 20 cases to a jury verdict, having argued 16 cases to six different federal courts of appeals, and having written and filed hundreds of briefs in court …
Having been a federal prosecutor, with criminal tax and non‑tax jury‑trial experience …
Having been promoted twice into ascending, competitive‑service supervisory positions (GM‑15) with the Tax Division of U.S. DOJ in DC …
Having been, for more than a decade, a Tax partner or shareholder — without ever having been a (mere) associate — in two of the nation’s largest and most prestigious international law firms …
Having practiced for 18 years each in the “tax vortices” of DC and Chicago, first‑chairing cases worth $3 to $4 billion — and now, since 2019, practicing federal tax law from Redmond/Bellevue, WA …
Having first‑chaired federal tax cases controlling $500 to $600 million while practicing at his own solo law firm (started back in 2016) …
Having demonstrated a nimble intellect and thought leadership by publishing extensively in premier national tax and non‑tax publications, including three authoritative commercial treatises, across four different decades (1980s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s) …
Having received over twenty coveted, formal awards from his lawyer peers in the “tax vortices” of DC and Illinois, across five different decades (i.e., 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s) … and
Holding a J.D. degree from a leading Big Ten, first‑tier law school (where as a student he published an article in the law school’s flagship law journal — an extreme rarity for any student or practitioner) —
With all of this, Thomas D. Sykes may be your best choice to efficiently and effectively resolve your dispute with the IRS. He is not a bankruptcy, “business law,” divorce, estate‑planning, probate, real‑estate, immigration, or general‑practice lawyer who dabbles in tax as needed; rather, he is a lawyer, at the top of his profession, who has focused upon intense federal tax disputes for the last 40+ years.
He will personally handle your dispute, and not hand some or all of it off to a junior partner, an associate, or a paralegal; this eliminates bureaucratic redundancies and fee duplication. His no‑frills, quick‑study, result‑focused, “boutique” law firm offers judgment‑informed solutions from energetic Redmond, WA — and emphatically not from Florida, Texas, California, or Michigan. His operating efficiencies allow his hourly rate to be well below the premium rate (2x plus) you would expect for a lawyer of this caliber.
Tom invites you to peruse this data‑rich website (including its seven drop‑down pages, its five click‑on badges, three carousels, and several testimonials) for uncommonly specific details about Tom’s nationwide federal tax‑dispute practice, and about his phenomenal, singular legal and tax background and experience. Then maybe use this web page as a checklist for comparisons, and . . .
Premier Coast‑to‑Coast Federal Tax Lawyer ™
Practice Areas
Tax Lawyer in Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland, Woodinville, Bothell, Issaquah, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, and Renton.
IRS Administrative Disputes and Litigation
Contact TomIRS Income and Excise Tax Disputes
Contact TomIRS Payroll Tax Disputes
Contact TomIRS Corporate Tax Disputes
Contact TomIRS Penalty Disputes
Contact TomDisputes over Assessed and Statutory Interest
Contact TomDisputes over Alleged Tax Shelters and Lack of Economic Substance
Contact TomDisputes over the Valuation of Tangible and Intangible Property, Including Goodwill
Contact TomDisputes over Alleged Prohibited Transactions
Contact TomDisputes over Return‑Preparer Penalties
Contact TomDisputes over Proper Responses to IRS IDRs, Formal Document Requests, and Summonses (Issued During Audits)
Contact TomDisputes/Controversies Involving the U.S. Constitution (Not Limited to Tax Issues)
Contact TomChallenges to Federal Rules and Regulations that Overreach (Not Limited to Tax Issues)
Contact TomFederal Tax‑Return Filing Obligations of Visa and Green‑Card Holders
Contact TomForeign Bank Account/FBAR Non‑Filings and Disputes
Contact TomAmendment of Tax Returns to Include Form 8938, Respecting Specified Foreign Financial Assets (FATCA)
Contact TomAmendment of Tax Returns to Include a Form 5471, Respecting Certain Interests in Certain Foreign Corporations
Contact TomAmendment of Tax Returns to Include a Form 3520, Respecting Receipt of Certain Foreign Gifts and Transactions with Foreign Trusts
Contact TomDisputes/Controversies with the U.S. Department of Justice
Contact TomDisputes/Controversies with the U.S. Department of the Treasury
Contact TomDisputes in Federal Courts, Including Appellate Courts
Contact TomState and Local Tax Disputes and Litigation in IL, DC, and WI
Contact TomDisputes with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Contact TomCorporate Transparency Act (Proposed Regulations Issued by FinCEN on 12/8/21)
Contact TomCryptocurrency Reporting, Including on Amended Returns
Contact TomAppeals of Social Security/Medicare Benefit Adjustments Under IRMAA
Contact TomSuspicious Activity Reports (SAR)/Anti‑Money Laundering (AML)
Contact TomChallenges to the Faulty Regulation under IRC s. 1061(c)(4)(A) Respecting the Taxation of Carried Interest Paid by Hedge Funds
Contact TomIRS Estate and Gift Tax Disputes
Contact TomResponses to IRS CP‑Series Forms — CP2000, CP162, etc. (Precursors to an Audit)
Contact TomRequests for Innocent‑Spouse Relief
Contact TomTax Disputes Involving Tax‑Exempt Entities
Contact TomDisputes over Listed Transactions
Contact TomDisputes over Charitable Contributions Made to Donor‑Advised Funds
Contact TomIRS Criminal Tax Matters
Contact TomDeductions for Worthless or Partially Worthless Debts
Contact TomChange‑in‑Accounting‑Method Disputes
Contact TomRemoval and Enforcement of IRS Liens and Levies
Contact TomOffers to Settle Large IRS Debts
Contact TomDisputes over Limitations Statutes, Including Mitigation, Equitable Tolling, Equitable Recoupment, Offset, and Informal Claims for Refund
Contact TomDon’t see your exact issue listed? If it involves the IRS, DOJ Tax Division, or a federal tax dispute, Tom has likely handled something like it.
Contact TomExtensively Published in Premier Tax Publications; Co‑Author of a Definitive BNA/Bloomberg Tax Treatise and of a Chapter Supplement to a Definitive Wolters Kluwer Treatise.
Co‑Author, Chapter in BNA/Bloomberg’s Tax Practice Series, Addressing IRS Examinations.
What Clients and Colleagues Say
A conflict between you and the IRS or SSA is not any fun. Finding a good partner to combat this is important and Tom Sykes is that individual. He knows the laws and he is a tireless, never‑give‑up individual combating for you every step of the way. Thank you, Tom, for being in my corner!
I am a retired Deloitte tax partner. During my career I had the pleasure of working directly with Tom Sykes on several mutual clients, some of whom I referred to Tom, given his deep knowledge and expertise. These were mostly large, high profile academic medical centers, universities and other not‑for‑profit entities. His advice and counsel is top notch. Truly an expert in the area of complex federal tax matters and litigation. Highly recommended.
Your background is, without a doubt, phenomenal.