Brian is a seasoned trial attorney who is skilled at both defending clients in federal tax controversies and arguing precedent-setting appeals in the state courts of North Carolina.

Tax Controversy & Litigation
A former trial attorney with the Internal Revenue Service, Brian has represented clients on tax matters before the IRS, the Department of Justice Tax Division, the U.S. Tax Court, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and multiple U.S. District Courts. He has deep knowledge of the rules, policies, and procedures necessary to handle federal tax disputes and is well versed in the Internal Revenue Code. This potent combination puts him in an excellent position to successfully resolve a broad range of federal tax disputes for his clients, including matters such as audit examinations, administrative appeals, tax shelter transactions, conservation easement investigations, foreign bank account and asset disclosures, trust fund investigations, and penalty assessments.

Appellate Law
Recognizing the importance of a strong appeal, Brian also has dedicated a considerable portion of his career to assisting clients with a wide variety of complex post-trial matters. He has successfully argued cases before the Supreme Court of North Carolina and the North Carolina Court of Appeals, and has assisted in appeals in a variety of U.S. Courts of Appeals. In 2020, the Supreme Court of North Carolina unanimously agreed with Brian in an opinion written by the Chief Justice that the state can terminate parental rights relating to an abused or neglected child even if the parent has no contacts with North Carolina and the court therefore lacks personal jurisdiction.

Outside General Counsel for Nonprofit Organizations
Beyond the courtroom, Brian often serves in the role of outside general counsel, advising charities and other tax-exempt and nonprofit organizations on a variety of governance and tax matters. He has assisted with entity formation, obtaining and maintaining tax exemptions, reclassifications, private inurement issues, intermediate sanctions, unrelated business income tax, tax reporting and disclosures and self-dealing.