John Schmehl Bio

John Schmehl has been Chair of the Tax Group for 35 years. He advises clients on tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions; spin-off, split-off, and split-up transactions involving the tax-free division of assets; structuring executive compensation plans, including advice on golden parachutes and §409A deferred compensation issues; preservation of net operating losses and §382 studies; insolvency and bankruptcy planning, including forgiveness of debt issues; §1031 like-kind exchanges; S corporations; formation of limited partnership and limited liability companies; qualified opportunity zones and state and local tax issues. With four years of experience as an IRS trial attorney, John continues to advise clients in tax controversies from audit to appeal to litigation, both in the United States Tax Court and in tax refund litigation in District Court or the Court of Federal Claims, and in state and local tax examinations and appeals, including sales and use and income taxes. He also advises on private letter rulings and technical advice, on IRS collection matters, and works with the firm’s Corporate Investigations/White Collar Group to defend fraud and criminal tax investigations. As an IRS District Counsel trial attorney, John advised revenue agents, revenue officers and special agents, and the Department of Justice in civil, collection, and criminal tax matters.