My convictions concerning all things tax stem from my childhood years when my life was completely disrupted during a visit to our family home by two Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Agents. At nine years of age, while playing an intense game of Monopoly with my four siblings and parents, I answered our front door, and two IRS agents invited themselves into our living room. There, without much introduction or explanation, they proceeded to threaten to levy and auction all of our possessions for unpaid taxes.

While my mother had always stayed at home to raise us five children, my father had owned a small construction company. An honest entrepreneur, he had taken on a silent partner who knew nothing of either construction or of the accompanying related business matters. Without accurate accounting practices or a clear understanding of tax laws, my father’s company unintentionally failed to report properly to the IRS or to pay all necessary taxes. Serious financial fallout would soon ensue.

Lacking sound legal advice about the devastating mess they found themselves in, my parents then agreed to pay not just a hundred percent of all the debt the IRS assessed against the company, but all interest and penalties as well. Throughout four long years, we strictly adhered to an installment agreement. In the end, however, we were forced to sell our home, so that all proceeds could be applied to the IRS debt, since the principal never really declined due to the excessive attending charges. Thus, we moved out of state to start over, leaving behind the company my parents had worked so hard to build and life as I had always known it.

Even then, the repercussions of not thoroughly understanding tax codes haunted my family. All totaled, the final amount my parents paid to the IRS was approximately double the original amount owed. I am convinced that the outcome for my entire family would have been very different had my parents had a passionate, skilled tax attorney on their side.

This certainty about the value of knowing one’s rights as a taxpayer would eventually launch me on my path toward sitting for the Texas and Alaska Bars. However, I did not form this goal consciously and concretely for many years following the family’s move, perhaps because, as my parents had been, I was fairly unaware that tax lawyers even existed, much less that they could offer extreme relief to stressed families. I went on to get my high school diploma at St. Thomas Aquinas and to major in sociology and French at the University of Texas at Austin. Later, at the University of Edinburgh, College of Medicine, I earned a Masters in Public Health. For years, I then worked in Texas as a Guardianship Specialist/Investigator with Adult Protective Services.

But despite these endeavors, I remained privately haunted by the fear and intimidation I had experienced as a child at the hands of the IRS agents. And, now older and much more conscious of my rights as a taxpayer, I returned to school once again, this time earning a J. D. at Texas Tech University School of Law and an LL.M. in Taxation Law at the University of Florida – Levin College of Law.

Team Approach

Having lived with the uncertainty of my family's future as a child, I dedicated my energies to helping others avoid the overwhelming, life-altering situation that my family had endured. While working for a local law firm in Anchorage, Alaska, it became increasingly obvious to me that the fields of tax law, estate planning and probate, and business legal matters were all inextricably entwined and that the client is best served with an integrated, proactive approach individually tailored to meet his or her specific needs.

Subsequently, I opened my own law firm in Anchorage. After a brief period, however, I decided that clients in other states could take advantage of Alaska’s liberal policies regarding the formation of Alaska asset protection trusts and other financial concerns. My Arlington, Texas, office opened soon thereafter. I believe that a team approach creates the highest likelihood of favorably resolving IRS tax problems or business disputes. The team members vary, depending on the nature and complexity of the case, but could include former IRS agents, veteran CPAs, forensic accountants, financial investigators, professional auditors, and experts in relevant industries.

The firm maintains state-of-the-art office technology, including computer systems, video conferencing, and Web-based research tools. By leveraging cutting-edge technology, we are able to deliver the highest quality services in the most efficient manner possible.

To all these advantages we also bring the certainty that the client deserves compassionate, but simultaneously objective, informed counsel, delivered in a timely fashion and at reasonable rates. Our goal remains consistent: to render quality, professional services to our clients through individualized attention, backed by experience, current knowledge of the law, technology, and resources.

Education

University of Florida – Levin College of Law (LL.M. in Taxation Law)
Texas Tech University School of Law (J.D.)
University of Edinburgh – College of Medicine (Masters in Public Health)
University of Texas at Austin (B. A.)

Bar Admissions

Alaska
Texas
United States District Court
United States Tax Court

Professional Affiliations

Tax Section Co-chair, Alaska Bar Association
Anchorage Estate Planning Council
WealthCounsel
DocuBank

* * * * * * * * * * The combination of Christy Lee’s LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida and her experience in resolving IRS tax problems while representing clients in IRS audits and appeals has led Christy to develop proactive tax planning in all her other practice areas. Let us help you with all phases of preparation for your financial future.