Eversheds Sutherland has significantly boosted its US tax controversy offering with the hire of a 12-lawyer team in Atlanta from national tax specialist Chamberlain Hrdlicka. 

The team is led by partners Hale Sheppard, Cassandra Bradford and Samuel Grier alongside two counsels and seven associates. 

They represent taxpayers in tax audits, tax appeals and tax litigation in domestic and international matters. Their practice covers high-profile tax disputes, particularly Inland Revenue Service (IRS) coordinated domestic issues including conservation easements, employee retention credits and Opportunity Zone disputes, among others. 

Robert Chase, Eversheds’ US tax practice group leader, said the group’s experience would be invaluable as the firm navigates complex tax issues on behalf of its clients.  

He added: “With enforcement matters expected to continue at pace, this is the perfect time to bring on this team and ensure our clients are well-positioned to adapt and capitalise on any upcoming developments. Each member of this team brings a wealth of knowledge and a history of success that will benefit our clients.”

Sheppard, who spent more than 20 years at Chamberlain Hrdlicka, said Eversheds offered the group’s clients “a platform that provides legal services across the globe and can address their most complex legal needs”.

The group’s arrival brings the firm’s US tax controversy team to 44 partners, according to its website, including more than 20 in Washington DC where Chamberlain Hrdlicka does not have an office. 

The team houses an experienced bench of former IRS attorneys, according to Chambers and Partners, and is particularly adept at insurer representation and state and local tax disputes. In 2023 the firm was boosted with the hire of federal tax controversy partners David Blair, David Fischer and Dwight Mersereau from Crowell & Moring in Washington DC.

The group is the second to leave Chamberlain Hrdlicka in the past seven months after nine tax controversy lawyers including five partners moved over to Nelson Mullins’ Houston office last July, citing cross-selling opportunities and its larger network of offices. 

Chamberlain Hrdlicka is based in Houston and also has offices in San Antonio and Philadelphia as well as Atlanta. The 160-lawyer firm sits just inside the Am Law 200’s 2024 rankings, placing 200th after bringing in revenue of $126.4m against profits per equity partner of $1.2m, according to data published by the American Lawyer. 

Chamberlain Hrdlicka’s managing shareholder, Larry Campagna, said of the moves: “We appreciate the work these attorneys have done for our team and clients over the years and wish them the best in their new positions. 

“As our firm implements its strategic growth plan, the additions of Chuck Rettig and Tom Cullinan over the past two years have strengthened the tax litigation team that David Aughtry has built in our Atlanta office. We look forward to the bright future of both the tax controversy section and the firm as a whole.”

For its part Eversheds has also been adding to its tax controversy team outside of the US recently, tapping RPC in London last October for partner Robert Waterson, who joined as head of UK tax disputes. Waterson brought the firm’s UK tax disputes bench to three partners. 

Meantime, earlier this month it hit Dutch firms Houthoff and Stibbe respectively in Amsterdam for Chantal Presilli and Zoya Zalmai, who made partner on the move and advise on the tax aspects of corporate deals and restructurings as well as tax litigation.