Waller Lansden has a long history of successfully representing taxpayers with state and local tax issues. With dozens of tax suits currently pending in Tennessee Courts, attorneys from our State and Local Tax Litigation practice are at the forefront of virtually every breaking state and local tax issue faced by the Tennessee business community. Since 1909 and the case of S.C. Austin v. P.A. Shelton, County Court Clerk, we have prevailed as lead counsel in more than 40 reported appellate decisions, while resolving the vast majority of our clients' state and local tax disputes in the trial courts or at the administrative level. Since January 2000, Waller Lansden has helped taxpayers prevail in more state tax cases in the Tennessee Appellate Courts than any other law firm.
In many instances, such litigation is unnecessary. Our attorneys often resolve issues at the audit level, at informal conferences with Department of Revenue hearing officers or through informal settlement discussions. Through these discussions, we stay abreast of evolving Departmental positions and are often in position to pass on timely planning advice to our tax clients.
Our firm's state and local tax attorneys also help shape Tennessee tax law. This frequently requires preserving taxpayer rights obtained through successful litigation and then challenged through statutory amendments proposed by the Department of Revenue. We also participate in the lawmaking process as witnesses before Legislative Committees, as policy advisors to industry groups and as lobbyists in the state legislature and administrative offices.
Our attorneys represent taxpayers in a wide range of property tax disputes before local assessors and the Tennessee State Board of Equalization. In this area, our clients benefit from our reputation for taking property tax disputes to the judicial level when necessary to obtain fair treatment.
Our experience with state and local tax litigation is beneficial to our clients in other business matters. Our attorneys frequently advise clients with respect to the proper tax treatment of mergers, acquisitions, dispositions and other business transactions. We also advise businesses on state and local tax incentives for businesses relocating to or expanding in Tennessee. Waller Lansden has provided assistance to businesses seeking to relocate to Tennessee in virtually every significant corporate relocation to the State in the last 25 years.
