Washington, DC, May 12, 2022 – Miller & Chevalier Chartered is pleased to announce the addition of elite tax controversy practitioner Robert (Rob) Kovacev to its Tax Controversy & Litigation practice as a Member. Kovacev joins the firm from Norton Rose Fulbright where he was a partner.

"We are delighted to welcome Rob to the firm," said Kathryn Cameron Atkinson, Chair of Miller & Chevalier. "As we see the Internal Revenue Service becoming increasingly aggressive in its enforcement and investing greater resources in tax controversy matters, Rob's soup-to-nuts approach to client service, representing taxpayers throughout all stages of controversy matters, will be immediately valuable to a broad range of our clients. The Tax Controversy & Litigation practice is a firm anchor and Rob is equally well-known and respected in that space both for his deep understanding of the law and for his enviable track record of success."

Kovacev brings more than 25 years of experience counseling clients in high-profile, high-stakes tax disputes involving the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). In addition to representing taxpayers at the administrative level, Kovacev maintains an extensive first-chair litigation practice and a significant slate of victories in Tax Court, federal district courts, and appellate courts. He supports clients across a range of disputes, including international tax and transfer pricing issues, research tax credits, the section 199 domestic production activities deduction, alternative energy tax credits, and the economic substance doctrines. Kovacev also advises established companies and start-ups on innovation tax incentives and is a leading practitioner in the emerging robotics and artificial intelligence tax space.

In addition to his private practice work, Kovacev served as a Senior Litigation Counsel in the DOJ's Tax Division for more than seven years, where he was charged with some of the largest and most complex civil tax cases in the division and was lead trial counsel in cases spanning the energy, financial services, oil and gas, manufacturing, and renewables industries. These cases, where disputed claimed tax benefits ranged from $10 million to more than $1 billion, involved cross-border transactions, section 482 disputes, leasing transactions, claims for research credits and section 199 deductions, corporate reorganizations and acquisitions, and valuation of pharmaceutical patents and other intellectual property. Further, he worked closely with the IRS's Large Business & International (LB&I) Division to shape litigation strategy on high-priority tax enforcement issues.

"Our lawyers had the privilege of seeing Rob's talents both as a principled adversary at the DOJ and as a collaborative co-counsel in private practice," said Marc Gerson, Chair of Miller & Chevalier's Tax department. "There is a reason Rob is so well regarded across the federal tax bar: he is a talented professional and the go-to practitioner for some of the most complex controversy matters we see today, including research credit and corporate tax shelters. Rob maintains an encyclopedic bank of tax knowledge and deftly translated his experience trying tax cases at DOJ to private practice. We're thrilled he has decided to join our team and look forward to working together as we solve multifaceted problems for our clients."

In naming Miller & Chevalier's Tax Controversy & Litigation practice to its 2021 list of recognized practices, Chambers USA noted that the group "simplif(ies) very complex tax concepts into concise arguments." For more than 100 years, the lawyers at Miller & Chevalier have successfully represented their clients in resolving major tax disputes, including many of the most complicated and significant matters in history. Our practice combines deep technical tax knowledge with rich experience in all facets of controversy and litigation, from tax accounting, treaty benefits, tax credits, and transfer pricing. Controversy is a core area of the firm's broader tax offering andover the last two decades alone, Miller & Chevalier lawyers have litigated more than 100 tax cases in federal courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States.

"Having worked with the Miller & Chevalier team over the years, I've always been impressed with the excellence of the firm and the tax controversy team in particular. At this pivotal moment where the IRS is ramping up its enforcement efforts and associated budgets, I believe Miller & Chevalier's renowned capabilities provide the best possible platform to serve my clients facing their most critical tax matters," added Kovacev.

A frequent author and speaker on international tax and federal tax controversy issues, Kovacev serves as the incoming Chair of the Tax Policy & Simplification Committee in the American Bar Association's Tax Section and is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel. He earned a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a Senior Editor of the Columbia Law Review, and a B.A. (magna cum laude) from Harvard College.

About Miller & Chevalier 

Founded in 1920, Miller & Chevalier is a Washington, DC law firm with a global perspective and leading practices in Tax, International Law, Litigation, ERISA, White Collar Defense and Internal Investigations, Government Contracts, and Government Affairs. Miller & Chevalier is a top-ranked firm sharply focused on targeted areas that interact with the federal government. A significant number of firm lawyers have held senior positions in the U.S. government and have written many of the regulations they currently help clients navigate. For more information on the firm, visit www.millerchevalier.com.

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CONTACT: 

Laura Miller, Media Relations, Greentarget, 312-252-4104