Firm
Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips L.L.P.
A partner with Taylor Porter, Mr. McDermott
serves as the Chair of the Tax and Estate Planning and Administration
practice and has more than 35 years' experience in his primary practice
area of taxation, including business and individual income tax, payroll
tax, franchise tax, excise tax, ad valorem tax, sales and use tax, and
gift and estate tax.
Mr. McDermott has assisted tax-exempt organizations in making
application for, obtaining, and maintaining status under IRC section
501(c). He is experienced in representing non-profit, tax exempt and
charitable entities from initial consultation through organization and
obtaining tax status determination letters to dissolution and
liquidation. He has represented individuals, business entities, trusts,
and estates with controversies before the IRS examinations and appeals,
US District Court, US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the
Louisiana Department of Revenue, the Louisiana Board of Tax Appeals, and
parish and municipal taxing authorities. He has made applications to
the Taxpayer Advocate and has assisted clients in collections, in
dealing with tax levies, and in the preparation and presentation of
offers-in-compromise, innocent spouse relief, and installment payment
arrangements. He has also applied for and obtained private letter
rulings.
Mr. McDermott is ranked among Louisiana Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in Tax Law.
In addition to his primary practice of
taxation, Mr. McDermott represents and advises clients in the selection,
formation, and governance of business entities, including corporations,
limited liability companies, and partnerships. He represents hospitals
and physician practice groups with respect to business and tax matters.
He designs and drafts executive compensation packages and non-qualified
deferred compensation plans. He also does estate planning and handles
successions, probate, and estate administration matters.
Mr. McDermott served a three-year term on
the Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council, and in 2017, served a
Chair of the Council’s Small Business/Self-Employed and Wage &
Investment Subgroup. The IRSAC provides an organized public forum for
IRS officials and representatives of the public to discuss key tax
administration issues. As an advisory body, the IRSAC suggests
operational improvements, offers constructive observations regarding
current or proposed IRS policies, programs, and procedures, and advises
the Commissioner with respect to issues having substantive effect on
federal tax administration.
Before pursuing the practice of law, Mr. McDermott practiced in the tax
department of an international CPA firm for five years in New Orleans
and Washington, D.C. Mr. McDermott is a Board Certified Tax Law
Specialist, Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization, and he is a
certified public accountant. He served on the examination committee for
the Tax Law Advisory Commission of the Louisiana Board of Legal
Specialization and is an assistant bar examiner for the Louisiana State
Bar Association.
Mr. McDermott is a member of the professional advisory council for both
the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and LSU Foundation Planned Giving. He is
an active member of the Baton Rouge and Louisiana State Bar
Associations, American Health Lawyers Association, Baton Rouge Estate
and Business Planning Council, and The Society of Louisiana Certified
Public Accountants. Additionally, he is chairman of the board of
governors and a trustee for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Baton
Rouge.