Austin, TX, Aug. 17, 2010 – Winstead PC has hired Jennifer K. Patterson as of counsel, working in Winstead’s Taxation, Employee Benefits and Private Business practice group. Patterson helps clients with state and local tax issues, including sales and use tax, franchise tax, motor fuels tax and property tax. In addition to tax matters, her practice also covers government relations and economic development for clients. Patterson was previously with McGinnis, Lochridge and Kilgore, L.L.P. Her experience also includes working in the Texas Senate and serving as director of tax policy for the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
According to Tom Helfand, chair of Winstead’s Taxation, Employee Benefits and Private Business practice group, “Jennifer will be a valuable addition to Winstead. Her legal talent will help our clients with tax planning and strategies, and her background in State government will help our clients who require representation before the Texas legislature and the comptroller.”
Patterson represents clients before State agencies, the Texas Legislature and local governments on a variety of state and local tax matters and economic development. Her work before the legislature in the past decade includes substantial involvement in drafting and negotiating sales tax, franchise tax, and motor fuels tax legislation. Patterson focuses on representing groups of tax payers with a common tax policy problem before the comptroller, the legislature and the courts, to bring to bear the authority of each branch of government and to achieve a cost-effective solution for the client.
In transactional matters, she works to minimize exposure to taxing jurisdictions, to minimize franchise and business income taxes within a jurisdiction, and to craft state-specific and tax-specific indemnities between parties. She also defends taxpayers under audit by the Texas comptroller, beginning during the audit itself, through administrative hearings at the comptroller’s office, and through the courts if necessary.
A frequent speaker and presenter, Patterson has published work on Texas franchise tax, including the current iteration known as the margin tax and the prior tax on stated capital and earned surplus, tax compliance for state officeholders and political action committees, taxation of internet sales, and other topics related to business tax and legislation. She is admitted to practice in the United States Tax Court and she is a registered lobbyist with the Texas Ethics Commission. A member of the State Bar of Texas, Patterson received her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law, and her LL.M. in Taxation from the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.
Winstead is among the largest business law firms in Texas. Winstead attorneys and consultants serve as trusted advisors to mid-market and large businesses, providing a core range of legal services that are critical to their operation and success. From its well-known reputation in real estate and financial services to its corporate and high-stakes litigation practice, Winstead delivers practical knowledge and responsive service. And it’s all backed by a get-it-done attitude. Winstead has offices in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and The Woodlands, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina and Washington, D.C. For detailed information about Winstead, visit www.winstead.com.
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