Eliot Kaplan’s practice is focused on international, federal, state and local tax issues, real estate transactions, commercial and contract matters, mergers and acquisitions and other corporate matters. He frequently provides advice concerning partnerships, limited liability companies and joint ventures, entity formation and dissolution, fund formation and business reorganizations and restructurings. Eliot also advises on complex nonprofit organizations, international business transactions and tax controversies.

As a former attorney-adviser in the national office of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Eliot gained experience in drafting regulations, revenue rulings and revenue procedures, as well as navigating the private letter ruling process and other types of administrative practice. His continued national involvement includes recently serving as a member of the IRS Advisory Council, which advises the IRS commissioner and other IRS officials on tax policy and administration issues.

Eliot lectures widely on tax issues before audiences such as the American Bar Association, New York University Institute, the California CPA Society, the National Business Institute and Lorman Education Services. As an adjunct professor of law at the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Law, he taught courses on the taxation of business organizations and partnerships.

Active in the Phoenix community, Eliot serves as president of the Board of Directors for Southwest Human Development Corporation (the largest provider of services to children under five in Arizona) and as an executive board member of the Desert Southwest Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Young Leadership Division of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix. In addition, he is a member of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and serves as one of its ambassadors. Eliot also is a graduate of Valley Leadership.
Eliot has been honored by his peers as a member of Arizona’s Finest Lawyers. He also was named by The Business Journal: Phoenix as a Leading Lawyer in Arizona, and is included in the Who’s Who of National Business Leaders.

Eliot has been very active in the American Bar Association’s Tax Section, and its Real Estate Committee, Partnership & LLC’s Committee and LLC Subcommittee. He currently serves as first vice chair of the Tax Section’s Real Estate Committee and has been instrumental with respect to comments to Treasury on entity classification guidance.