Christopher S. Rizek
Partner
Overview
Christopher S. Rizek represents taxpayers, financial entities and professional firms in federal civil and criminal tax controversies. Based in Washington, D.C., he draws on government service at both the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of the Treasury to guide clients through complex tax disputes.
Chris handles tax controversy matters at every stage, advising clients on compliance issues, IRS audits and administrative claims and protests of IRS actions. He also litigates tax and tax-related cases in U.S. district and appellate courts, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Tax Court.
Much of his work involves the intersection of tax, compliance and professional responsibility issues. He has represented clients in IRS examinations involving tax shelters and related professional ethics disputes. Recently, Chris has also advised clients regarding IRS scrutiny of Puerto Rico's Act 60 tax benefits.
Chris' government service spans both practice and policy. From 1984 to 1988, he was a Trial Attorney with the Justice Department's Tax Division, receiving the Outstanding Attorney Award in 1986. From 1995 to 1998, he served as an Attorney-Advisor and then Associate Tax Legislative Counsel in the Treasury Department's Office of Tax Legislative Counsel, with substantial responsibilities for legislation and regulatory actions involving tax compliance, taxpayer rights, and tax practice and procedure.
Chris previously was an adjunct professor in the LL.M. tax program at Georgetown University Law Center and taught a Tax Practice & Procedure (Administrative) course to IRS personnel. He has been a guest lecturer at other law schools and universities and is a frequent speaker at conferences on tax procedure and ethics issues.
Before joining Holland & Knight, Chris was a tax attorney in the Washington, D.C., office of a national law firm and served as general counsel for that firm. His blend of litigation, policymaking and teaching experience helps clients anticipate how the IRS and the courts are likely to approach a dispute and shape their strategy accordingly.
Representative Experience
- Negotiated a deferred prosecution agreement for a European bank that had participated in the promotion and sale of dozens of "Son of Boss" tax shelters in the United States
- Represented the taxpayers in one of the only litigated cases in which the IRS conceded the deductions taken for insurance premiums paid to a Section 831(b) captive insurer
- Obtained a U.S. Tax Court decision in an estate tax case confirming the marital deduction for conveyances to the decedent's wife, after the IRS contested the validity of a religious divorce the decedent had obtained from his first wife
- Obtained a summary judgment on the issue of whether a taxpayer's disclosure on a delinquent gift tax return was sufficient to commence the applicable statute of limitations, which barred the IRS's deficiency proceeding
- Negotiated settlements of IRS penalties and disciplinary sanctions for numerous law and accounting firms as well as individual practitioners related to their promotion, sale and advice regarding abusive tax shelter transactions
- Obtained the complete dismissal of a complaint to the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility regarding alleged improper behavior by a tax collection resolution firm
- Argued and won a U.S. District Court case contesting the authority of the IRS to regulate contingent fees charged in connection with refund claims
- Advised numerous law firms, accounting firms and tax return preparers regarding their compliance obligations under the Internal Revenue Code and related professional regulations
Credentials
- Georgetown University Law Center, LL.M.
- Georgetown University Law Center, J.D.
- Dartmouth College, A.B.
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
- U.S. Tax Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- American Bar Association, Section of Taxation and Litigation Section
- American Bar Foundation, Fellow
- American College of Tax Counsel, Fellow
- District of Columbia Bar, Taxation Section
- Federal Bar Association, Section of Taxation
- Anne Arundel (Maryland) County Ethics Commission, 2003-2008
- Law & Policy in International Business, Editor, Georgetown University Law Center, 1981-1982
- The Best Lawyers in America, Tax Law, Litigation and Controversy – Tax, 2005-2027
- Chambers USA – America's Leading Lawyers for Business guide, Tax, 2012-2026; Tax: Controversy, 2024-2026
- The Legal 500 USA, Tax – U.S. Taxes: Contentious, 2011, 2014-2015, 2017-2019, 2021-Present; Leading Lawyer, 2013-2017; Tax – U.S. Taxes: Non-Contentious, 2025, 2026
- Leading Global Tax Lawyers, Lawdragon 500, 2025, 2026
- Washington, D.C., Super Lawyers magazine, Tax: Disputes and Litigation, 2008-Present
- The Washingtonian, Lifetime Achievement Lawyer, 2022; Top Lawyers, 2015-Present
- Who's Who Legal, Corporate Tax, 2018-Present
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated
