Eric Butler, an attorney with an extensive background in tax law, has joined Lewis Thomason in Knoxville as special counsel.
Butler will focus on the practice areas of federal and state taxation, white-collar criminal defense and estate planning and probate. Butler has handled cases throughout the state of Tennessee and the southeast that involve the Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities. He also has extensive experience with state and federal tax litigation and international tax compliance.
“The breadth of Butler’s experience will be a tremendous asset for our firm,” said Rod Fields, managing shareholder of the Knoxville office of Lewis Thomason. “We welcome him to the practice and know that he will serve our clients with the utmost skill and professionalism.”
Butler held a three-year appointment from 2013 through 2015 with the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP), which was established in 2002 by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The federal advisory committee comprises volunteers representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. He served in 2015 as vice chair of the Tax Forms and Publications Project Committee, which advises the IRS about its tax products.
A native of Franklin County, Butler served for two years as a judicial law clerk for Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Alan E. Highers. He earned a Bachelor of Science with honors from Middle Tennessee State University and his juris doctorate with honors from the University of Memphis School of Law. In 2007, Butler earned his L.L.M. in taxation from the University of Florida College of Law.