Robert J. Kovacev's practice focuses on federal tax controversy and tax litigation. He combines extensive first-chair litigation skills with substantive tax knowledge to represent taxpayers in high-profile, high-stakes tax disputes against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), both at the administrative level and in litigation. These disputes include international tax and transfer pricing issues, the research tax credit, the Section 199 domestic production activities deduction, alternative energy tax credits, and the economic substance doctrines. Mr. Kovacev has more than two decades of experience representing clients in Tax Court and in federal district and appellate courts. Recognized by Forbes for having one of the top tax-related Twitter accounts, Mr. Kovacev is a leader in the emerging field of taxation of robotics and artificial intelligence, and he frequently writes and speaks on the topic.
Prior to joining Miller & Chevalier, Mr. Kovacev was a partner at a global law firm. Before entering private practice, he was a senior litigation counsel in the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), where he was lead trial counsel for the IRS in some of the largest and most complex civil tax cases in the nation. In that position, Mr. Kovacev worked closely with the IRS's Large Business & International (LB&I) Division and top management of the Tax Division to shape litigation strategy on high-priority tax enforcement issues. These cases involved cross-border transactions, Section 482 disputes, Section 199 deductions, research credits, foreign tax credits, corporate reorganizations and acquisitions, and IP valuations, with claimed tax benefits ranging from $10 million to more than $1 billion.
About Us: Founded in 1920, Miller & Chevalier is a Washington, DC law firm with a global perspective and leading practices in Tax, Litigation, International Law, Employee Benefits (including ERISA), White Collar Defense and Internal Investigations, and Government Affairs. Miller & Chevalier is a top-ranked firm sharply focused on targeted areas that interact with the federal government. Over the past three years, the firm's lawyers have represented more than 40 percent of the Fortune 100, one-quarter of the Fortune 500, and approximately 30 percent of the Global 100. Based in Washington, DC, a significant number of firm lawyers have held senior positions in the U.S. government and have written many of the regulations they currently help clients navigate.