Legal Ethics

Aggressive Tax Lawyer or Criminal? Jury to Decide re 2 Ex-Jenkens & Gilchrist Partners

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Were Paul Daugerdas and Donna Guerin simply aggressive tax lawyers doing their job by doing their best for their clients?

Or, as the government contends, did the two former Jenkens & Gilchrist partners cross the line by advising extremely wealthy individuals, in opinion letters, to participate in fraudulent tax shelter activities? That is the question that a federal jury in Manhattan must soon decide, as closing arguments wrap up after a two-month trial, reports the Wall Street Journal Law Blog.

The two are represented by defense lawyers from Jenner & Block, who say their clients had no knowledge of any wrongdoing.

An earlier Law Blog post provides further details about the trial.

Initially, three former Chicago partners of the now-shuttered Texas-based law firm were charged in the case, but one pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion last year.

Additional and related coverage:

ABAJournal.com: “Three Ex-Jenkens Partners Indicted for Work on Questionable Tax Shelters”

ABAJournal.com: “Lawyer Pleads Guilty, Faces Up to 10 Years in Tax Shelter Fraud scheme”

ABAJournal.com: “2 Former Jenkens & Gilchrist Partners on Track for Trial in Tax-Shelter Case”

ABAJournal.com: “In Mid-Trial Ruling, Federal Judge Axes Obstruction Case Against Ex-Glaxo In-House Lawyer”

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