Tax Litigator to Make Case for Own Operation

0

Tax problems are all in a day’s work for litigator Marty Dakessian.

After winning several high-profile court cases and obtaining refunds for clients in excess of $100 million during his 20 years representing clients in tax disputes, he’s now launched his own firm.

He aims to make downtown L.A. boutique Dakessian Law a go-to law firm dedicated to handling high-stakes California tax disputes for businesses and high-net-worth individuals.

Previously an equity partner at Reed Smith, which has 100 lawyers at its Bunker Hill office, this will be something of a change for Dakessian as the new firm has just three lawyers.

“The idea to open a small boutique appeals to me because it will give me an opportunity to take some cases that wouldn’t be suitable for a big firm,” he told the Business Journal. “Exploring class action in the taxation area was difficult to do inside a big firm, for example. Also, being in control of your own destiny is something that always appeals to me.”

He said his practice will help companies navigate California’s complex and unique system. Some of his past clients include Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Granite Construction Inc., Argonaut Group Inc. and Mica Industries Inc.

In 2014, he won a case for Hawthorne’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, before the Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board, which looked into whether spaceflight equipment is exempt from property tax.

“I’m very passionate about what I’m doing, representing taxpayers against California tax agencies,” he said. “I want to build a practice that focuses exclusively on that area.”

Dakessian has twice been named a “Tax MVP” by legal publication Law 360.

The two other lawyers joining Dakessian are LaShelle Wilson, who was most recently at ADP Tax Services, and Ruben Sislyan, who previously worked with Deloitte.

As well as its downtown base, the firm will also have an office in Sacramento.

New Horizons

The president of the L.A. chapter of the Federal Bar Association is about to start a fresh endeavor.

Ken Sulzer has been tapped to lead the new Century City office of labor and employment firm Constangy Brooks Smith & Prophete.

This office extends the footprint of the 70-year-old Atlanta-headquartered firm to 29 offices in 16 states.

“I couldn’t miss the opportunity to start a big practice with the firm that didn’t have a footprint in Los Angeles,” said Sulzer, who joins from Proskauer Rose.

Something else that attracted him to the job is that Constangy Brooks is known for having diversity in leadership positions.

“This appeals to me because it’s unusual for a large law firm and it’s interesting,” he said.

Sulzer will represent employers in various areas of labor and employment law, mainly focusing on class-action defense, including wage claims and discrimination.

Previously, he has represented clients in cases concerning labor-management relations, trade secrets, employment tax, drug testing and employee privacy.

Past clients include Caltech, Kaiser Permanente and the Orange County Register.

He successfully defended a plaintiff in a class action against the Los Angeles Times, which involved large commission payment for advertising sales.

Sulzer said most of his clients will be following him to the new office.

The new outpost will have five full-time staff members but the aim is to expand quickly.

“We plan to open more small offices in Los Angeles,” Sulzer said. “We want to grow, but very strategically.”

Asbestos Lawsuit

Century City firm Weitz & Luxenberg has secured a verdict of $5.2 million in damages on behalf of an 82-year-old Orange County man who sued a Fortune 500 company he and his wife charged with contributing to his increased risk of developing mesothelioma – an invariably fatal cancer of the lining of the lungs caused by exposure to asbestos.

Fluor Corp. and two of the Irving, Texas, multinational engineering and construction firm’s subsidiaries were found to be 40 percent at fault by a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury.

The plaintiff alleged the defendants exposed him to asbestos while he was working at an oil refinery the company built in Iran.

Partner Promotions

David Grinberg has joined Sidley Austin as a partner and a member of the global M&A practice in the Century City office. He was previously with Manatt Phelps & Phillips. … Neil Sacker has joined Stroock & Stroock & Lavan as special counsel of the L.A. office’s entertainment practice. … Squire Patton Boggs is merging with Carroll Burdick & McDonough. The combined firm will have about 120 lawyers in California.

Staff reporter Olga Grigoryants can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 549-5225, ext. 226.

No posts to display