Renn Neilson > Baker Botts L.L.P. > Houston, United States > Lawyer Profile

Baker Botts L.L.P.
910 LOUISIANA STREET
HOUSTON
TEXAS 77002-4995
TEXAS
United States

Work Department

Tax

Position

Partner

Section Chair – State Tax (Firmwide & Dallas)

Career

Practice focuses on state and local taxation, incentives and unclaimed property. He helps clients restructure their holdings, acquire and dispose of assets and structure financing transactions to minimize tax exposure. He regularly defends taxpayers in property, franchise/income and sales tax controversies.

Renn has over 25 years of experience in this area; he has won several SALT cases at the Texas Supreme Court, has done planning and incentive work on many of the largest industrial projects in Texas and around the nation, and has served as lead counsel in hundreds of state and local tax lawsuits.

Memberships

State Bar of Texas United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas Houston Bar Association, Tax Section Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, Board of Directors United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas

Education

J.D., Columbia Law School 1991;
Articles Editor, Columbia Business Law Review;

B.A., English, Brigham Young University 1988

Personal

Publications

Noteworthy Sales and Use Tax Cases, Houston Tax Executives Institute, Inc., February 2020
Selection and Preparation of Expert Witnesses, Speaker, Institute for Professionals in Taxation, March 2018
Oil and Gas Workshop, Speaker, International Property Tax Institute, February 2018

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Tax > US taxes: contentious

Baker Botts L.L.P. maintains longstanding expertise in the energy, technology, and financial services sectors and is highly active in both federal and SALT matters. The group, which demonstrates expertise in audits, appeals, and litigation, is additionally noted for its robust private client practice, which has expertise in estate and gift tax disputes. Houston-based SALT chair Renn Neilson covers disputes relating to sales tax, property tax, and income tax and is particularly sought out by clients in the energy sector. John Porter and Keri Brown work alongside Neilson in the Houston office and are both highly active on behalf of high net worth individuals and families. San Francisco’s Jon Feldhammer has a broad practice covering work for both individuals and public companies, while Ben Geslison, in Houston, is experienced as a trial and appellate litigator. William Gorrod left the firm in February 2024.