David Foster > Kirkland & Ellis LLP > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile
Kirkland & Ellis LLP Offices

1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C., 20004
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
United States
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David Foster

Position
David Foster is a partner in the Tax Disputes Practice Group in the Washington, D.C., office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. David advises a broad range of clients, including large corporations, private equity firms and hedge funds, partnerships, estates, exempt organizations and individuals, many of whom are subject to the IRS’ Global High Wealth initiative. His practice covers a diverse range of tax issues, including BBA partnership audit and litigation procedures, energy tax credits, international tax and transfer pricing, challenges to tax-exempt status, taxation of financial products, estate and gift taxes, deferred compensation, voluntary disclosures and criminal tax.
A former Supreme Court clerk for Justice Kennedy, David has prepared briefs and argued before many of the federal courts of appeals. Prior to joining Kirkland, he obtained a rare taxpayer victory striking down a Treasury Regulation in Hewitt v. Commissioner, 21 F.4th 1336 (11th Cir. 2021). He also represented five former IRS commissioners in a D.C. Circuit amicus brief in Loving v. IRS in support of licensing standards for tax return preparers, as well as the American College of Tax Counsel in amicus briefs in the Tax Court and the Supreme Court.
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Tax > US taxes: contentious
(Leading partners)Kirkland & Ellis LLP handles all aspects of tax controversy from pre-audit planning and audits through to administrative appeals, post-appeals mediation, and litigation. Alongside a solid track record of success in resolving complex matters at the administrative stage, it also scores victories in both federal and state courts across the US. The firm is particularly well known for representing high-profile companies in the energy sector, as well as prominent private equity funds and their portfolio companies in complex tax audits, transfer pricing matters, and administrative appeals. It also has significant experience in and defending corporations and individuals in tax enforcement matters before the IRS and DOJ. The group is led by Richard Husseini who works from the Houston office with key partner David Cole. Both assist private and public companies, partnerships, and high-net-worth individuals with complex tax controversy issues. Natalie Keller in Chicago is skilled in transfer pricing audits and competent authority proceedings. David Foster in Washington DC also plays a key role in the practice.
Lawyer Rankings
- Leading partners United States > Tax > US taxes: contentious
- US taxes: contentious United States > Tax
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Media, technology and telecoms > Advertising and marketing: litigation
- Finance > Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings
- International trade and national security > CFIUS
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Finance > Commercial lending
- Intellectual property > Copyright
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Energy > Energy litigation: oil and gas
- Energy > Energy transactions: electric power
- Energy > Energy transactions: oil and gas
- Environment > Environment: transactional
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- Tax > International tax
- Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+)
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage)
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (International Trade Commission)
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: large deals ($500m+)
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: consumer products (including tobacco)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices
- Real estate > Real estate
- Energy > Renewable/alternative power
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Shareholder activism
- Finance > Structured finance: securitization
- Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions
- Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters)
- Intellectual property > Trademarks: litigation
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
Firm Rankings
- Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings
- Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
- Antitrust > Cartel
- Dispute resolution > E-discovery
- Energy > Energy regulation: electric power
- Antitrust > Merger control
- Investment fund formation and management > Mutual/registered/exchange-traded funds
- Media, technology and telecoms > Outsourcing
- Intellectual property > Patents: licensing
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: automotive/transport
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: toxic tort
- Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- Government > State attorneys general
- Tax > US taxes: contentious
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Transport > Aviation and air travel: litigation and regulation
- Finance > Commercial lending > Advice to direct lenders/private credit
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Corporate governance
- Environment > Environment: litigation
- Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation
- Insurance > Insurance: non-contentious
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: transactional
- International trade and national security > National Security
- Finance > Project finance
- Intellectual property > Trademarks: non-contentious (including prosecution, portfolio management and licensing)
- International trade and national security > Customs, export controls and economic sanctions
- Healthcare > Life sciences
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Government > Government relations