Norm's practice focuses on taxation, estate planning and family wealth protection and transfer. His experience as a former trial attorney for the IRS and tax counsel of a major international energy company, coupled with his extensive experience in income, estate, gift, generation-skipping tax matters and tax planning for closely held businesses enables Norm to create solutions that minimize tax exposure and preserve wealth.

Representative Experience

• Lead counsel in Estate of Albert Strangi v. Commissioner, a multi-million dollar test case in the U.S. Tax Court and Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals against the IRS involving family limited partnerships.
• Structured complex estate and business plans utilizing both domestic and international techniques
• Structured multi-million dollar domestic and international transactions involving natural resources.
• Structured and documented multi-million dollar sales and purchases of business entities and business properties.
• Represented many clients before IRS and state agencies in audits and administrative appeals as well as litigation of income tax, gift tax and estate tax disputes.
• Counsels business owners, businesses and executives on such matters as: shareholder agreements; employee stock ownership plans (“ESOP”); key-man life insurance; business succession planning; design and drafting of executive compensation plans such as stock option plans and other equity-based compensation arrangements, phantom stock plans, performance bonus, profit sharing plans, stock appreciation rights (“SAR’s”), restricted stock awards and senior executive retention plans (“SERPs”).  

Professional Activities, Memberships & Affiliations

• Member: State Bar of Texas and Dallas Bar Association.
• Chair of the Probate, Trusts & Estate Section of the Dallas Bar Association (2010-2011)
• Director, Baylor Health Care System Foundation.
• Southern Methodist University - Certification Program in Financial Planning (Estate Planning Instructor 2004 - Present).
• U.S. Navy Pilot, 1969 - 1975 (active duty), 1975 - 1994 (reserve), retired rank of Captain.

Honors

• Selected as Best Lawyer by the Best Lawyers in America, 2013
• Selected as a Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly and Law & Politics magazine, 2005-2012
• Texas Monthly Five Star Wealth Manager, 2010-2012
• AV Preeminent® rated (the highest possible Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating designation)