Brian O’Connor

Brian J. O’Connor provides sophisticated tax and business advice to publicly traded and closely held businesses and their owners. Brian’s practice focuses on foreign and domestic tax matters for partnerships, limited liability companies, joint ventures, both C and S corporations, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and regulated investment companies (RICs).

He is also regularly consulted by wealthy individuals and entrepreneurs on federal and state income tax matters and federal estate and gift tax issues. As a transactional tax attorney, Brian works on transactions ranging from small sales transactions to merger or acquisition transactions in the billions of dollars.

Similarly, as a tax controversy attorney, he has represented both individual clients in small audit matters and publicly traded corporate clients in tax disputes with amounts at issue in excess of $1 billion.

Before joining Venable, Brian was an attorney-advisor for the Office of Chief Counsel at the IRS, where he worked on high-profile legislative projects, regulations, and other published guidance related to partnerships, S corporations, trusts, common trust funds, and cooperatives.

His valuable experience and continuing connections with the government, when combined with his significant private practice experience, permit Brian to provide unique insights to his clients, both large and small, on important tax and business issues.

Experience : Attorney-Advisor, Internal Revenue Service, Office of Chief Counsel

Education :

• LL.M. with distinction Georgetown University Law Center 1996
• J.D. magna cum laude Washington and Lee University School of Law 1991

Bar Admissions : Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia

Court Admissions : U.S. Tax Court

Professional Memberships :

• Member, American Bar Association, Tax Section
• Member, District of Columbia Bar, Tax Section
• Member, Maryland Bar Association, Tax Section
• Member, Virginia Bar Association, Tax Section