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Practice Areas

Education

LL.M., Georgetown University Law Center, 1997
J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1982, Editor, Law & Policy in International Business
A.B., Dartmouth College, 1979

Bar and Court Admissions

Maryland
District of Columbia
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
U.S. Court of Federal Claims
U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
U.S. District Court, District of Maryland
U.S. Tax Court
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan

Other Professional Affiliations

American Bar Association (Sections of Taxation and Litigation)

Fellow, American Bar Foundation

Fellow, American College of Tax Counsel

The District of Columbia Bar (Taxation Section)

Federal Bar Association, Section of Taxation

Government Experience

Office of Tax Legislative Counsel, U.S. Department of Treasury, 1995-1998

Tax Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1984-1988

Christopher S. Rizek

Member, Washington, D.C.
(202) 862-8852
crizek@capdale.com | v-card | PDF

Christopher S. Rizek is a Member in Caplin & Drysdale's Washington, D.C., office. He also serves as General Counsel to the firm. Since 2013, The Legal 500 has listed Mr. Rizek as an elite "Leading Lawyer" for his contributions to tax controversy law.

Services

Mr. Rizek represents taxpayers in all types of federal civil and criminal tax controversy matters. He also guides clients through IRS audits, prepares administrative claims and protests of IRS actions, and litigates tax and tax-related cases in U.S. district and appellate courts, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and the U.S. Tax Court. In recent years, he has represented numerous financial and professional firms in connection with IRS examinations of tax shelters and related compliance and professional ethics issues.

Highlights

Mr. Rizek has a unique history of government service before joining the firm. His combination of practical and policy-level experience in government has given him special insight into the application of the tax laws and IRS procedures, which has been of great value to many of the firm's clients who are faced with complex tax controversies and litigation.

From 1995-1998, he was an Attorney-Advisor and Associate Tax Legislative Counsel with the U.S. Treasury Department, Office of Tax Legislative Counsel. While at the Treasury, he was responsible for regulations and legislation involving tax practice and procedure, including the Taxpayer Bill of Rights 2 (1996) and the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998.

From 1984-1988, Mr. Rizek was a Trial Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division, and he received the Outstanding Attorney Award in 1986.

Professional Activities

Mr. Rizek is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center and in the Spring of 2012 he taught the course Tax Practice & Procedure (Administrative) to IRS personnel. He has also been a guest lecturer at other law schools and universities. Mr. Rizek is active in civic organizations in Anne Arundel County, Maryland where he resides, and formerly served as Chairman of the Anne Arundel County Ethics Commission.

Awards & Rankings

The Legal 500, Recommended, 2011; Leading Lawyer, 2013-Present
The Legal 500, Top-Tier Firm, Tax - US Taxes - Contentious, 2010, 2015-Present
Chambers USA, 2012-Present
Best Lawyers in America, 2005-Present
Super Lawyers, Washington, D.C., 2007-Present
Above the Law, Tax Firm Power List, 2016
The Washingtonian, Top Lawyers, 2015
Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent

Recent Speaking Engagements

Mr. Rizek regularly speaks to tax, legal, and other professionals on a variety of tax issues. He has served in numerous capacities for various bar associations involved in taxation, including the ABA Section of Taxation, the DC Bar Tax Section, and the Section of Taxation of the Federal Bar Association.

Mr. Rizek's speaking engagements also include:

Panelist, A Primer on the IRS Disciplinary Process, American Bar Association Section of Taxation 2017 Joint Fall CLE Meeting, September 15, 2017
Privacy and Transparency, 2nd International Conference on Taxpayer Rights, March 13, 2017
Speaker, Recent Developments in Appeals, FBA 2017 41st Annual Tax Law Conference, March 3, 2017
Moderator, Ethical Issues Involving Fees, ABA Tax Section, January 20, 2017
Speaker, Captive Insurance: New IRS Tax Reporting Regime, AICPA, December 19, 2016
Panelist, Ethics Panel, GWU-IRS 29th Annual Institute on Current Issues in International Taxation, December 15, 2016
Speaker, Captive Insurance: New IRS Tax Reporting Regime Potential for Penalties and Examinations, Bloomberg BNA, December 9, 2016
Speaker, Small Captive Insurers and the New IRS Reporting Regime, Delaware Captive Insurance Association, December 1, 2016
Panelist, Ethical and Penalty Issues for Tax Practitioners: When Good Tax Planning Turns Bad, NYU 75th Institute on Federal Taxation, October 27, 2016
Speaker, Uncertain Ethics Rules in an Uncertain Tax World, University of Virginia, June 3, 2016
Speaker, It's Not Black & White: Uncertainties in Tax Practitioner Regulation & Ethics, Florida Tax Institute, March 30, 2016
Panelist, Special Rules for Professionals: Return Preparer Penalties and Ethical Standards, Practicing Law Institute, March 14, 2016
Panelist, The Administrative Procedure Act and Treasury Regulations, Federal Bar Association, March 4, 2016
Speaker, Ethical Issues in Setting Engagement Terms, ABA Tax Section, January 29, 2016
Speaker, Ethics: "Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, Turn and Face the Strange Times in Regulating Tax Practitioners", The University of Texas School of Law, 13th Biennial Parker C. Fielder Oil and Gas Tax Conference, November 20, 2015
Speaker, "Traps All Tax Practitioners Should Know and Avoid", William & Mary Law School Tax Conference, November 13, 2015
Speaker, "Ethical Issues for Tax Practitioners: Good Tax Planning, Aggressive Tax Advice, or Criminal Tax Evasion?", NYU 74th Institute on Federal Taxation, October 29, 2015
Speaker, "I Can't Believe I Missed That Deadline - Now What?", Southern Federal Tax Institute, October 19, 2015
Speaker, "Using FOIA in Examinations and Litigation", American Law Institute, October 9, 2015
Chair, Handling a Tax Controversy: Current Trends in Civil Tax Controversies and Litigation, American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education (ALI CLE), October 8, 2015
Speaker, Tax Transparency: The Good, The Bad, and The Future, Tax Analysts, September 22, 2015
Speaker, Oversight Responsibilities in Tax Practice Under Circular 230 §10.36, 2015 Joint Fall CLE Meeting, September 18, 2015
Christopher Rizek to Serve on Planning Committtee for 7th Annual Tax Controversy Forum, New York University, School of Professional Studies, 7th Annual Tax Controversy Forum, June 5, 2015
Panelist, Discovery in Tax Court, Duke University School of Law, United States Tax Court 2015 Judicial Conference, May 21, 2015
Speaker, What's a Young Attorney to Do When...?, American Bar Association, Live CLE Webinar, April 8, 2015
Panelist, Loving and Circular 230, University of Virginia School of Law, Virginia Tax Study Group, March 27, 2015
Speaker, Special Rules for the Professionals: Return Preparer Penalties and Ethical Standards, Practising Law Institute (PLI), Nuts and Bolts of Tax Penalties 2015: A Primer on the Standards, Procedures and Defenses Relating to Civil and Criminal Tax Penalties, March 20, 2015
Panelist, Hot Topics in Refund Litigation, Federal Bar Association, Tax Law Conference 2015, March 6, 2015
Panelist, What's a Young Tax Attorney to Do When....?, American Bar Association, 2015 Midyear Meeting, January 30, 2015
Speaker, Top 10 Ethics Issues That Get Tax Professionals in Trouble for Malpractice, 62nd Annual Taxation Conference, University of Texas School of Law, December 4, 2014
Panelist, How Far Can You Go? Ethical and Penalty Issues in Everyday Tax Practice, New York University School of Professional Studies, 73rd Institute on Federal Taxation, November 20, 2014
Panelist, Professional Responsibility Developments for Tax Professionals, Federal Bar Association, 37th Annual Insurance Tax Conference, November 13, 2014
Speaker, Civil Tax Penalties, 60th Annual William & Mary Law School Tax Conference, November 7, 2014
Panelist, Tax Court Procedures: Trial, Briefing, and Decisions, American Law Institute (ALI) CLE, Handling a Tax Controversy: Audit, Appeals, Litigation, & Collections, October 17, 2014
Moderator, Luncheon Program: Ethical Issues for Lawyers Wearing Multiple Hats, Washington Metropolitan Area Corporate Counsel Association (WMACCA), Nonprofits and Associations Forum: Wearing Multiple Hats - Common Challenges for GCs Advising Related Organizations, October 1, 2014
Panelist, The Fallout from Loving: How Broad an Impact on Circular 230?, American Bar Association, Ethics and Professionalism CLE, July 16, 2014
Panelist, How Many Shades of Grey? Current Ethical Issues for Tax Professionals, 66th Annual Virginia Conference on Federal Taxation, June 11, 2014
Moderator, Ethical Issues in Tax Practice, Federal Bar Association, 26th Annual Insurance Tax Seminar, May 30, 2014
Moderator, The Fallout from Loving: How Broad an Impact on Circular 230?", American Bar Association, 2014 May Meeting, May 9, 2014
Speaker, Taxpayers and the IRS: Is it Time for a Bill of Rights?, Tax Analysts, Public Discussion, March 27, 2014
Speaker, Ethical Challenges for In-House Tax Professionals, Tax Executives Institute (TEI), Houston Chapter, 26th Annual Tax School, February 3, 2014
Panelist, Ethical Issues for Tax Practitioners: Good Tax Planning, Aggressive Tax Advice, or Criminal Tax Evasion, New York University, 72nd Institute on Federal Taxation, November 21, 2013
Christopher S. Rizek to Speak at 37th Annual Insurance Tax Conference, December 6, 2012
Panelist, Penalties, More and More: How to Assess and Deal with Exposures and Seek Relief, The University of Texas at Austin School of Law, 60th Annual Taxation Conference, December 5, 2012
Panelist, Crossing the Line: Real Life Ethical Issues in Tax Practice, New York University, 71st Institute on Federal Taxation, November 15, 2012
Moderator, Litigating Section 7408 Actions, American Bar Association, 2012 Joint Fall CLE Meeting, September 14, 2012
Panelist, Ethics and the Corporate Tax Professional, Tax Executives Institute (TEI), Region VII Annual Conference, June 27, 2012
Moderator, Important Developments, American Bar Association, 2012 May Meeting, May 11, 2012
Scott Michel and Christopher Rizek to Speak at the Federal Bar Association's 36th Annual Tax Law Conference, March 2, 2012
Christopher Rizek to Speak at Taxpayer Reliance on "Formal" and "Informal" IRS Guidance, January 25, 2012
Panelist, Ethical and Penalty Issues in Tax Practice, New York University, 70th Institute on Federal Taxation, November 16, 2011
Moderator, Common Evidentiary Issues in Tax Cases, Part II, American Bar Association, 2011 Joint Fall CLE Meeting, October 21, 2011
Moderator, Tax Reliance on "Formal" and "Informal" IRS Guidance, American Bar Association, 2011 Joint Fall CLE Meeting, October 21, 2011
Taxes and the Guidance Problem, July 22, 2011
Chair, Court Procedure & Practice Committee, American Bar Association, 2011 May Meeting, May 6, 2011
Chair, Court Procedure & Practice Roundtable, American Bar Association, 2011 May Meeting, May 6, 2011
Circular 230 Important Revisions, February 23, 2011
Moderator, Regulation Validity/Judicial Deference, American Bar Association, 2011 Midyear Meeting, January 21, 2011
Chair, Effective Use of Experts in the Courtroom, American Bar Association, 2011 Midyear Meeting, January 21, 2011
Chair, Court Procedure and Practice Committee, American Bar Association, 2011 Midyear Meeting, January 21, 2011
Speaker, The Dirty Dozen: Retrospective of the Last 12 Years at the IRS Since Restructuring, Tax Executives Institute, Inc., Virginia Chapter Meeting, November 18, 2010
Changing Supervisory and Regulatory Landscape, October 4, 2010
Chair, Court Procedure & Practice Roundtable, American Bar Association, 2010 Joint Fall CLE Meeting, September 24, 2010
Chair, Opening Remarks - Court Procedure & Practice, American Bar Association, 2010 Joint Fall CLE Meeting, September 24, 2010
Straight from the Bench: How to Prepare Your Case for Tax Court, June 18, 2010
Ethical Issues for Tax Practitioners, June 3, 2010
Panelist, Section 7216 Regulations Governing Disclosure or Use of Information by Return Preparers, Federal Bar Association, March 5, 2010
Chair, Stipulations in the Tax Court, American Bar Association, 2010 Midyear Meeting, January 22, 2010
68th Institute of Federal Taxation, October 18, 2009
Speaker, Statutes of Limitations Issues, American Bar Association, September 24, 2009
The Top Ten Things That Get Tax Lawyers into Trouble for Malpractice, April 11, 2007
Best Practices, February 7, 2007
Speaker, Ethical Issues That Arise in Tax Transactional Practice, New York University, 65th Institute on Federal Taxation, October 22, 2006