Scott K. Tippett

Scott Tippett advises business owners and management teams with the perspective of someone who has sat on both sides of the table. After practicing law for several years, Scott began running a family-owned manufacturing company, managing day-to-day operations, cash flow, employees, customer relationships, and long-term planning, gaining firsthand experience with the real pressures of running a business. That experience continues to shape how he approaches legal counsel today.

As a business attorney, he focuses on practical, enforceable solutions rather than abstract legal positions. His guidance is shaped by an understanding of how courts, regulators, and taxing authorities evaluate real-world business decisions.

Scott began his legal career in Atlanta, GA, practicing construction litigation, and later helped build a litigation department at a large Atlanta firm. His practice expanded to include complex commercial litigation, corporate disputes, and white-collar matters. Over time, he transitioned to a transactional and advisory practice to help clients reduce risk, structure deals effectively, and avoid conflicts before they arise.

Today, Scott works primarily with small and mid-sized businesses. He is known for understanding where “the rubber meets the road” in contracts, compensation structures, and business transactions. Clients rely on his tax efficient, business-first approach when negotiating agreements, planning growth, and navigating change.

Scott’s practice centers on federal income taxation for partnerships and corporations, with a particular emphasis on employee benefits in mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. Scott frequently serves as the firm’s go-to attorney for employee benefits matters connected to business transactions. In addition to planning and structuring transactions to avoid or reduce taxes, Scott’s federal tax practice also includes handling tax controversies, such as IRS audits, appeals, and litigation. Many of his most significant representations involve proceedings against the IRS and the U.S. Department of Justice, where protecting taxpayer privacy is paramount.

He regularly advises on the design and implementation of executive and equity-based non-qualified deferred compensation plans, phantom equity and phantom stock plans, and Employee Stock Option Plans (ESOPs). Scott also provides guidance on ERISA compliance and fiduciary issues, and counsels clients on navigating complex regulatory requirements tied to pension plan asset investments and prohibited transaction rules.

His experience extends to counseling fund sponsors and investment managers on structuring private equity funds and other vehicles, including VCOCs and REOCs. In addition, Scott has significant experience with the design, implementation, and administration of qualified and non-qualified employee benefit plans, including 401(k), profit-sharing, pension, cash balance, and welfare benefit plans. Scott continues to share his knowledge, frequently presenting continuing education seminars to attorneys, accountants, financial advisors, and other industry professionals regarding asset protection planning, business law, and tax matters.