Lucy S. Lee is a member in Caplin & Drysdale's Washington, D.C. office. She joined the firm in 2007.
Services
Ms. Lee's practice focuses on international tax planning and controversies, including inbound and outbound tax planning, foreign tax credits, tax treaties, competent authority proceedings, tax audits, and FATCA compliance. She also has extensive experience in tax compliance of individuals, companies, financial institutions, and tax-exempts in the cross-border context, including FATCA reporting, reporting of interests in foreign trusts, and offshore financial accounts and assets.
Her practice also encompasses income and succession planning for wealthy individuals and families, including pre-immigration planning and expatriations, foreign trusts, and family limited partnerships. Ms. Lee serves as U.S. tax counsel to nonresident athletes and entertainers.
Highlights
Ms. Lee handles a versatile range of cases and clients:
- Taxpayers engaged in cross-border businesses and investments, including with Asia and Europe
- Taxpayers who require representation in audits, competent authority proceedings, voluntary disclosures, and IRS Whistleblower Office
- Nonresident athletes and entertainers performing globally
Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Lee spent six years in the National Tax Department of Ernst & Young LLP, focusing on international tax planning for corporations, partnerships and private clients. She focused, among others, on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies, treaties and foreign tax credits. Ms. Lee is fluent in Korean.
Professional Activities
- Special Guest Speaker, "OVDI and Foreign Asset Reporting, Tax Seminar for Korean Americans sponsored by the Korean Times and the Washington Korean American CPA Association, All Nations Church, Vienna, VA, January 7, 2012
- Special Guest Lecture, "Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act and Foreign Bank Account Report," The National Tax Service of Korea, Seoul, May 3, 2011
- Special Guest Lecture, "Hot Issues in International Tax Enforcement: FATCA and FBARs," The National Tax Service Training Center for Government Officials, Suwon, Korea, May 3, 2011
- "U.S. Offshore Tax Enforcement: FATCA, FBAR and Voluntary Disclosures," The Korea Federation of Banks, May 2, 2011
- "U.S. Offshore Tax Enforcement: FATCA, FBAR and Voluntary Disclosures," The Korea Financial Investment Association, May 2011
- U.S. member of the "Tax Dream Team" formed by the Korean tax authority, making annual tours around the U.S. since 2009 to present on U.S.-Korea tax issues
- "U.S. Offshore Tax Enforcement: FATCA, FBAR and Voluntary Disclosures," The Hong Kong University, Hong Kong, April 28, 2011
- Speaker, "Basics of U.S. and Korea Taxation of Income, Estate and Gifts…and FBAR!", Korean-American CPA Association of Greater Washington, Vienna in Virginia, December 2010
- Panelist, Cross-border Tax Considerations: International Reporting, Annual Conference of National Association of College and University Business Officers, New Orleans, November 2010
- U.S. Panelist, International CLE seminar on CFCs, PFICs and FBARs, Spring Tour of Private Client Seminars, National Tax Service, August 2010
- Special Guest Lecturer, U.S. International Tax in a Nutshell, Suwon University of the National Tax Service, Gyeonggi province in Korea, March 2010
Awards & Honors
- Ranked as a leading lawyer in International Tax in the 2011 edition of The Legal 500.
- Recipient of the 2011 Award for Appreciation and Excellent Service, the National Tax Service of the Republic of Korea.
Recent Publications
- International Tax Alert: Recent Developments Relating to FBARs and Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program
- Monthly columnist (in Korean) for the Law Times in Korea where she discusses the latest trends in U.S. tax law
- United States: Decoding Cross-Border Tax Compliance: CFCs, PFICs, Foreign Trusts & Foreign Gifts And Bequest, Mondaq (March 1, 2011)
- The IRS Goes Golfing for Revenues from Foreign Athletes, Press Release (August 18, 2009)
- Time for a Change: Toward a New Korea-U.S. Income Tax Treaty, Tax Notes International (v. 54, no. 3, April 20, 2009)
- Shooting for the Stars: The IRS Takes Aim at the Income of Foreign Athletes and Entertainers, Accounting Today (April 20-May 3, 2009)
- Cross Border Information Reporting and Civil Penalties (in a Nutshell) , CCH Journal of Tax Practice & Procedure (April-May 2009 Ed.)
- Foreign Trust Reporting and Compliance, Mondaq (with Paula Charpentier, January 12, 2009)