Ben Blair Email & Phone Number

I'm a tax litigator: I help clients reduce their state and local tax liability. I have represented taxpayers in administrative and judicial proceedings in nearly two dozen states coast-to-coast, and the list keeps growing. I combine that substantial trial and appellate experience with deep knowledge of appraisal theory and tax law to represent clients ranging from startups to Fortune 100 corporations and in industries as diverse as retail, hospitality and gaming, real estate, distribution and logistics, and high-tech and heavy manufacturing.Property tax appeals are the heart of my practice, helping property owners reduce burdensome property taxes on their investments. It's no secret that tax assessors are adopting increasingly aggressive litigation strategies; in face of that opposition, I defend clients’ interests through comprehensive knowledge of valuation principles and a passion for understanding and explaining innovative appraisal techniques. As part of Faegre Drinker’s national property tax appeal group, I have been on the forefront of assessment disputes involving the definition of taxable property rights, the separation of real property and business value, and value-in-use versus value-in-exchange, among many others. My practice defines the cutting edge.I handle other SALT matters as well, including advocacy from audits and administrative appeals to trial and appellate courts. I represent taxpayers in income, sales and use, and unemployment tax disputes, and I advise clients on the state and local tax implications of corporate transactions and reorganizations.Outside of my client work, I'm also an avid speaker and author on tax and valuation issues. I'm proud to serve as the legal columnist for The Appraisal Journal, and I have presented at seminars for the Appraisal Institute, the Council on State Taxation, the Institute for Professionals in Taxation, BOMA, and NAIOP. I have also served as an adjunct professor of State and Local Taxation at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, my alma mater. I'm also honored to have been named a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and an Indianapolis Business Journal 2023 Forty Under 40 honoree.Licensed to practice law in Indiana, Alaska, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington State, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Listed skills include Property Tax, Property Tax Appeals, Tax Controversy, Corporate Tax, and 7 others.