J. Vincent Perryman, an attorney and founder of The Law Offices of J. Vincent Perryman, established his solo practice in 2006.

One other attorney and one staff member work at Perryman’s Midtown practice.

Perryman practices in many areas of the law, specializing in tax issues before the Tennessee Department of Revenue, the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Tax Court. He also practices in probate and estate planning, tax planning, business law and transactions and income taxation.

Perryman received his juris doctorate from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 2005 and a master of laws, or LLM, in taxation law from the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle in 2006.

He is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association, The American Inns of Court and The Tennessee Association for Justice.

Q: What attracted you to practice tax law?

A: I went into law school with an open mind as to what area of law I would eventually practice in. At Memphis, they require students to take Federal Income Taxation. In that class, I discovered that I enjoyed not only the challenge of learning the tax code, but also the realization that it has an effect on everything.

Q: Why did you choose to attend the University of Washington for your LLM?

A: First off, UW is located in Seattle, which is a great city for thinking outside the box. Academically speaking, Washington not only has an outstanding faculty that includes professors Scott Schumacher, Dwight Drake and Sam Donnellson, but it has an amazing library. Also, there was an opportunity for me to practice in the area of Federal Tax Controversy while obtaining my degree. I just seemed to click with UW; it is a top school without the arrogance.

Q: When dealing with the Tennessee Department of Revenue specifically, what types of cases do you typically handle?

A: Generally I deal with either a delinquent tax issue or (an issue) where the department is attempting to increase an assessment of tax. I handle more federal tax issues, though.

Q: On your Web site, you list a wide variety of practice areas – not just tax law but also criminal law, family and juvenile law and construction law. How much work do you personally do in areas other than tax law?

A: It depends on which area of law, but generally I will handle the probate, estate planning, taxation, business planning, construction law and collegiate sports law.

Q: Do you do much work with nonprofit/tax-exempt organizations? If so, what kind of work do you focus on with nonprofit agencies?

A: I help in the formation process and then with compliance. Nonprofits are regulated by the IRS and state agencies, so it can be very complex at times. Generally, people come to me with an idea for a nonprofit and they know what services they wish to provide but do not know the ins and outs of how to get recognition of their federal tax exemption. I aid them in gaining and maintaining that recognition. Recognition is a term of art from the IRS because an organization is either tax exempt or it is not; therefore, the IRS is only recognizing the exemption, not granting it.

Q: Has the recession affected your practice in any way?

A: Due to proper planning, the recession has had little or no effect on my practice. I keep overhead low and new clients are referrals from existing clients.

Q: Do you ever take on students as clerks or interns?

A: Generally, we have one or two law clerks at a time. My clerks get a lot of hands-on experience and learn what life is like from the practitioner’s perspective. I encourage them to parlay their experience here into positions with larger firms in order to see both ends of the legal spectrum. I am very proud of the success of my clerks who have moved on and of those still with my practice.

Q: What prompted you to start a solo practice rather than pursue a job at a large law firm?

A: I worked while I was in my LLM program, and when searching for jobs in Memphis, firms did not have the need for another tax attorney. So I had a choice: I could twiddle my thumbs or I could open my own shop. I opted for the latter and took any appointed case I could get. After a few months, a medium-sized firm extended a job offer, which I took. I attempted to learn as much as I could during my time there. After that experience, I decided I would prefer to control my own destiny and I went out on my own.

Q: Are you involved with any community organizations?

A: I take pro bono divorce cases for the Community Legal Center and work with Memphis Area Legal Services Inc.’s Taxpayer Project, representing low-income taxpayers before the IRS.