Kelly M. Politte

Special Counsel

Kelly Politte focuses her practice primarily in the area of federal and state tax matters, specializing in IRS and state tax controversies, assisting clients throughout the country. Within her practice she represents individual, business and corporate taxpayers, and accounting professionals, through all facets of civil and criminal tax controversies with the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Justice, and state and local taxing authorities.

Kelly handles a variety of tax issues, including audit navigation, audit reconsideration, innocent spouse requests, penalty abatement, employment tax and trust fund recovery penalty cases, collections, offers in compromise, installment agreements, tax lien discharge and subordination certificates, non-filers and voluntary disclosures, offshore tax matters, claims for refund, and U.S. Tax Court and district court litigation and appeals.

Examples of Kelly's tax work include:

Fought IRS to successful release of tax levies and stopping collection efforts
Negotiated affordable payment plans with the IRS and Colorado Department of Revenue for unpaid income taxes for clients who did not file tax returns for up to 10 years
Defended cannabis client in excise tax and sales and use tax audit to save over $100,000 of proposed tax assessments
Negotiated a settlement saving a client $322,000 allowing client to pay only $3,000 to the IRS
A client received a letter from the IRS after an audit, increasing his tax liability by $515,000 for the two years audited. After filing a petition with the U.S. Tax Court, Kelly was able to negotiate a settlement of the case for less than $75,000.

In addition to her tax practice, Kelly also practices in the areas of Trusts & Estate Litigation, Estate Planning and Corporate Services. Within this area of her practice, she regularly prepares and reviews wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advanced medical directives. She has handles business law matters, including business formation and choice of legal entity, regulatory compliance, contract drafting and transactions, and business disputes and litigation. In 2022, she successfully tried a business ownership dispute in which her client won, following the jury trial, on his claims for declaratory relief that he was still an owner of the business and for breach of contract against the business.

Kelly is a veteran and is fluent in French.

Practice Areas

Education & Admissions

Education

University of California, San Diego (B.S. in Psychology, 2004)
University of San Diego (M.B.A. in Marketing, 2005)
University of Denver - Daniels College of Business (M.B.A. in Accounting and Finance, 2008)
University of Denver Sturm College of Law (J.D., 2008)
University of Denver Sturm College of Law (LL.M. in Taxation, 2009)

Admissions

Colorado
United States Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
U.S. Tax Court
U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
Colorado Supreme Court

Experience

2021-Present Hall Estill
2014-2021 Politte Law Offices, LLC
2012-2014 Joseph H. Thibodeau, P.C.
2008-2012 Anderson & Jahde, P.C.

Community & Professional Involvement

Member, Junior League of Denver
Member, Business and Professional Women of Cherry Creek
Tutor, Reading Partners
Member, Colorado Bar Association; Tax Section; Business Law Section
Member, Board of Directors, Colorado Bar Association Tax Section (2023-2024)
Member, American Bar Association; Tax Section; Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section
Member, Colorado Women's Bar Association
Member, Greater Denver Tax Council Association
Volunteer Attorney, Colorado Lawyers for Colorado Veterans

Honors & Awards

Recognized as a Rising Star in Tax Law by Super Lawyers
Recognized as a Super Lawyer in Tax Law by Super Lawyers

Articles & Presentations

Presenter, "Representing Clients in IRS Audits: Best Practices"
Presenter, "Federal Tax Update"
Presenter, "Advanced Tools for Representing Clients in IRS Audits"
Presenter, "2013 Federal Tax Update"
Presenter, "Ethics Refresher for Circular 230 Practitioners"