George E. Marifian is a founding shareholder in the Belleville, Illinois law firm of Mathis, Marifian, & Richter, Ltd., where his practice is concentrated in the areas of civil and criminal tax controversies, advising closely-held businesses and business litigation, estate planning, probate and trust planning and related litigation. He received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis, a Master of Business Administration in Accounting from St. Louis University and Juris Doctoris from St. Louis University. He is admitted to practice in Illinois and Missouri, in the United States Tax Court, the United States District Courts and the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Mr. Marifian also received certified public accountant certificates in Missouri and Illinois but is no longer a practicing accountant.

Mr. Marifian is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel and is a founding member of the Institute of Illinois Business Laws (ilibl.org). He has enjoyed an AV rating from Martindale Hubbell since July of 1993 and is annually recognized by the Illinois Super Lawyers and the Illinois Leading Lawyers Network and their publications.

He is active in the American Bar Association Section of Taxation, and as a former Chair of its Employment Tax Committee, appeared as a panelist on Tax Talk Today, a live webcast originating in Washington, DC and co-sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service. He was the chair of the Joint Task Force on National IRS Allowable Expense Standards and was the principal author of the Task Force’s 1997 Legislative Proposal to amend IRC §7122. That proposal was enacted into law by §3462(a) of The IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998.

Mr. Marifian is also active in the Illinois State Bar Association. He is currently the vicechairman and is a past Chair of the ISBA Federal Taxation Section Council, a past Chair of the Business Advice and Financial Planning Section Council, a past chair of the Special Committee on GATS, and served on the Standing Committee on Professional Conduct and the Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Section Council. He also served for several years as a member of the Illinois Secretary of State’s Business Acts Advisory Committee prior to its dissolution. Following its reemergence as the Institute of Illinois Business Laws of which he is a founding member, Mr. Marifian remains active member of the Institute.

Mr. Marifian has moderated and served on numerous panels and has lectured for the Internal Revenue Service National Tax Forum, the ISBA Federal Taxation Section, the ABA Section of Taxation, the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, the Illinois CPA Society, the Illinois Independent Accountants Association and various professional and civic groups. He is the author of “Offers in Compromise: Did the IRS Get the Message” published in the Journal of Tax Practice and Procedure and “Representing a Taxpayer Before the IRS”, which appeared in the Complete Lawyer. Mr. Marifian is active in his community and has served on the boards of directors of numerous public, professional, civic, religious and social service organizations.