Meet Gordon Gidlund

Gordon worked for 35 years with the IRS Office of Chief Counsel in various capacities and in three posts of duty. He began his career trying cases in Tax Court and advising the Examination and Collection Divisions. He developed a specialty in jeopardy assessments and in legal remedies against organized tax-protestor groups. He was also designated as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney representing the IRS in Bankruptcy Court and as the Industry Counsel for the Farmer’s Cooperatives Industry Specialization Program. In 1989, he became the principal attorney for a national litigation project concerned with disputed charitable contributions. In 1992, Gordon was promoted to the managerial position of Assistant District Counsel supervising attorneys in tax litigation, collection matters, and criminal investigations. He also assumed responsibility for providing legal advice to revenue agents auditing corporations with over $10 million in assets, especially as to research credit and international tax issues. In 1997, he was selected for a three-month detail in the IRS National Office, where he was involved in issuing published guidance and in making appeal recommendations to the Department of Justice. In 2000, he was assigned the task of coordinating efforts to combat the so-called Midco tax shelter, a years-long effort that ultimately proved successful with a string of favorable appellate court opinions across six circuits that effectively curbed that abusive scheme.

Gordon taught Federal tax procedure for seventeen years at the University of San Diego School of Law. As an adjunct professor, he strove to instill in his students the critical need to mind procedure in tax practice and to appreciate the inner workings of the IRS, an agency touching so many Americans’ lives. He was also a frequent instructor at in-house IRS courses, as well as a recurrent speaker at state bar continuing legal education sessions.

Gordon earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a law degree cum laude from the University of Minnesota. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court. He has been married to Linda since 1979. They met when both were serving in the Peace Corps in South Korea. Linda is currently a technical writer for a medical device company. Over the years, Gordon has volunteered his time to several organizations, including the Red Cross (CPR instructor), the Boy Scouts (Den Leader), St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church (Endowment Committee Chairperson), and the Friends of the San Diego Public Library (Director). In his spare time, Gordon studies the Civil War, reads Shakespeare aloud, plays chess (badly), and runs twenty miles a week.