Kent Jones is a member of Sutherland’s Tax Practice Group and concentrates his practice on tax, commercial and government litigation, including appellate and trial work.

Prior to joining the firm, Kent served as Tax Assistant to the Solicitor General at the U.S. Department of Justice for 14 years. During his years in the Solicitor General’s office, Kent argued 43 cases in the United States Supreme Court and numerous cases before the United States Courts of Appeals. These cases routinely included the most important tax and commercial litigation involving the United States as a party.

Among the cases Kent argued on behalf of the United States were Indopco, Inc. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, which involved the standard for capitalization of business expenses; Boeing Corp. v. United States, 537 U.S. 437 (2003), which involved the proper accounting of research expenses in determining taxable income from foreign sales; Fitzgerald v. Racing Association of Central Iowa, 539 U.S. 103 (2003), which involved the application of the Equal Protection Clause to state taxes; and United States v. Haggar Apparel Co., 526 U.S. 380 (1999), and United States v. The Mead Corp., 533 U.S. 218 (2001), both of which concerned the degree of deference owed to Treasury interpretations of statutes in rulings and regulations.

Kent also has extensive trial and appellate experience in private practice outside the government. He has led trial teams in numerous types of litigation in state and federal courts, in both jury and bench cases, and has been a member of the American Inns of Court.

Kent has spoken frequently at Tax Section meetings of the American Bar Association and at meetings of other tax and litigation professional groups. He served as law clerk to the Honorable James L. Oakes of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.