With nearly 40 years of experience focused on tax law, Bill Sanders has developed broad tax knowledge in corporate, partnership, limited liability company, complex business transactions and workout and bankruptcy issues. A licensed CPA in Missouri, Bill currently serves as chair of the firm’s Tax Practice Group, a position he has held for more than 25 years.

Bill represents a diverse group of clients from Fortune 100 companies to family-owned and tax-exempt organizations. He regularly represents clients nationwide before the Internal Revenue Service at all levels including audits, the Appeals Division and in tax court.

Bill also represents clients in implementing tax-advantaged structures for all types of business transactions, including:

  • Complex mergers and acquisitions
  • Real estate and limited liability/partnership transactions
  • Joint ventures
  • Workouts, both in and out of bankruptcy
  • Business succession and wealth planning matters
  • Private equity

He has worked extensively on tax matters in the Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities area relating to Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits (REMIC) and other real estate-based investment pools and has been involved in drafting industry-related legislative and regulatory changes to the REMIC rules.

Education

  • University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law (J.D., 1983)
    • University of Missouri-Kansas City (B.S., 1980)

      Bar Admission

      • Missouri

      Court Admissions

      • U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri, 1983
      • U.S. Tax Court, 1986

      Professional Affiliations

      • Alliance for Epilepsy Research, Inc.
        • Board of Directors
        • Treasurer
      • American Bar Association
      • American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
      • Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
      • The Missouri Bar
        • Taxation Committee
      • Missouri Society of CPAs

      Recognition

      • Selected for inclusion in Missouri Lawyers Media's POWER list for Top Missouri Tax and Real Estate Lawyers, 2025
      • Ranked in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Tax, Missouri, 2023-2025
      • AV Rated Martindale-Hubbell
      • Selected for Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” in Kansas City, Missouri, for:
        • Tax Law, 2022
        • Litigation and Controversy - Tax, 2017
      • Selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America® for:
        • Tax Law, 2011-2026
        • Litigation and Controversy - Tax, 2011-2021, 2023-2026
      • Selected for inclusion in Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers for 10 consecutive years
      • Selected for Missouri Lawyers Media’s POWER List for Tax Law
      Publications
      All Publications
      Clock Beats Commissioner: IRS Concedes $48M Easement Case
      Key Takeaways On March 23, 2026, the U.S. Tax Court entered a stipulated decision in Agate Holdings LLC, Agate Manager LLC v. Commissioner under which the IRS conceded the partnership’s full $48.3 million deduction for a Louisiana conservation easement donation. The decision provides that accuracy-related penalties and civil fraud penalties do not apply for the 2018 tax year. According to the reported stipulation, the IRS’s concession was based solely on the fact that its Nov. 3, 2023 notice was not timely issued under Internal Revenue Code Section 6235. This development is significant because it highlights how procedural issues can be outcome-determinative in conservation easement cases. The taxpayer had accused the IRS of backdating documents to support otherwise time-barred penalties and adjustments, but the stipulated
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      A Win on Fraud, a Warning on Valuation: Takeaways from North Donald
      On February 19, 2026, the U.S. Tax Court issued its opinion in North Donald LA Property, LLC v. Commissioner (T.C. Memo. 2026-19), a syndicated conservation easement (SCE) case involving an asserted 75% civil fraud penalty and, alternatively, accuracy-related penalties. Key Takeaways The IRS did not meet its heavy burden to prove civil fraud by clear and convincing evidence and there was thus no fraud penalty (75%). The 40% gross valuation misstatement penalty was imposed due to significant overstatement of the value claimed on the return. While the 40% penalty was a meaningful improvement on the penalty front, it is still a very high penalty compared to many recent IRS settlement resolutions currently being offered by the SCE space. The Opinion Broken Down Key takeaway: no fraud
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