With more than two decades of experience inside the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, Beka Lakic is one of the most accomplished and versatile tax controversy attorneys in the country. Over her 21-year career with the government, she litigated, managed, or closed more than 500 U.S. Tax Court cases, served on multiple elite IRS cadres, and became a national leader on complex issues involving fraud, offshore compliance, FBAR penalties, estate and gift tax, high-wealth examinations, and foreign entity structures.

Her work spans civil litigation, sensitive audits, summons enforcement, penalty disputes, promoter investigations, international tax matters, and some of the IRS’s highest-impact cases involving wealthy individuals and sophisticated financial arrangements. Today, she brings that rare level of institutional knowledge and technical mastery to Gordon Law’s tax resolution practice; giving clients the benefit of someone who not only knows the IRS, but helped shape how the IRS handles many of the issues that taxpayers face today.

A Proven Litigator With Deep Tax Court Experience

Beka’s Tax Court background is extensive and unusually broad. She has handled hundreds of matters involving complex factual records, high-stakes penalties, multi-layered financial structures, valuation disputes, international reporting obligations, and aggressive tax strategies. Her record includes notable cases such as:

• Estate of Nancy H. Powell, 148 T.C. 392 (2017) — a landmark decision reshaping estate planning involving family limited partnerships and retained control under Section 2036.

• Merrill Roberts — T.C. Memo. 2014-74

• Leonard W. Harbin — 137 T.C. No. 7

• Dan K. Shaw & Paula Shaw — T.C. Memo. 2010-210

• Cora “Koko” Taylor — T.C. Memo. 2009-27

• Nacoleon James Hillsman — T.C. Memo. 2008-240

• Carl Klein — T.C. Memo. 2007-325

Her litigation experience is not limited to Tax Court. For nearly 10 years, Beka served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, representing the IRS in bankruptcy matters in the Northern District of Illinois;  a role reserved for attorneys with exceptional skill and judgment. She also assisted the Department of Justice with injunctions, refund suits, penalty cases, summons enforcement, and actions against abusive return preparers and promoters.

Specialized IRS Cadre Experience

Within the IRS, Beka was trusted with roles on multiple elite cadres and committees responsible for developing nationwide strategy and training in critical enforcement areas:

• Fraud Cadre

• Offshore Cadre

• FBAR Cadre

• Estate & Gift Tax Cadre

• Foreign Entities Steering Committee – International Practice Group

These assignments reflect the IRS’s recognition of Beka as a subject-matter expert in some of the most complex and sensitive areas of tax law. She worked closely with revenue agents, fraud technical advisors, appeals officers, and high-level leadership on matters involving offshore structures, foreign reporting, global high-wealth examinations, and civil fraud development.

Her work on FBAR matters was especially significant; at one point, she personally managed a majority of the FBAR penalty approvals nationwide, advising on some of the most technical and contentious cases in the country.

Gordon Law

Beka’s experience gives Gordon Law clients something few firms can offer: direct insight into how the IRS builds, evaluates, and litigates cases; from sensitive audits to offshore investigations to complex Tax Court disputes. She understands how fraud indicators are developed, how FBAR penalties are assessed, how IRS agents interpret financial records, and how high-risk cases escalate. She can identify weaknesses before the IRS seizes on them, strengthen defenses early, and anticipate the government’s next move with precision.

For clients facing audits, examinations, civil fraud issues, offshore reporting problems, Tax Court litigation, or high-wealth examinations, Beka brings a level of strategic advantage that only decades inside the IRS can provide.

Beka is not simply an experienced attorney; she’s a force multiplier, expanding Gordon Law’s ability to defend clients across some of the most complex and high-risk issues in tax law.