Karen Kelly, Esq.: Tax Attorney and Former Head of the DOJ Tax Division
By Jeff Grant
We are thrilled to host Karen Kelly, Esq. as our July 2026 White Collar Support Group Tuesday Night Speaker Series presenter.
The presentation, which is open to justice-impacted people, family, friends, professionals, clients, colleagues, and anyone interested, will take place via Zoom on July 14, 2026 at 7 PM ET (4 PM PT).
Karen Kelly is a tax attorney at Kostelanetz LLP and the former head of the Justice Department's Tax Division. She joined Kostelanetz after more than 30 years of federal and state trial practice, including prosecuting tax and white-collar crime at the highest levels of government.
Her practice at Kostelanetz focuses on representing clients in state and federal civil tax controversies, defending clients in government investigations involving criminal tax and white-collar matters, and representing clients against state and federal criminal charges. She also conducts internal investigations, represents legal and tax professionals and their firms in license and regulatory matters, and handles complex civil and criminal litigation.
Karen most recently served at the Department of Justice as the Acting Assistant Attorney General and delegated component head of the Tax Division. In that capacity, she supervised all federal civil and criminal tax matters assigned to the Justice Department throughout the country, and more than 300 trial and appellate attorneys.
For members of the white collar justice community, Karen's perspective is especially useful. She has seen the federal tax enforcement system from the inside as the person who oversaw every criminal tax prosecution in the country, and now represents the individuals and professionals on the other side of those cases.
Whether you are currently navigating a tax-related investigation, facing white-collar charges with a tax component, or simply want to understand how federal tax enforcement works at the highest levels, this presentation offers a direct line to one of the most experienced practitioners in the field.
For a broader look at the financial side of white collar defense, our February 2026 presentation with Anchin on early retention of financial experts is directly related. And for those interested in how restitution and forfeiture orders work after conviction, the WWCDA panel on restitution and forfeiture is worth watching.
This event is free, open to all, and will take place via Zoom.
