By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Jess Bahs is Managing Partner, Corporate for FisherBroyles, the first and one of the largest distributed law firms in the world and the only non-traditional law firm to be ranked in The Am Law 200.
Bahs has more than 30 years of legal experience, 25 years of which involve working in the large law firm environment on complicated corporate transactions with extensive tax issues.
He is an expert in corporate, partnership, LLC and business tax matters and has extensive experience handling mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, as well as tax planning, tax opinions and Tax Court litigation. His business-related work includes forming and liquidating companies, resolving corporate and LLC governance issues, handling disputes between owners, protecting minority shareholders and LLC members, succession planning, representing investors and general negotiation and drafting of business contracts.
Bahs has written extensively and is a frequent speaker on tax and business planning issues, including Michigan Partnerships, LLCs and LLPs; Buying and Selling Businesses in Michigan; and Federal Tax Procedures and Practice in Michigan. He previously taught tax law classes as an adjunct professor for Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s LL.M. in Tax Program, teaching business planning with an emphasis in corporate and LLC (partnership) tax matters.
A resident of Brighton, Bahs received both a J.D. (1992) and a LL.M. in Taxation (1998) from Wayne State University Law School and is a graduate of Michigan State University, receiving a B.S., with honors, in 1989.
What would surprise people about your job? Tax law work is not boring! The law changes and evolves all the time, so there is always something new to learn. There is a good reason the most common law LL.M. degree involves tax law. Another good part about tax law is that you work with many different partners in a law firm, all of whom have very different practice areas. Tax intersects with almost everything (and yes, death).
Why did you become a lawyer? I’ve always been attracted to challenges and problem solving. I knew being a lawyer would mean I would seldom get bored. Yes, it has at times been stressful, but rarely boring, even though many think tax law work must be boring. Tax law can involve decisions with many commas and zeros behind the numbers — how can that be boring?
What’s your favorite law-related TV show, movie, and/or book? I grew up in the 1980s, so “L.A. Law” was a favorite. That show made many young people want to be lawyers. Law school class sizes blew up toward the end of the 1980s and jobs out of law school became scarce in the early 1990s. It felt like all of us Gen X-ers loved “L.A. Law.” The later show “Boston Legal” had many similarities to “L.A. Law.” The show “Suits” was not bad but more unrealistic.
When I would teach a law school class, I would often admit that real office politics were more like TV law drama than one would expect (but with less romance). I told the students to develop thick skin and get ready for political fighting. This is one reason I like the FisherBroyles firm model—way less egos, power struggles or conflict among partners. The firm model leaves little incentive for political battles.
If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would that be? Working with federal reserve bank officials would be quite interesting. I have always been interested in economics. The power to affect the U.S. economy with your decisions would certainly be interesting problem solving.
What advice do you have for someone considering law school? Learn more about work life as a litigation attorney. Most law school students want to be litigators before law school, but not after they work in a law firm as an associate. Learning more about what litigators do is helpful. Litigation is not as it is portrayed on TV. I think my tax law work is more interesting than taking depositions, document review, etc.
What’s your proudest moment as a lawyer? Just a few years out of law school, I had the unusual opportunity of defending an accountant accused of tax malpractice. The plaintiff company owed the IRS significant tax penalties and blamed the company’s outside accountant for it. The jury did a compromise verdict by ruling for the plaintiff while determining no damages were owed. If the verdict were fully for the defendant, the plaintiff would have needed to pay the accountant client’s legal fees. We could not recoup our legal fee costs, but the accountant owed nothing. The older partners in my law firm seemed quite surprised and pleased with the result. It was a big confidence boost for me and allowed me to gain faith in my reasoning and abilities.
An added bonus to this event is that it allowed me to also gain the favor of the local judge on the case. After the case, he became a mentor to me during that early time of my career. Imagine being only a few years removed from law school and having a judge with whom you could meet in their chambers to discuss and receive advice about law firm politics, etc. This person was a great judge who later became a well-known appellate court judge. I am grateful to him for his support in those early years.
What do you do to relax? Travel is tops. Like most, I enjoy food and wine (however, both can be hazardous to one’s health). Unfortunately, the legal profession greatly becomes one’s hobby. Ways to relax can be a particular challenge. Walks in the woods or beautiful scenic locations help. I remember hearing a well-known psychologist suggest that attorneys with long hours should take at least one four-day weekend a month for mental health — I couldn’t agree more.
What other career path might you have chosen? I can be a nerd who likes science, so medical work would have appealed to me as well.
What would you say to your 16-year-old self? Try to find and reach out to professionals for advice well before you become a member of that profession. Sure, learning from mistakes is part of life and makes you a better professional, but having a support person in a similar profession can allow you to bypass many early necessary mistakes. I was too proud when I was young — don’t be. Similarly, seek out and ask for criticism early.
Favorite local hangouts? My wife and I love our little town of Brighton with its many restaurants and pubs. We also love traveling to northern Michigan to visit Traverse City, Petoskey, and Mackinac Island.
Favorite websites? CNBC. Figuring out tradeable markets is a challenge for a problem-solver. Tradable markets defy Mr. Spock’s logic.
Favorite app? I probably look at Quora too much. There can be some crazy topics, but many science and other nerdy topics too. I’m intrigued that some articles or answers are upvoted by the public.
Favorite music? I love all genres, but especially musicals. We love seeing Broadway shows in New York.
What is your happiest childhood memory? I grew up on a large family farm. Although the work could be difficult, the ability to work with and directly spend time with my mother, father, grandfather, brother, sisters and uncle was rewarding. I was fortunate to know my father in ways many most sons could not.
What is your most treasured material possession? I’ve always enjoyed a well-engineered sporty car and new technologies. I like to be an early adopter. I have an electric Ford Mustang Mach E GT that is fun to drive and figure out the technology. My children tell me I have a fetish with computer monitors. A large computer monitor with all your work documents spread out over the large screen makes you feel like you are getting more work done, even if not so in reality.
What do you wish someone would invent? Truth serum.
What’s the most awe-inspiring place you’ve ever been? I love the Tuscany wine region of Italy—the rock wall cities on mountain tops with views of beautiful country. Everyone should make a point to visit and absorb this old-world area.
What is something most people don’t know about you? I grew up on a large dairy farm and really did need to milk cows in the dark early morning.
If you could have dinner with three people, past or present, who would they be? I could have a lot of questions for someone like Gandhi or Buddhist monks who strive for making more out of life with less. Their life stories would be fascinating.
What’s the best advice you ever received? Talk less and listen more. Also, try to consider where someone is coming from when they have an opposing viewpoint. As a lawyer, you can be a much more effective advocate for a client when you understand and anticipate how an opposing party will perceive matters.
Which living person do you most admire? Maybe Jerome (Jay) Powell at the moment.
What is the most unusual thing you have done? I once had to close a farming accident wound with electrical tape until I could get over 20 stitches at the hospital. That was painful. I could tell more hair-raising stories. With farming, there can be some near-death experiences. It was a character-building adventure.
Legal News
Jess Bahs is Managing Partner, Corporate for FisherBroyles, the first and one of the largest distributed law firms in the world and the only non-traditional law firm to be ranked in The Am Law 200.
Bahs has more than 30 years of legal experience, 25 years of which involve working in the large law firm environment on complicated corporate transactions with extensive tax issues.
He is an expert in corporate, partnership, LLC and business tax matters and has extensive experience handling mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, as well as tax planning, tax opinions and Tax Court litigation. His business-related work includes forming and liquidating companies, resolving corporate and LLC governance issues, handling disputes between owners, protecting minority shareholders and LLC members, succession planning, representing investors and general negotiation and drafting of business contracts.
Bahs has written extensively and is a frequent speaker on tax and business planning issues, including Michigan Partnerships, LLCs and LLPs; Buying and Selling Businesses in Michigan; and Federal Tax Procedures and Practice in Michigan. He previously taught tax law classes as an adjunct professor for Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s LL.M. in Tax Program, teaching business planning with an emphasis in corporate and LLC (partnership) tax matters.
A resident of Brighton, Bahs received both a J.D. (1992) and a LL.M. in Taxation (1998) from Wayne State University Law School and is a graduate of Michigan State University, receiving a B.S., with honors, in 1989.
What would surprise people about your job? Tax law work is not boring! The law changes and evolves all the time, so there is always something new to learn. There is a good reason the most common law LL.M. degree involves tax law. Another good part about tax law is that you work with many different partners in a law firm, all of whom have very different practice areas. Tax intersects with almost everything (and yes, death).
Why did you become a lawyer? I’ve always been attracted to challenges and problem solving. I knew being a lawyer would mean I would seldom get bored. Yes, it has at times been stressful, but rarely boring, even though many think tax law work must be boring. Tax law can involve decisions with many commas and zeros behind the numbers — how can that be boring?
What’s your favorite law-related TV show, movie, and/or book? I grew up in the 1980s, so “L.A. Law” was a favorite. That show made many young people want to be lawyers. Law school class sizes blew up toward the end of the 1980s and jobs out of law school became scarce in the early 1990s. It felt like all of us Gen X-ers loved “L.A. Law.” The later show “Boston Legal” had many similarities to “L.A. Law.” The show “Suits” was not bad but more unrealistic.
When I would teach a law school class, I would often admit that real office politics were more like TV law drama than one would expect (but with less romance). I told the students to develop thick skin and get ready for political fighting. This is one reason I like the FisherBroyles firm model—way less egos, power struggles or conflict among partners. The firm model leaves little incentive for political battles.
If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would that be? Working with federal reserve bank officials would be quite interesting. I have always been interested in economics. The power to affect the U.S. economy with your decisions would certainly be interesting problem solving.
What advice do you have for someone considering law school? Learn more about work life as a litigation attorney. Most law school students want to be litigators before law school, but not after they work in a law firm as an associate. Learning more about what litigators do is helpful. Litigation is not as it is portrayed on TV. I think my tax law work is more interesting than taking depositions, document review, etc.
What’s your proudest moment as a lawyer? Just a few years out of law school, I had the unusual opportunity of defending an accountant accused of tax malpractice. The plaintiff company owed the IRS significant tax penalties and blamed the company’s outside accountant for it. The jury did a compromise verdict by ruling for the plaintiff while determining no damages were owed. If the verdict were fully for the defendant, the plaintiff would have needed to pay the accountant client’s legal fees. We could not recoup our legal fee costs, but the accountant owed nothing. The older partners in my law firm seemed quite surprised and pleased with the result. It was a big confidence boost for me and allowed me to gain faith in my reasoning and abilities.
An added bonus to this event is that it allowed me to also gain the favor of the local judge on the case. After the case, he became a mentor to me during that early time of my career. Imagine being only a few years removed from law school and having a judge with whom you could meet in their chambers to discuss and receive advice about law firm politics, etc. This person was a great judge who later became a well-known appellate court judge. I am grateful to him for his support in those early years.
What do you do to relax? Travel is tops. Like most, I enjoy food and wine (however, both can be hazardous to one’s health). Unfortunately, the legal profession greatly becomes one’s hobby. Ways to relax can be a particular challenge. Walks in the woods or beautiful scenic locations help. I remember hearing a well-known psychologist suggest that attorneys with long hours should take at least one four-day weekend a month for mental health — I couldn’t agree more.
What other career path might you have chosen? I can be a nerd who likes science, so medical work would have appealed to me as well.
What would you say to your 16-year-old self? Try to find and reach out to professionals for advice well before you become a member of that profession. Sure, learning from mistakes is part of life and makes you a better professional, but having a support person in a similar profession can allow you to bypass many early necessary mistakes. I was too proud when I was young — don’t be. Similarly, seek out and ask for criticism early.
Favorite local hangouts? My wife and I love our little town of Brighton with its many restaurants and pubs. We also love traveling to northern Michigan to visit Traverse City, Petoskey, and Mackinac Island.
Favorite websites? CNBC. Figuring out tradeable markets is a challenge for a problem-solver. Tradable markets defy Mr. Spock’s logic.
Favorite app? I probably look at Quora too much. There can be some crazy topics, but many science and other nerdy topics too. I’m intrigued that some articles or answers are upvoted by the public.
Favorite music? I love all genres, but especially musicals. We love seeing Broadway shows in New York.
What is your happiest childhood memory? I grew up on a large family farm. Although the work could be difficult, the ability to work with and directly spend time with my mother, father, grandfather, brother, sisters and uncle was rewarding. I was fortunate to know my father in ways many most sons could not.
What is your most treasured material possession? I’ve always enjoyed a well-engineered sporty car and new technologies. I like to be an early adopter. I have an electric Ford Mustang Mach E GT that is fun to drive and figure out the technology. My children tell me I have a fetish with computer monitors. A large computer monitor with all your work documents spread out over the large screen makes you feel like you are getting more work done, even if not so in reality.
What do you wish someone would invent? Truth serum.
What’s the most awe-inspiring place you’ve ever been? I love the Tuscany wine region of Italy—the rock wall cities on mountain tops with views of beautiful country. Everyone should make a point to visit and absorb this old-world area.
What is something most people don’t know about you? I grew up on a large dairy farm and really did need to milk cows in the dark early morning.
If you could have dinner with three people, past or present, who would they be? I could have a lot of questions for someone like Gandhi or Buddhist monks who strive for making more out of life with less. Their life stories would be fascinating.
What’s the best advice you ever received? Talk less and listen more. Also, try to consider where someone is coming from when they have an opposing viewpoint. As a lawyer, you can be a much more effective advocate for a client when you understand and anticipate how an opposing party will perceive matters.
Which living person do you most admire? Maybe Jerome (Jay) Powell at the moment.
What is the most unusual thing you have done? I once had to close a farming accident wound with electrical tape until I could get over 20 stitches at the hospital. That was painful. I could tell more hair-raising stories. With farming, there can be some near-death experiences. It was a character-building adventure.
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