Page 13 - Phoenix Vol 11 No 5

or son. He was also responsible for the wake, funeral, and posthumous award ceremonies.
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Mac was an 18-year-old West Point cadet when he met future wife Barbara. She was just 15. Even at this young age Mac knew his mind and following a lively courtship and his Vietnam tours of duty he made that commitment o cial: they married seven years later, in 1970. Coming up on their 49th wedding anniversary, the couple proudly point to the three sons of whom they are (with good reason) very proud: Scott, Ryan and Nathan, plus12 grandchildren.
Departing from his impressive military career with the rank of Major, Mac says he was ready for the next chapter to begin. “I was an attorney in search of a practice,” he says. “ en, in 1978 we moved from Oklahoma to Phoenix.”
Making Arizona their new home, Mac established his own practice from which he would launch countless battles against forces he deemed a threat to both his clients and our Constitution. Forty years later, Mac’s client roster has included two governors, three state senators, two CIA operatives, two Hollywood stars, and a major U.S. airline. No, he never joined a rm but instead launched what would be the beginning of an impressive, in uential and dogged dynasty — e MacPherson Group. Carving out a niche that few would have the fortitude and stamina to approach, ghting for those whom the Internal Revenue Service targets.
Bolstered by an internal conversation, Mac found an area where he could apply his intellect, experience, and inherent belief in the rights of every American citizen.
“I essentially told myself, ‘If you are afraid of your own government, you might as well move to Russia,’” he says. “I gured if I was willing to volunteer twice for Vietnam, spend 18-months there, mostly in combat, why should I tremble at the thought of being tailed by Treasury Agents?”
In addition to an extraordinarily successful legal career, taking on one of the most feared branches
of government, Mac has authored several books, including Tax Fraud & Evasion: e War Stories. e “Courtroom Commando” as he’s been dubbed, is the only attorney board certi ed by a state bar as a specialist in both tax law and criminal law. His record speaks for itself, having tried 55 criminal tax cases across 25 states.
His knowledge and experience with criminal law, trials, and appeals as well as tax law, has proven invaluable in the cases the rm has handled over the years, including the areas of civil and criminal tax controversies of all types. ese range from audits and criminal investigations, many of which were dropped, to appeals to the United States Supreme Court where he won a criminal tax case.
Building, nurturing and maintaining this unique practice for the last 40 years, Mac has passed the baton to his three highly-capable sons.
“I’ve been preparing them all of their lives for this,” he says. “I never allowed my career, about which I’m obviously passionate, to come between my family and me. e best way to do that was to involve all three sons and my wife in my practice.”
And so, the legacy is continuing with Scott and Nathan as civil and criminal tax controversy attorneys, and Ryan, a college professor and book author with a doctorate from Notre Dame, the nancial consultant for the rm.
THE THREE MACPHERSON SONS AND HOW THEY GREW
e obvious question is, how do you fully involve young boys in a practice so demanding and complex as e MacPherson Group?
“At every stage of their lives, whatever their age or capabilities, there were contributions each son could make,” explains Mac. “In the beginning it was primarily just a question of ensuring they were in attendance at the various trials. Barbara is a paralegal, so she has been involved from the start. Nathan and Ryan were on their high school Mock Trial Team, which Barbara and I coached.
“I tried cases all over the country and would pack up the whole family
WEST POINT GRADUATION, 1967. ATTORNEY DONALD W. “MAC” MACPHERSON COMMISSIONED AS A 2ND LIEUTENANT, INFANTRY.
to travel with me, so that the boys speci cally could see rst-hand what their father’s work involved,” he continues. “Gradually, as they got older each son actually participated in the courtroom presentations.”
From courtroom assistance by Barbara, trial exhibit preparation by the boys, including “brainstorming” and rehearsing direct and cross- examination of witnesses, the trial attendance and assistance became a family a air.
“Scott, at age 19, prepared the exhibits I used successfully arguing before the Arizona Supreme Court that impeached Governor Evan Mecham could again run for o ce,” explains Mac. “ ese experiences enabled the boys to both witness and be involved in the ‘West Point systems engineering,’ cutting edge strategies and tactics that I employ and have resulted in many client victories in both civil and criminal tax cases.
“My wife and sons have also assisted with the writing, proofreading, editing and desktop publishing of my three tax books.”
Because his cases frequently took him across the country, the entire family would o en climb aboard the rm’s 1963 Cessna 205. is six- seater, piloted by Mac with Barbara as navigator, carried the MacPhersons to trials in California, Montana, Kansas and New York. It also served
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