Page 14 - Phoenix Vol 11 No 5

WITH MAC AS PILOT, THE MACPHERSON FAMILY TRAVELING HOME AFTER COMPLETION OF
A THREE-MONTH CRIMINAL TAX TRIAL IN FEDERAL COURT IN MANHATTAN, 1985. L TO R: SCOTT, RYAN, NATHAN.
the family well when they would travel to di erent locales for Mac’s numerous speaking engagements. Barbara and Nathan accompanied Mac to Bismarck, where in one trial Mac won acquittals for all ve of his clients, “ e Fargo Five.”
Mac would make sure that it wasn’t all work and no play, frequently
and determined. I’ve never seen anyone so committed to protecting his clients. It’s almost as if he thinks there’s an S on his chest. He’s like a pit-bull when the situation calls for it. He won’t give up.”
Not unlike his father, Scott has lived a fascinating life thus far, with varied interests that range from so ware development for defense contractors such as TRW and Northrop Grumman, to practicing/mastering martial arts for more than two decades, to serving as a teacher/facilitator of substance abuse classes for a state-licensed counseling facility.
Like Mac, Scott is a proli c writer, having edited two books on federal tax law, authored a feature article for a Scottish heritage magazine, two articles for a martial arts publication, several online articles for examiner.com and three for eHow.com. Additionally, he’s self-published two books.
A featured speaker at the Tax Freedom Institute’s annual Taxpayer’s Defense Conference, Scott has also been an editor and contributor to their monthly newsletter which has an extensive readership amongst tax professionals across the country.
NATHAN
Equally accomplished, brother Nathan seems to have caught the travel bug, no doubt inspired by the many trips he and his brothers enjoyed with their father.
“I have been to 49 states (not yet Maine) and 25 foreign countries,” he says. “My wife and I met in Cologne, Germany, I’m from Phoenix but she is from Brazil. Our two oldest boys were born in Frankfurt, Germany; the youngest was born in Encinitas, California. Our children are bilingual (English and Portuguese) and my wife and I are uent in German as well.”
Nathan is not only a California attorney, but is also a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales, having worked as an associate at the world’s second-largest law rm in its Frankfurt and London o ces where he represented global banks and nance ministries. Even today Nathan o en works from remote locations, such as while visiting clients or researching issues, both in the United States and o shore. When he is not traveling on business, Nathan works from his mountaintop acreage in North Idaho.
Nathan’s practice focuses on both federal and state civil and criminal tax
RYAN, NATHAN, SCOTT, AND BARBARA MACPHERSON IN WASHINGTON, D.C., WHERE MAC REPRESENTED A CIA OPERATIVE SUBPOENAED BY CONGRESS DURING THE IRAN-CONTRA AFFAIR, 1987.
taking his family on side excursions to destinations such as West Point, Coast Guard Academy, Merchant Marine Academy, Martha’s Vineyard, and New York City. Scott also became a
pilot.
HEIRS APPARENT
As adults, Scott, Ryan, and Nathan have remained close to one another, their parents, and the family business. Each man, successful in his own right, is poised to take over speci c aspects of the MacPherson legacy.
SCOTT
An accomplished attorney, married 23 years and father of three, ages 15, 17, and 22, Scott brings more than a decade of experience representing clients before the IRS and numerous state taxing authorities in all stages of civil controversy, as well as extensive criminal appellate work. ese include audit, appeal, assessment, collection, lien/ levy, O ers in Compromise, Installment Agreements, Currently Not Collectible status, Collection Due Process Hearings, U.S. Tax Court litigation, appeals in the federal circuit and petitions for a writ of certiorari to the United States Supreme Court.
With a Master of Science degree in mathematics from Purdue University as well as his Juris Doctor from Chapman University, Scott is licensed to practice law in Arizona, California and the District of Columbia.
His recollections of growing up in the MacPherson legal practice are lled with adventure and wonder. “It was exciting to sit in the actual courtrooms and listen to the lawyers presenting arguments to the judge and jury. And when I helped make an actual trial exhibit, I felt important because I knew that I was helping him with something very big and very important.”
When describing his father, Scott doesn’t hesitate. “Aggressive, dogged
NATHAN AND RYAN MACPHERSON MAKING A LEGAL PRESENTATION TO THEIR PARENTS, 1991.
ATTORNEYS NATHAN AND SCOTT MACPHERSON, 2019.
ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · PHOENIX· VOL. 11 NO. 5 14