Michael T. Petrik — Partner at Alston & Bird

Mr. Michael T. Petrik is a Partner at Alston & Bird LLP. Mr. Petrik is the Chairman of the firm's State and Local Tax group. Mr. Petrik concentrates his practice on multistate tax planning for businesses, including income tax, franchise tax, sales/use tax, and other state and local taxes. Mr. Petrik has extensive experience in developing and implementing new corporate structures designed to achieve multistate tax efficiency. For example, he has formed intellectual property holding companies, captive REITs, internet or other special purpose sales companies, jurisdiction specific pass-through entities, and a variety of securitization vehicles, all designed to achieve business objectives while yielding tax efficiencies. In addition, Mr. Petrik has structured numerous corporate acquisitions and dispositions in a manner that avoided income, sales, or other state taxes. Mr. Petrik is a frequent author and speaker on state tax topics, including constitutional questions involving the due process and commerce clauses. In addition to being a frequent lecturer before professional groups, including the Council on State Taxation, Tax Executives Institute, and the National Tax Association, Mr. Petrik has authored or contributed articles appearing in The Journal of State Taxation, State Tax Notes, The State and Local Tax Portfolio Series, Corporate Business Taxation Monthly, Sales & Use Tax Alert, Software Taxation Newsletter, and Southeastern Tax Alert. Mike is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of State Income Tax Alert and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for his tax expertise. Prior to teaching a course on state and local taxation at Georgia State University, he was an instructor at the Atlanta Law School, where he taught courses on constitutional law. Mr. Petrik serves on the boards of the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, Leadership Atlanta, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the Vasser Woolley Foundation. Mr. Petrik received his J.D. in 1983 from Duke University School of Law and his B.A. degree in 1979 from Eastern Illinois University. He is a member of the Tax Sections of the State Bar of Georgia and Atlanta Bar Association.