Aaron Borden

Executive summary

Aaron leads Grant Thornton’s Private Wealth Services practice in Dallas. The Dallas team provides a full range of compliance and consulting services to high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients. Representative services include income, estate, and gift tax compliance; succession, legacy, estate and asset protection consulting; and services in support of family offices.

Aaron has more than 15 years’ experience finding solutions to complex tax problems for his clients. Currently his work is focused on assisting business owners and entrepreneurs in achieving their desired legacy and succession planning goals. His work in this area often involves advising on estate plans, charitable giving strategies, multi-generational planning, and other matters that often go beyond the tax aspects client goals. In recent years, Aaron has also assisted his clients in connection with foreign and domestic trust issues, family limited partnerships, private annuity transactions, like-kind exchanges, opportunity zone investments, private foundations, charitable trusts, conservation easements, personal use of corporate aircraft, employee stock ownership plans, and retirement planning.

Prior to joining Grant Thornton, Aaron practiced as a tax lawyer in a Dallas-based law firm where his work also involved resolving tax disputes and obtaining court-ordered modification and interpretation of trusts. His work on these engagements took him to probate court, the State Office of Administrative Hearings, the United States Tax Court, and federal district courts where he tried multiple cases to a verdict. In his role as a tax lawyer, Aaron also obtained waiver and abatement of $1.3 million in penalties assessed for failure to file information returns, obtained complete IRS concession in multiple cases involving Employer Shared Responsibility Payments, innocent spouse relief, and trust fund recovery penalties. In addition, Aaron represented multiple clients in no-change IRS audits.

Professional qualifications and memberships

• Board Certified in Tax Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
• Certified Public Accountant, Texas
• Admitted to the State Bar of Texas
• Admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, and the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
• Recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in 2020
• Recognized as Rising Star by the Texas Society of CPAs in 2016

Community involvement

Aaron is active in the Texas Society of CPAs at the state and local level. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for both the Texas Society of CPAs and TXCPA Dallas. He previously chaired the Leadership Development Academy and Membership Committee for TXCPA Dallas.

Aaron is also active in the legal community. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Admissions and Membership Committee and is Chair of the New Member Welcome Subcommittee for the Dallas Bar. He previously served on the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers’ Finance Committee and the Dallas Bar’s Legal Ethics Committee. In addition, Aaron is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Foundation.

Aaron’s community involvement includes the Dallas Regional Chamber’s Young Professionals, Habitat for Humanity, and the Dallas Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association.

Presentations and publications

Aaron is also involved in furthering the knowledge of fellow tax professionals. His articles on technical tax issues have been published in the American Bar Association’s Tax Times, The Texas Tax Lawyer, Today’s CPA, the Journal of Tax Practice and Procedure, and the Dallas Bar’s Headnotes. In addition, Aaron is a frequent speaker on technical tax topics at continuing education conferences for lawyers and accountants.

Aaron is also Chairman of the Today’s CPA Editorial Board and Vice-Chair of the Texas Tax Lawyer. From 2016 to 2019, he served on the Law360 Tax Editorial Advisory Board.

Education

• J.D., The University of Texas School of Law
• B.S. in Accounting and Chemistry, Wayland Baptist University