James H. Sutton, Jr.

James H. Sutton, Jr is both an attorney and CPA and a Shareholder of the firm. James concentrates in the area of Florida tax matters, with an almost exclusive focus on Florida Sales and Use Tax. He joined the firm in 2011 and has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant since 1994 and a licensed member of the Florida Bar since 1998.

Mr. Sutton has 30+ years of experience working in Federal tax as well as State and Local Tax (“SALT”), including Arthur Andersen and a tax consulting firm handling a wide variety of state tax planning and consulting work for Fortune 1,000 companies. Since 2002, Mr. Sutton has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law teaching State and Local Tax, Accounting for Lawyers, and Federal Income Tax I and also at Boston University College of Law’s LLM of Taxation program teaching Sales and Use Tax. Mr. Sutton ventured into the realm of construction as part owner, CFO, and in-house counsel for two construction companies, one residential and one commercial, giving him the opportunity to experience the “big picture” with all aspects of business and an improved ability to see things from a business owner’s perspective. Mr. Sutton is also the State and Local Tax Chairman of the American Academy of Attorney – Certified Public Accounts and now dedicates his time defending companies and individuals against the aggressive tactics of the Florida Department of Revenue.

Mr. Sutton has been quoted in the news by Fox News Tampa Bay, Daily Business Review, Law360, Bloomberg BNA Daily Tax Report, State Tax Notes, & Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Practice Areas in Florida Sales and Use Tax

Audit Defense, Protest, Petition for Reconsideration, Division of Administrative Hearing Litigation, Circuit Court Litigation, Collections, Revocation Hearings, Registration Denials, Criminal Investigation, Criminal Defense, Pre-Trial Intervention/Diversion Programs, Consultation/Planning, Voluntary Disclosure, Refunds, Nexus Questionnaire Investigation, New/Existing Company Registration.

Bar Admissions

• Florida
• United States Tax Court
• United States Supreme Court

Education

• Bachelors Degree in Accounting from Stetson University (1992)
• Masters in Accounting from Mississippi State University (1995)
• Juris Doctorate from Stetson University College of Law (1998)
• Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Taxation from University of Florida, Levin College of Law (1999)