Lisa Reilly Payton
Tax Controversy and Estate Planning Attorney
Lisa Reilly Payton is a member of the Catholic Community Foundation board of directors.
602-277-2010 Email
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As a guest on the "Strategic Sensibility" podcast, Lisa Reilly Payton talks about working for People magazine in New York, family success in business, and how to coalesce the roles of being a mom and a successful tax attorney.
Senior partner and Best Lawyers® honoree Lisa Reilly Payton focuses her law practice on estate planning, tax planning, and federal and state tax controversy.
Lisa is a popular speaker and has appeared multiple times on the Emmy Award-winning talk show The List.
Estate and Business Planning
Lisa's estate planning experience includes helping individuals, couples, and business owners identify their planning options and tailoring their choices to their unique situations and goals. In guiding her clients through the planning process, Lisa and her team provide all documents necessary to executing her clients’ plans, including:
- wills,
- trusts,
- asset conveyances into the trust,
- financial powers of attorney,
- health care powers of attorney, and
- living wills.
She also advises business owners in business formation, succession planning and tax planning.
Tax Controversy
In her tax controversy practice, Lisa represents individuals before the IRS and the Arizona Department of Revenue in income tax collection disputes. Through the offer-in-compromise settlements she has negotiated with the IRS in recent years, Lisa has saved her clients more than $20 million in federal income taxes.
In addition to income tax controversies, Lisa advocates for businesses in contested employment tax matters, and she assists businesses with sales tax and withholding tax issues before the Arizona Department of Revenue and local taxing authorities.
Practice Areas
Business Law and Entity Formation
Probate and Trust Administration
Administrative Law
Honors & Awards
The Best Lawyers in America® (Trusts and Estates), 2023, 2024
Az Business Leaders, AZ Big Media, 2024
“Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona for 2023, 2024” (Tax Law), AZ Business Magazine
Phoenix
Magazine "Top Lawyer" (Tax Law), 2022, 2023
Super Lawyers: Rising Stars (Tax Law), 2020, 2021
“The Most Influential Women in Arizona,” Az Business Magazine, 2018
Presentations and Interviews
"Arizona Tax Credits and CARES Act Tax Deductions," Successful Aging, KFNX 1100 AM, November 2020
“People Magazine and the IRS,” Strategic Sensibility (podcast), September 2019
“What to Do When the IRS Audits Your Tax Return,” The List, 2018
“How to Detect an IRS Scam,” The List, 2018
“Front Seat to Tax Reform: Overview of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” National Bank of Arizona, 2018
“Estate Tax Traps to Avoid,” Arizona Society of Certified
Public Accountants, 2016
“Tax Settlement Options: Do You Qualify?” (interview), The Seth Leibsohn Show, 2015
“Divorce-Related Tax Issues” (panelist), Family Law Section, State Bar of Arizona Convention, 2015
Professional Memberships
State Bar of Arizona
Maricopa County Bar Association
Valley Estate Planners: Member, Board of Directors, 2022-2026
Bar and Court Admissions
Arizona, 2011
U.S. Tax Court, 2013
Education
J.D., Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Arizona State University, 2010
B.A., Journalism and Mass Communications, Arizona State University, 2004
Community Service
Catholic Community Foundation: Member, Board of Directors, 2022-2025, 2025-2028
Wills for Heroes Foundation