Philip Cook specializes in federal income taxation and federal tax controversies. Mr. Cook is a nationally prominent tax litigator with broad experience representing clients in major disputes with the Internal Revenue Service. During his career, he has litigated some of the most important domestic and cross-border tax issues faced by financial institutions. Mr. Cook has also played a prominent role in litigating tax cases of first impression for the telecommunications industry and a range of other industries. He represents multi-national taxpayers in a variety of tax matters including transfer pricing disputes. He also defends employers and fiduciaries against regulatory and class action claims brought under ERISA.

Mr. Cook led the Alston & Bird team that investigated Enron’s tax transactions as part of the Examiner’s investigation. He testified before the Senate Finance Committee about this investigation.

Philip successfully represented Delta Air Lines, Inc. as a special employee benefits counsel in its Chapter 11 proceeding with respect to the contested distress termination of the Delta Pilot's Retirement Plan. He has defended major ERISA class actions in jurisdictions throughout the country.

Philip Cook specializes in federal income taxation and federal tax controversies. Mr. Cook is a nationally prominent tax litigator with broad experience representing clients in major disputes with the Internal Revenue Service. During his career, he has litigated some of the most important domestic and cross-border tax issues faced by financial institutions. Mr. Cook has also played a prominent role in litigating tax cases of first impression for the telecommunications industry and a range of other industries. He represents multi-national taxpayers in a variety of tax matters including transfer pricing disputes. He also defends employers and fiduciaries against regulatory and class action claims brought under ERISA.

Mr. Cook led the Alston & Bird team that investigated Enron’s tax transactions as part of the Examiner’s investigation. He testified before the Senate Finance Committee about this investigation.

Philip successfully represented Delta Air Lines, Inc. as a special employee benefits counsel in its Chapter 11 proceeding with respect to the contested distress termination of the Delta Pilot's Retirement Plan. He has defended major ERISA class actions in jurisdictions throughout the country.

Philip is a frequent speaker at national tax conferences and seminars and has published dozens of articles on a wide array of tax topics. He is a member of the Board of Editors of Mergers and Acquisitions, The Monthly Tax Journal and The Journal of Taxation of Financial Institutions. He has served as chair of the Committee on Banking and Savings Institutions of the American Bar Association Tax Section, chair of the Tax Section of the State Bar of Georgia, chair of the Tax Section of the Atlanta Bar Association, president of the Atlanta Tax Forum and president of the Southern Employee Benefits Conference. He is also a fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel and a member of the American Law Institute. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and Guide to the World's Leading Tax Lawyers.

During his career, Philip has actively served in the leadership of the firm having led the firm’s Tax Section and having served two terms as chair of the firm.

He received his J.D. degree, cum laude, in 1971 from Harvard University, where he was president of the Harvard Journal on Legislation, and his B.S. degree, with honors, from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1968. Prior to joining Alston & Bird in 1972, he served as a law clerk to The Honorable Lewis R. Morgan at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.