Caplin & Drysdale Welcomes New Associate Blair Hlinka

Caplin & Drysdale is excited to welcome new Associate Blair Hlinka to the firm’s Tax Disputes & Tax Litigation practice group.

Ms. Hlinka assists individuals and corporations in all types of tax controversies and litigation with the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities. She also advises individuals and businesses on a broad range of tax issues with a particular focus on assisting individuals, trusts, partnerships, and corporate entities with responding to and defending against civil IRS audits and examinations and with representing them in court proceedings.

Prior to joining Caplin & Drysdale, Ms. Hlinka served as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice Tax Division where she worked on an array of Federal tax matters, including refund, FBAR penalty, and collection suits before numerous U.S. District and Bankruptcy Courts. Ms. Hlinka regularly took and defended depositions, issued and responded to formal discovery including managing large document review, and engaged in extensive motions practice. She served as lead attorney on numerous cases, including for a week-long trial with vast pre-trial discovery in U.S. District Court. At the Department of Justice, Ms. Hlinka was awarded the Tax Division’s Outstanding Attorney Award in 2023 and Special Commendations in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Before joining the Department of Justice, Ms. Hlinka served as a clerk at the U.S. Tax Court. Outside of her legal practice, Ms. Hlinka is an active member of the American Bar Association. As a member of the ABA Young Lawyers Division, Ms. Hlinka works as a producer on the Division’s Young Lawyer Rising podcast and previously served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Division’s flagship publications. She was nationally recognized by the ABA Young Lawyers Division with the On the Rise (Top 40 Young Lawyers) award. She also serves on the ABA Section of Taxation’s Women in Tax Forum leadership board.