Attorneys
Chamberlain Shareholder Peter Lowy Appointed to Houston Volunteer Lawyers Board of Directors
Peter Lowy, shareholder in the Houston office of national law firm, Chamberlain Hrdlicka, has joined the Board of Directors of the Houston Volunteer Lawyers, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization that serves as the pro bono arm of the Houston Bar Association
Lowy is a seasoned tax litigator who, throughout his career, has devoted substantial time annually to represent underprivileged taxpayers. On behalf of the Texas Bar Association, he oversees the U.S. Tax Court Calendar Call Program in Houston, where volunteer attorneys assist unrepresented taxpayers. In about the late-90’s, he assisted Houston Volunteer Lawyers in establishing a low-income taxpayer clinic where Lowy continues to volunteer for pro bono tax cases. His work with disadvantaged taxpayers has earned him the ABA Tax Section's Pro Bono Award in 2003, the Access to Justice Award from the New York State Courts in 2015, and Houston Volunteer Lawyers’ Outstanding Pro Bono Achievement Award in 2019.
“As a judicial clerk for a U.S. District Court and later the U.S. Tax Court at the start of my career, I saw first-hand that the majority of litigants in tax cases had no legal representation,” said Lowy. “Unrepresented taxpayers appearing against experienced trial lawyers from the Internal Revenue Service lacked the balance needed for the adversarial process to function properly, and, as a tax litigator, I believed I was in a position to make a difference.”
In addition to his federal tax work, Lowy represents taxpayers in State & Local Tax (SALT) matter. He is co-chair of the SALT practice for Chamberlain Hrdlicka. Lowy is best known for his tax controversy work and deep experience in the energy sector. He also advises corporations and other taxpayers in a broad spectrum of industries on tax compliance issues, tax planning, and risk management. He regularly works with the Internal Revenue Service and the Texas Comptroller’s office on a wide range of matters.
"Pete is an excellent addition to the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Board of Directors," said Diana Gomez, shareholder in Chamberlain Hrdlicka and second vice-president of the Houston Bar Association. "His ongoing volunteer efforts are an inspiration to our attorneys and reflect the firm's commitment to pro bono work."
Lowy sits on the Council for the American Bar Association Tax Section. He is an adjunct law professor at the University of Houston Law Center, where he teaches Tax Controversies, and is widely published on tax audits and litigation-related subjects. He is a former chair of the American Bar Association Tax Section’s Energy Tax Committee and of the American Bar Association Tax Section's Committee on Court Procedure & Practice. Lowy earned his LLM in Taxation from New York University School of Law and his JD from Tulane Law School where he was a member of the Tulane Law Review.
About Houston Volunteer Lawyers
The Houston Volunteer Lawyers is a non-profit service of the Houston Bar Association that provides free legal aid to low-income residents of Harris County by connecting them with volunteer lawyers who agree to handle their matters for free.