Colin Bowes-Carlson

About Colin Bowes-Carlson

I’m a builder. During my undergraduate years at Northwestern University and my law school career at the Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, I devoted my time to figuring out how to build a career as a lawyer building big things for clients and stakeholders. I spent the first several years of my legal career at Baker McKenzie, where I led teams that build complex corporate structures for businesses spanning countless legal jurisdictions, cultures, consumer markets, regulatory landscapes, and tax regimes. At Baker, I focused my practice on planning and executing large cross-border corporate reorganizations, typically in the context of pre-M&A transaction carve-outs, post-M&A transaction integrations and restructurings, spin-offs, legal entity rationalizations, and cash repatriation transactions. While most corporate lawyers spend their days doing deals, my practice meant working with diverse teams of lawyers across the globe to build corporate structures for the businesses we served that positioned them to do deals, integrated and optimized their businesses after doing deals, and helped them reap the benefits of the deals they did — everywhere in the world that they do business. Deeply committed to ensuring the prosperity of our state in a rapidly changing global environment, I also recognized the need for experienced lawyers to build sound public policy here at home. Aspiring to a role in public service, my appointment as General Counsel at the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) was a perfect fit. My role at IDOR allows me to leverage my corporate and tax experience, and gives me the privilege of leading and developing an immensely dedicated team of attorneys and legal staff focused on our core mission of serving Illinois taxpayers by administering our tax laws and collecting revenues for our communities fairly, consistently, and efficiently. Together, we build a legal team steadfast in its approach to resolving complex tax disputes, advising stakeholders and policymakers on pressing revenue proposals, and funding our local communities – all in service to the people of Illinois. If you’re an attorney interested in a career in public service, or curious about the transition between public sector advocacy and private practice, let me know. We’re always looking for talented lawyers to join our team. If you’d like to learn more about me or the work I do at IDOR, feel free to reach out to me directly.(917) 7••••••••@gmail.com

Experience

1. Partner

   Baker McKenzie

   Jun 2024 — Present · Chicago, IL, US

Skills

• Corporate Law
• Legal Research
• Legal Writing
• Public Speaking