Episode 9 · June 24, 2026

John Pontius: From Army JAG to Tax Controversy

"There's never a perfect time to start. It's going to be a little bit scary. After eight years, it's gotten much more stable. But you have to have that faith in yourself and bet on yourself."

Hosted by · Tax Attorney, Georgetown Law Tax LL.M. Candidate

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About the Guest

John Pontius is the Managing Attorney and Founder of Pontius Tax Law, PLLC, a Washington, D.C.-based firm focused on tax controversy, offshore compliance, and IRS collections. Before launching the firm eight years ago, Pontius served as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army JAG Corps with the 1st Armored Division, deploying to Tikrit, Iraq, where he handled Foreign Claims Act matters. While stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany, he supervised an IRS-sponsored VITA program that prepared thousands of federal and state returns for servicemembers in a matter of weeks.

After the Army, Pontius earned his Tax LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center on the GI Bill, then spent time at KPMG in international corporate tax in Tysons Corner, Virginia, before moving to smaller firms in Rockville and Annapolis. He is a four-time Super Lawyers selection (2023–2026, previously Rising Stars 2015–2020), sits on the DC Office of Tax and Revenue Tax Advisory Board, and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Tax Court, the DC Bar, and the Maryland Bar.

His firm handles FBAR examinations, streamlined offshore disclosures, unfiled return compliance, IRS collections (liens, levies, passport issues), trust fund recovery penalties, and Tax Court litigation. His team includes former IRS revenue officers and appeals officers, as well as enrolled agents who handle return preparation alongside the legal work.

Pontius earned his J.D. from Widener University Commonwealth Law School (Trial Advocacy Honor Society) and his B.A. in Economics from Gettysburg College, where he competed on the Federal Reserve Challenge Team and placed first at the Baltimore branch.

In This Episode

  • From law school to Army JAG: how running at lunchtime with retired judge advocates changed the plan
  • Running a VITA program in Wiesbaden, Germany: preparing thousands of tax returns for servicemembers in a few weeks
  • Georgetown Tax LL.M. on the GI Bill and why the nontraditional path became an advantage
  • KPMG international corporate tax in Tysons Corner: seeing world-class business across time zones and cultures
  • Hanging out a shingle with five clients in a Regus office in Rockville, Maryland
  • The three-question wheelhouse test: can we fix it, is it cost-effective, can the client pay?
  • Military leadership under pressure: how Iraq deployment and JAG training translate to client empathy
  • One-third international, one-third small business collections, one-third everything else: the Pontius Tax Law practice mix
  • FBAR, streamlined offshore procedures, and why most clients are not criminal masterminds
  • IRS collection escalation: from soft letters to levy, liens, passport revocation, and Tax Court
  • Building a team with former IRS revenue officers, appeals officers, and enrolled agents
  • Practical perspective for going out on your own: become competent first, develop business sense, and bet on yourself

Timestamps

  • 0:00 Cold open: faith in yourself and betting on yourself
  • 0:21 Career arc: Army JAG, Big Four, boutique tax controversy, launching a firm
  • 1:59 Was it all connected? Hindsight vs. intentional through line
  • 3:04 Hanging out a shingle: humble beginnings with five clients
  • 4:09 Family roots in law: grandfather, father, and finding the path
  • 5:38 The three-question wheelhouse: fix it, cost-benefit, can they pay
  • 6:48 The business side of practicing law
  • 8:42 Military decision-making under pressure and its tax practice carryover
  • 10:00 Iraq deployment, foreign claims, and leadership styles
  • 11:50 Leadership style that resonated most from the Army
  • 13:32 KPMG and international corporate tax: working the time zones
  • 15:10 Practice areas: FBAR, offshore compliance, collections, Tax Court
  • 17:01 International penalties, statutes of limitations, and adding value early
  • 19:12 Team structure: enrolled agents, former revenue officers, end-to-end service
  • 20:39 Being the CEO of your own firm and taking care of yourself
  • 23:15 Practical perspective for going out on your own: competence, business sense, and faith

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