Bruce Ely Receives COST Excellence in State Taxation Award and Elected to Join American Bar Foundation Fellows

Bradley is pleased to announce that Bruce P. Ely, a partner in the firm’s Birmingham office, has received the Paul Frankel Excellence in State Taxation Award from the Council on State Taxation (COST) and has been elected to join the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation (ABF).

“We are very proud of Bruce’s achievements that have earned him the COST Excellence in State Taxation Award and his election to the prestigious Fellows of the American Bar Foundation,” said Bradley Chairman of the Board and Managing Partner Beau Grenier. “Bruce is among a number of Bradley attorneys who have accepted Fellow membership over the years to continue their work for advancements in the legal profession.”

Founding Chair of Bradley’s State and Local Tax (SALT) Practice Team, Mr. Ely focuses on three concentric areas: representing taxpayers in federal, state and local administrative and judicial forums; advising companies on choosing the proper form of entity through which to conduct business in the Southeast and potential tax incentives; and advising companies and various trade and professional organizations regarding state and local tax legislative matters. He also devotes a substantial amount of time to teaching and writing on SALT-related topics. As part of his governmental affairs practice, Mr. Ely has co-authored a number of landmark pieces of tax and business entity legislation in Alabama, and served on several tax and constitutional reform commissions and task forces over the years.

Mr. Ely earned his J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law and his LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law. He also holds a B.S. in Accounting (cum laude) from the University of Alabama. A longstanding Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, Mr. Ely also is the only Alabama member included in the International Who’s Who of Corporate Tax Lawyers.

Initiated in 2009, the COST award honors well-known SALT litigator Paul Frankel who passed away in early 2017. The award is presented annually to an individual in recognition of outstanding and continuing contributions to the state and local tax profession. More than 450 state and local tax professionals honored Mr. Ely at COST's 48th Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla., in October.

The ABF Fellows is an honorary organization that recognizes attorneys, judges, law faculty and legal scholars who have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the welfare of their communities and to the highest principles of the legal profession. Membership in the Fellows is limited to one percent (1%) of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Members are nominated by their peers and elected by the ABF board.