Lowell F. Raeder

Lowell F. Raeder concentrates his practice in tax and commercial litigation, estate, business and retirement planning.  He has practiced for over 45 years in the Philadelphia area, beginning his  career as a trial attorney for the Internal Revenue Service.

Lowell has represented individuals, corporations, retirement plans and estates before the Internal Revenue Service. He has litigated tax cases in the United States Tax Court and the U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Lowell’s practice also includes advising and counseling clients on estate, retirement and business matters, including the sale and purchase of businesses or professional practices.

As a commercial litigator, Lowell has represented a wide range of businesses. He has also tried cases involving estate and trust matters in Orphans’ Court.

• In the United States Tax Court, Lowell tried a case involving the issue of unreasonable compensation. The IRS claimed that the wages paid to the owner of the business were not reasonable and therefore not deductible. Lowell was successful in convincing the Tax Court that the wages paid were fully deductible.
• In a matter in the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas,  Lowell tried a case on behalf of  a manufacturer who purchased a part needed in order to build what its customer ordered. The part was defective. The Court ruled that  the maker of the part was liable for breach of warranty under the Uniform Commercial Code.
• In Orphans’ Court Lowell has tried matters representing the Trustee of trusts. In the Montgomery County Orphans’ Court, Lowell successfully defended a Trustee whose investment decisions were criticized and whose fees were objected to as excessive. The Court held that the investment decisions and fees were proper. In the Philadelphia County Orphans’ Court, Lowell successfully defended a Trustee who, it was claimed, failed to file tax returns and whose fees were objected to as excessive. The Court held that the Trustee was not responsible for the filing of the tax returns and that its fees were proper.
• Lowell has represented various professionals in the sale of their practices. He has also represented numerous business owners in the sale of their businesses. In a number of these transactions the buyer was a publicly traded corporation. In some of these transactions the seller received the full purchase price in cash at closing and some of the transactions involved pay outs to the seller based upon performance formulas for the professional practice or business.