Mary Thomas, Vice President of Business Development-- Corporate Secretary, is a certified public accountant and attorney whose experience in both the accounting and legal fields bring added value to the firm's clients. Prior to joining Thomas, Thomas & Thomas, P.C. in 1999, Mary worked as a compliance auditor at an internationally known health institution and as an auditor at a Big Four accounting firm. She researched external and internal reporting requirements, audited existing systems, and presented feasible solutions to bring the client’s systems into compliance with internal and external guidelines. Mary also gained diversified legal experience while working with law firms in Austin and Houston. She has volunteered her legal services at the First Court of Appeals in Houston, TX.
Education
Mary holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Texas at Austin. She graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a concentration in accounting from the University of Houston. Mary became licensed as a Certified Public Accountant and an attorney in 1997.
Affiliations
- The Greater Houston Partnership, current chair of the Professional Services Council;
- Member of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, former member of the State Taxation Committee;
- Member of the Texas State Bar;
- Member of the Houston Bar Association;
- Former Rotarian; and
- Former member of the American Bar Association.
Representative Experience
- Identified a state tax assessment reduction of over $175,000 for a construction concern;
- Secured a 47% deduction in an audit deficiency assessment for a construction concern;
- Participated in the administrative hearings process to secure 100% of a refund request for a client in the hospitality industry while ensuring that the client takes advantage of the exemption prospectively;
- Participated in the administrative hearings process on behalf of a manufacturer to minimize state tax due;
- Minimized the liability associated with non-compliance with unclaimed property law for a regional manufacturer;
- Compiled unclaimed property reports for various jurisdictions that covered a span of over 15 years;
- Co-authored all books offered by Thomas, Thomas & Thomas, PC including “Texas Taxes for the Construction Industry”© and “Texas Taxes for the Hospitality Industry.”©
- Wrote Texas Tax Lawyer (May 2003) entitled,“The Impact of Texas Sales and Use Tax on Business Operations: What Every Business Transactional Attorney Should Know;”© and
- Speaks at various professional organizations about unclaimed property and sales tax issues.
