Get to know us
North Star Law was founded by Phillip Zagotti, a licensed attorney and CPA with over 20 years of experience helping individuals and businesses navigate complex tax, bankruptcy, and financial challenges. With a unique combination of legal and accounting expertise, Phillip brings a perspective that most attorneys and most CPAs simply can't offer — he understands both the legal strategy and the numbers behind it. North Star Law is built on a straightforward belief: that everyone facing a legal or financial crisis deserves clear guidance, honest answers, and a knowledgeable advocate in their corner. From our offices in Houston's Energy Corridor, we serve clients throughout Texas and, for federal tax matters, nationwide.
Our mission
Our mission at North Star Law is to guide individuals and businesses through their most difficult legal and financial moments with clarity, competence, and respect. We believe that a tax dispute, a financial setback, or the burden of administering a trust should never define someone's future. We exist to help our clients understand their options, protect their rights, and move forward with confidence. Whether you're facing the IRS, considering bankruptcy, managing a trust, or making critical business decisions, we bring the legal knowledge and financial expertise to help you find your way.
Our vision
Our vision is to be the firm that people trust when the stakes are highest. We are building a practice where every client — whether a small business owner facing a tax crisis, a family navigating bankruptcy, or a trustee managing someone else's legacy — receives the same level of care, expertise, and attention that was once reserved for those who could afford the largest firms. We believe that accessible, high-quality legal and financial guidance isn't a luxury. It's a necessity. North Star Law exists to make that a reality.
Phillip Zagotti, JD, CPA
Phillip Zagotti is a licensed attorney and Certified Public Accountant with over 20 years of experience representing individuals and businesses in federal and state tax controversies, bankruptcy, and business transactions. His dual qualification gives him a rare ability to see both the legal and financial dimensions of every client's situation — a perspective that most attorneys and most CPAs simply cannot offer.
Phillip's tax defense practice covers the full spectrum of IRS and state tax disputes, including federal and state tax audits, innocent spouse relief, offers in compromise, trust fund recovery actions, installment agreements, penalty and interest abatement, unfiled tax returns, currently not collectible status, employee retention tax credit defense, and contractor versus employee classification disputes. His bankruptcy practice includes Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 filings as well as preference payment clawback defense.
Phillip is admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, the United States District Court for the Central District of California, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, and the State Bar of California. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Texas.
Phillip is the co-author of Trusted: The Essential Guide for Trustees, a practical guide written for everyday people navigating the responsibilities of trust administration. He is a frequent speaker on tax controversy, trust administration, and bankruptcy topics, delivering continuing legal education and continuing professional education courses to attorneys and CPAs nationwide.
Phillip earned his Juris Doctor from Concord Law School at Purdue Global and his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston. He is a native Houstonian.
Phillip Zagotti, JD, CPA
Founder