Bar Business

• Jurisdiction: California,United States
• Citation: Vol. 27 No. 1
• Publication year: 2018

BAR BUSINESS

Taxation Section Overview

MEMBERSHIP

Membership is open to everyone including lawyers, accountants, enrolled agents, trust officers, etc. The Section maintains two levels of membership: Regular membership for those who are admitted to the State Bar of California, and Associate membership for all others, such as lawyers admitted in other states. Joining the Section may be done through the Section's website, or by contacting Kristina Robledo, Taxation Section Coordinator at the State Bar, at (415) 538-2467 or kristina.robledo@CAlawyers.org.

LEADERSHIP

The Taxation Section is led by an Executive Committee comprised of three officers and fifteen members. It is supported by the chairs of the Standing Committees; in addition, a select number of government representatives and leading tax practitioners serve as advisors. Please see the Taxation Section Leadership Directory, infra, for a listing of the individuals involved. The Executive Committee typically meets four times a year to attend to Taxation Section business. Applications for appointment in September are typically due the preceding January. For more information, please contact Patrick Martin, Chair of the Section, at (619) 515-3230 or patrick.martin@procopio.com.

STANDING COMMITTEES

The Taxation Section sponsors a number of Standing Committees focusing on various areas of substantive tax law, tax practice, and tax policy. The Standing Committees actively support and participate in the activities of the Taxation Section by, among other things, preparing papers for the annual Washington, D.C., Delegation, developing and presenting panels at the Annual Meeting of the California Tax Bar and California Tax Policy Conference, and soliciting, drafting, or reviewing articles for the California Tax Lawyer. In addition, many Standing Committees host their own meetings, conferences, or events throughout the year. Major events sponsored by the Standing Committees include the Annual Estate & Gift Tax Conference and the Annual Income & Other Taxes Seminar. The eleven Standing Committees are:

• Compensation and Benefits;
• Corporate and Pass-Through Entities;
• Estate and Gift Tax;
• Income and Other Taxes;
• International Tax;
• State and Local Tax;
• Tax Exempt Organizations;
• Tax Policy, Practice and Legislation;
• Tax Procedure and Litigation;
• Women in Tax; and
• Young Tax Lawyers.

For more information on a Standing Committee, please contact one of the committee officers listed under the Taxation Section Leadership Directory, infra. In addition, throughout the year the various Standing Committees will be highlighted in the "Visiting the Committees" section. Joining a Standing Committee can be done either by contacting one of the committee's officers, through the Taxation Section's website, or by contacting Kristina Robledo, Taxation Section Coordinator at the State Bar, at (415) 538-2467 or kristina.robledo@CAlawyers.org. Involvement in a Standing Committee provides practitioners opportunities to enhance their knowledge, build eminence, and expand their networks.

PUBLICATIONS

The California Tax Lawyer is the official publication of the Taxation Section. Published four times a year, the California Tax Lawyer includes a variety of content, including expositive articles on federal and state tax matters (which do not generally have any page limitation, but which often run between 4,000 and 10,000 words, or approximately four to seven pages before endnotes), shorter substantive or technical updates (suggested length of around 750-1,500 words, or approximately one to two pages when published), as well as periodic compilations on selected federal and state matters. Each issue also contains a "Bar Business" section, which contains information about the Taxation Section, the Standing Committees, and their activities. Included in the "Visiting the Committees" section is a "Some Quick Points" piece which provides brief (generally fewer than 400 words) observations or commentaries on recent developments and practice-related matters submitted by members of the Standing Committees. In addition, the "Bar Business" section periodically presents other items of interest to the California tax community, such as reports on the annual Washington, D.C., Delegation and the Annual Meeting of the California Tax Bar and California Tax Policy Conference, and minutes of Eagle Lodge West. Submissions are typically due January 15, April 15, July 15, and October 15. Publication guidelines are posted on the Section's web site. For more information, contact Joseph Wilson at (949) 397-2292, or jwilson@wilsontaxlaw.com.

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ANNUAL WASHINGTON, D.C., DELEGATION

Each spring, the California State Bar Taxation Section, together with the Los Angeles County Bar Association, sends a delegation to Washington, D.C., to present original papers regarding legislative, regulatory, or administrative proposals to key tax officials in the Department of Treasury, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Tax Court, as well as to the staffs of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. Planning for each year's conference begins the preceding August, when the standing committees begin generating paper topics. For more information regarding the 2018 Delegation, contact Kurt Kawafuchi of the Executive Committee at (808) 688-8986 or kkawafuchi@kmhllp.com.

ANNUAL SACRAMENTO DELEGATION

Each winter, the California State Bar Taxation Section sends a delegation to Sacramento, CA to present original papers regarding legislative, regulatory, or administrative proposals to key tax officials in the Franchise Tax Board, Board of Equalization, Senate Governance and Finance Committee, Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee, and the Legislative Analyst's Office. Planning for each year's conference begins the preceding June, when the Standing Committees begin generating paper topics. For more information regarding the 2018 Sacramento Delegation, contact Ciro Immordino of the Executive Committee at Ciro.Immordino@ftb.ca.gov.

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CALIFORNIA TAXBAR AND CALIFORNIA TAX POLICY CONFERENCE

Each November, the Section hosts a multiple-day conference to address current issues in tax planning, controversy, policy, and practice. The conference has two distinct threads. The Annual Meeting focuses on a wide variety of federal topics, while the California Tax Policy Conference focuses on the application of California tax law. Approximately 40 programs are presented each year, which are led by prominent tax practitioners and representatives from government, including the Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Tax Court, Franchise Tax Board, and Board of Equalization. Planning for each year's conference begins the preceding February and March, when the standing committees generate program proposals. For more information about the 2018 Annual Meeting, contact Allen B. Walburn of the Executive Committee at (619)233-1155 or awalburn@allenmatkins.com. For more information about the 2017 California Tax Policy Conference, contact Christopher Campbell at (213) 553-3072 or cwcampbell@ deloitte.com. For sponsorship information, please contact any member of the Executive Committee.

EAGLE LODGE WEST

Held in late April or early May each year, Eagle Lodge West is an annual invitational event where selected practitioners meet with representatives of the Board of Equalization, Franchise Tax Board, and/or Employment Development Department to collaboratively seek to address, and find potential solutions for specifically identified issues. Planning for each year's event starts the December before. For more information, contact Scott Ewing at (916) 288-3350 or eewing@deloitte.com.

STATE BAR FUNCTIONS

The Section sponsors programs at the State Bar Annual Meeting (held in September) and the Section Education Institute ("SEI;" held in January). Planning for the State Bar Annual Meeting begins approximately eight months before, and planning for SEI begins approximately five months before, when the Standing Committees generate program proposals. For more information, please contact Patrick Martin, Chair of the Section, at (619) 515-3230 or patrick. martin@procopio.com.

WEBSITE

The Section's website may be found at http://calawyers.org/taxation. The website has both a public area and "Members Only Area." Among other things, the public area provides information on upcoming events as well as links to a variety of useful governmental and other websites. The "Members Only Area" includes the selected articles from past issues of the California Tax Lawyer. To access the "Members Only Area," users will need to login using their member (Bar) number and password (self-selected). For more information, contact Patrick Martin of the Executive Committee at (619) 515-3230 or patrick.martin@procopio.com.

IN THIS ISSUE

• Visiting the Committees
• Tax Section 2017-2018 Leadership Directory
• Calendar of Events

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Visiting the Committees

Commentary and Updates by the Committees

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS COMMITTEE

The Compensation and Benefits Committee provides a forum for members of the Taxation Section to learn and discuss issues relating to executive compensation, tax-qualified retirement plans, and health and welfare benefit arrangements. Membership in the Committee is open to employee benefit practitioners and Taxation Section members, and the participation of members of the Labor and Employment Law Section is encouraged. The Committee strives to include in discussions, high-level members of the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefit Security Administration, and California Franchise Tax Board.

Committee Activities

The Compensation and Benefits Committee schedules quarterly conference calls for all members interested in the topics that affect compensation and benefits. Members interested in participating, providing comments, or for more information regarding upcoming meetings and events should contact the Committee Chair...