13th Annual IRS Representation Conference 2026 (Presented by Tax Rep Network)

Sara G. Neill, Esq., Tax Controversy & Litigation Attorney | Neill, Schwerin & Boxerman, P.C.

Sara G. Neill is a tax controversy and litigation attorney at Neill, Schwerin & Boxerman, P.C. in Clayton, Missouri, where she has practiced since the firm’s founding. She concentrates her practice on federal and state civil and criminal tax matters, including IRS examinations, appeals, and litigation, as well as emerging digital assets tax issues. Sara earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Missouri Trulaske College of Business (1999), a Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri School of Law (2003), and an LL.M. in Taxation from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law (2015). She has been selected to Super Lawyers every year from 2015 through 2025 and has been named Best Lawyers’ ‘Lawyer of the Year’ for Litigation and Controversy – Tax in St. Louis twice. She is also a member of the St. Louis Sports Commission Board.

• Education & Credentials

Sara holds a B.S. from the University of Missouri Trulaske College of Business, a J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law (2003), and an LL.M. in Taxation from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law (2015). She is admitted to practice in Missouri and Illinois, as well as the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and the U.S. Tax Court. Her combination of a graduate tax degree and decades of civil and criminal tax controversy practice reflects a depth of expertise recognized by her consistent Super Lawyers designation and two Best Lawyers ‘Lawyer of the Year’ selections.

• Recognition & Leadership

Sara has been selected to Missouri Super Lawyers every year from 2015 through 2025 and has been named to the Top 50 St. Louis Super Lawyers list (2022–2023) and Top 50 Women Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers (2022). She has been named Best Lawyers’ ‘Lawyer of the Year’ for Litigation and Controversy – Tax in St. Louis twice over the past decade — a distinction awarded to only one attorney per practice area per market annually. She is a member of the St. Louis Sports Commission Board and has been a frequent speaker on tax and digital assets topics at regional and national conferences.

• Professional Involvement

Sara is actively engaged in the civil and criminal tax controversy community, presenting at conferences including the Summer Tax Summit in St. Louis on topics such as IRS civil and criminal enforcement trends for cryptocurrency. She works closely with IRS Examination and Collection, the IRS Appeals Office, the DOJ Tax Division, and state taxing authorities. Her practice has expanded into digital assets, where Neill Schwerin Boxerman was among the first St. Louis firms to advise clients on cryptocurrency tax matters. She is also involved in her broader community as a member of the St. Louis Sports Commission Board.

• Experience

Sara began her career as an associate at Capes Sokol in 2003, rising to Shareholder and Chair of the Tax Controversy and Litigation Practice Group before co-founding Neill, Schwerin & Boxerman, P.C. in late 2023 alongside Sandy Boxerman and Michelle Schwerin. Her nearly two decades at Capes Sokol — recognized repeatedly for excellence in tax controversy litigation — established her as one of St. Louis’s most prominent tax controversy practitioners. At Neill, Schwerin & Boxerman, she continues that practice with a focus on IRS examinations and appeals, criminal tax defense, and digital assets tax matters, serving individuals, businesses, and financial institutions navigating complex tax challenges.

 

Robert Day, Esq., Of Counsel – State & Local Tax | Green & Sklarz LLC

Robert Day is Of Counsel at Green & Sklarz LLC, where he focuses exclusively on state and local tax matters. With more than a decade of experience, he counsels individuals, tax-exempt organizations, small businesses, family enterprises, and Fortune 100 companies on state income, sales and use, gross receipts, and specialized Connecticut taxes. His clients span industries including manufacturing, broadcasting, and financial services, and he advises on compliance, planning, audit defense, domicile issues, and financial statement reporting. Robert earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Vermont and a Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He is admitted to practice in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

• Education & Credentials

Robert holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Vermont and a Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He is admitted to practice in Connecticut and Massachusetts and is a member of the American Bar Association, the Connecticut Bar Association, and the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants. His CSCPA membership reflects a multidisciplinary approach to state and local tax practice that serves clients navigating both legal and accounting dimensions of complex tax compliance.

• Recognition & Leadership

Robert’s recognition is grounded in his depth of expertise in Connecticut’s often-overlooked specialty tax structures — including the controlling interest transfer tax and sector-specific taxes on petroleum and utilities — and in the breadth of his client base, which spans new small businesses through Fortune 100 companies across multiple industries and geographies. His membership in the Connecticut Society of CPAs alongside bar admissions reflects his engagement with both the legal and accounting professional communities that SALT practice demands.

• Professional Involvement

Robert is a member of the American Bar Association, the Connecticut Bar Association, and the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants. As part of Green & Sklarz — New England’s premier tax representation law firm — he contributes to the firm’s statewide and national reputation for SALT expertise. He regularly advises clients on compliance, planning, domicile questions, and audit defense, and has assisted clients with financial statement reporting issues under GAAP.

• Experience

Robert Day has spent more than a decade building a practice centered on state and local tax matters at Green & Sklarz LLC. His experience spans the full range of Connecticut SALT issues — from income, sales and use, and gross receipts taxes to the more specialized controlling interest transfer tax and sector-specific taxes affecting industries like petroleum and utilities. His work for clients ranging from newly formed small businesses to Fortune 100 companies gives him a rare breadth of perspective on how SALT issues manifest differently across entity types, industries, and scales of operation. His financial statement reporting experience adds a dimension particularly valued by corporate clients managing ASC 740 tax provision work alongside their state tax compliance obligations.

 

Eric L. Green, Esq., Managing Partner & Co-Founder | Green & Sklarz LLC

Eric L. Green is the managing partner and co-founder of Green & Sklarz LLC, a boutique tax firm with offices in Connecticut and New York, and the founder of Tax Rep LLC and the Tax Rep Network — the country’s leading training and coaching program for tax representation practitioners. His practice focuses on civil and criminal taxpayer representation before the IRS, the DOJ Tax Division, and state departments of revenue. Eric is a nationally renowned tax expert who has lectured to more than 70,000 practitioners, is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, a past Chair of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Tax Section, and the host of the weekly Tax Rep Network podcast. He holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from Hofstra University, a J.D. (Honors) from New England School of Law, and an LL.M. in Taxation from Boston University School of Law. Prior to practicing law, he was a senior tax consultant at KPMG and Deloitte & Touche.

• Education & Credentials

Eric holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting with a minor in International Business from Hofstra University, a Juris Doctor with honors from New England School of Law, and a Master of Laws in Taxation from Boston University School of Law. He is admitted to practice in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts and is a member of the U.S. Tax Court Bar. He is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel — a peer-nominated honor reserved for those at the top of the tax law profession — and holds the Certified Tax Representation Consultant (CTRC) designation through the program he co-developed with Becker Professional Education.

• Recognition & Leadership

Eric has been recognized by Connecticut Super Lawyers in the field of Tax and was the 2010 Nolan Fellow of the American Bar Association. He is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel and a past Chair of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Tax Section and the ABA’s Closely Held Businesses Tax Committee. His Tax Rep Network has trained over 500,000 tax, accounting, and legal professionals annually and is the profession’s most widely used IRS representation training platform. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CNN, and Consumer Reports Financial News.

• Professional Involvement

Eric is the founder and principal instructor of Tax Rep LLC and the Tax Rep Network, through which he delivers the weekly Tax Rep Network podcast, webinars, live conferences, and the Annual IRS Representation Conference. He is a frequent lecturer for the ABA Tax Section, the AICPA, the NATP, the NAEA, and numerous state CPA and enrolled agent societies. He co-developed the Certified Tax Representation Consultant (CTRC) certification with Becker Professional Education and previously served as adjunct faculty at the University of Connecticut School of Law, where he taught taxpayer representation in the low-income taxpayer clinic. He is also a co-author of a casebook for clinical programs assisting low-income taxpayers with federal income tax controversies.

• Experience

Before founding Green & Sklarz LLC, Eric served as a senior tax consultant at KPMG and Deloitte & Touche — experience that gives him an unusually grounded understanding of how large-scale accounting practice and IRS representation intersect. At Green & Sklarz, he has built a national reputation for negotiating favorable settlements in thousands of civil cases and for convincing government agents to resolve criminal investigations civilly. He founded Tax Rep LLC and the Tax Rep Network to extend that expertise — and his practical teaching approach — to practitioners across the country who want to build or grow their own tax representation practices. His career represents the rare combination of elite technical expertise, prolific national education, and entrepreneurial platform-building that has made him one of the most recognizable names in American tax representation.

 

Dawn W. Brolin, CPA, CFE, CEO & ‘The Designated Motivator’ | Powerful Accounting, Inc.

Dawn Brolin is the CEO of Powerful Accounting, Inc. and is known throughout the accounting profession as ‘The Designated Motivator for Accounting Professionals.’ A Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner based in Windham, Connecticut, Dawn has been a leading educator, motivator, and technology advocate in the accounting profession for more than two decades. She is a multiple-year recipient of Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting, has been named one of CPA Practice Advisor’s Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Accounting from 2012 through 2021, and is the author of The Designated Motivator and The Designated Motivator for Accounting Professionals. Dawn serves on the Intuit Tax Council, the ADP Advisory Board, the Avalara QuickBooks Advisory Board, and as President of the Accounting Cornerstone Foundation.

• Education & Credentials

Dawn holds the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) designations. She earned her CFE credential in 2017, adding a specialized forensic and fraud examination dimension to her accounting practice. Her firm, Powerful Accounting, Inc., is a nationally recognized accounting, tax, forensic and fraud, IRS and state agency representation, and QuickBooks consulting firm with locations in Windham and New Haven, Connecticut. Dawn has received CPAacademy.org’s Top Presenter Award (2022 and 2023) and Insightful Accountant’s 2020 Top Niche Practice ProAdvisor in Forensics designation.

• Recognition & Leadership

Dawn has been named one of Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023. CPA Practice Advisor named her one of the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Accounting for 2012–2021, and Accounting Today recognized her as a ‘Top 10 Managing Partner Elite – Great Accounting Firm Leader’ in 2017. She was selected as a ‘Top 40 Under 40’ by CPA Technology Magazine in 2009. Dawn serves on the Intuit Tax Council, the ADP Advisory Board, the Avalara QuickBooks Advisory Board, and as President of the Accounting Cornerstone Foundation. She has been featured on MSNBC’s ‘Your Business.’

• Professional Involvement

Dawn speaks at hundreds of conferences and webinars annually, including Intuit’s QuickBooks Connect, Scaling New Heights, and the Sleeter Conference. She is a frequent CPE educator for major accounting associations and technology providers, and has been a presenter for the Tax Rep Network and Green & Sklarz LLC on IRS representation topics. Her DM Disruption podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, and Google. She works extensively with technology solution providers to help them understand how to create and market their products to accounting professionals. She has also formed a partnership with Anderson, Brolin & Coba CPAs, LLC for tax preparation, consulting, and wealth management services.

• Experience

Dawn Brolin has spent more than two decades building Powerful Accounting, Inc. into a nationally recognized accounting, tax, forensic, fraud, and QuickBooks consulting firm. Her background spans IRS and state agency representation, tax compliance, forensic accounting, fraud examination, bookkeeping, and management reporting — a breadth that allows her to serve clients across the country in a wide range of accounting and compliance needs. Her extensive CPE speaking and teaching career has made her one of the most recognizable and trusted educators in the accounting profession, and her two books on motivation and professional development reflect a commitment to helping practitioners build not just technically sound practices but personally sustainable and fulfilling careers.

 

Christina Walker, Enrolled Agent | Green & Sklarz LLC

Christina Walker is an Enrolled Agent at Green & Sklarz LLC, where she works on IRS representation matters as part of the firm’s tax representation team. As an EA, she is a federally authorized tax practitioner empowered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before all administrative levels of the Internal Revenue Service — examination, collection, and appeals. Green & Sklarz is New England’s premier tax representation law firm, and Christina brings her EA credentials to bear in support of the firm’s civil and criminal tax controversy practice. (Additional biographical details were not publicly available at the time of publication.)

• Education & Credentials

Christina holds the Enrolled Agent (EA) designation — a federal credential issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury that authorizes the holder to represent taxpayers before all IRS administrative levels, including examination, collection, and appeals. The EA designation requires passing a comprehensive three-part IRS Special Enrollment Examination and maintaining annual continuing education requirements, reflecting a demonstrated and sustained commitment to tax expertise.

• Recognition & Leadership

Christina’s EA credential and her role at Green & Sklarz LLC — one of New England’s most respected tax representation firms — reflect her professional standing in the tax representation community. Green & Sklarz attorneys and enrolled agents are regularly recognized for their expertise and frequently present at national and regional conferences on IRS representation topics.

• Professional Involvement

As part of Green & Sklarz LLC’s tax representation team, Christina is involved in the full scope of the firm’s IRS representation work, supporting clients through examinations, collection proceedings, and
administrative appeals. Green & Sklarz is a nationally active firm whose practitioners lecture for organizations including the ABA, the Connecticut Bar Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the National Association of Tax Professionals. Christina contributes to the Tax Rep Network’s Annual IRS Representation Conference and related programming.

• Experience

Christina Walker brings her Enrolled Agent credentials and her practical IRS representation experience to Green & Sklarz LLC’s nationally recognized tax controversy practice. Her work spans the administrative levels of IRS enforcement and collection — the venues where enrolled agents make their most direct and meaningful contributions to client outcomes. Her role at a firm known for training practitioners across the country in IRS representation techniques reflects an environment of ongoing professional development and high-quality client advocacy.

 

Jeffrey M. Sklarz, Esq., Co-Founding Partner | Green & Sklarz LLC

Jeffrey M. Sklarz is a co-founding partner of Green & Sklarz LLC, where he focuses on representing businesses and individuals in complex financial litigation including bankruptcy, creditor/debtor matters, tax litigation, pension and employee benefits litigation, and commercial litigation. He regularly tries cases and appeals before Connecticut’s state and federal courts and has particular expertise in the interplay among bankruptcy law, tax law, and ERISA. Jeff has been named Best Lawyers’ ‘Lawyer of the Year’ for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law in New Haven (2022) and has been a Connecticut Super Lawyer since 2013. He is a co-founder of the Annual IRS Representation Conference, serves as Chair of the Bankruptcy Study and Reform Committee of the ABA Business Law Section, and is an elected member of the American Law Institute. Jeff received his B.A. in Government from Colby College, his J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law (1999), and his LL.M. in Taxation from Boston University’s Graduate Tax Program.

• Education & Credentials

Jeff holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Colby College, a Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law (1999), and an LL.M. in Taxation from Boston University’s Graduate Tax Program — a combination that reflects his dual expertise in bankruptcy law and tax. He has been a Connecticut Super Lawyer since 2013 and was named Best Lawyers’ ‘Lawyer of the Year’ for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law in New Haven in 2022. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America in Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights, Commercial Litigation, Litigation and Controversy – Tax, and Tax Law.

• Recognition & Leadership

Jeff is a Best Lawyers ‘Lawyer of the Year’ (2022), a Connecticut Super Lawyer (2013–2025), and an elected member of the American Law Institute — a peer-elected honor among the most prestigious in American law. He serves as Chair of the Bankruptcy Study and Reform Committee of the ABA Business Law Section and as Program Director for the ABA Business Law Section’s Business Bankruptcy Committee. He is a co-founder of the Annual IRS Representation Conference and a recipient of the Connecticut Law Tribune’s New Leaders of the Law Award (2005). He is also the co-author of Connecticut’s leading evidence treatise
and a frequent writer and lecturer for the ABA, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and national tax organizations.

• Professional Involvement

Jeff serves as Chair of the Bankruptcy Study and Reform Committee of the ABA Business Law Section and Program Director for the ABA Business Bankruptcy Committee. He is a co-founder of the Annual IRS Representation Conference, which has grown into one of the country’s leading continuing education events for IRS representation practitioners. He lectures widely for the ABA Tax Section, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and national and regional tax and bankruptcy conferences. He is also the co-author of Connecticut’s leading evidence treatise and a frequent author for the ABA’s Business Law Today publication. In 2021, he successfully argued Anikeev v. Commissioner in the U.S. Tax Court, establishing that credit card rewards points are not taxable income.

• Experience

Jeff Sklarz co-founded Green & Sklarz LLC and has built a practice at the crossroads of bankruptcy and tax law — two areas where few practitioners develop genuine mastery of both. His trial and appellate record before Connecticut’s state and federal courts spans contested bankruptcy proceedings, fraudulent transfer actions, commercial litigation, and tax court matters. His Tax Court victory in Anikeev v. Commissioner, his FBAR litigation win at the district court level, and his role as counsel to debtors, creditors’ committees, venture funds, and equity holders in major cases reflect a litigator of exceptional breadth and technical depth. His American Law Institute membership and his ABA committee leadership position him at the national forefront of both bankruptcy law reform and IRS representation practice development.

 

Amanda Evans, Enrolled Agent & Paralegal | Green & Sklarz LLC

Amanda Evans is an Enrolled Agent and paralegal at Green & Sklarz LLC, where she assists in both the tax representation and bankruptcy practice groups. A 2006 graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, Amanda brings nearly eight years of prior experience working for the Connecticut Bar Association — where she coordinated educational seminars for attorneys statewide and managed the CBA’s attorney board certification program — to her role at Green & Sklarz. She is currently Secretary of the Connecticut Society of Enrolled Agents and an associate member of the Connecticut Bar Association. Amanda has been a frequent presenter at the Annual New England IRS Representation Conference, covering topics including innocent spouse representation, offers-in-compromise, installment agreements, hobby loss exams, IRS collection, tax liens, and tax levies.

• Education & Credentials

Amanda is a 2006 graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. She holds the Enrolled Agent (EA) designation, a federal credential from the U.S. Department of the Treasury authorizing representation of taxpayers before all IRS administrative levels. Her prior work as a coordinator for the Connecticut Bar Association — managing attorney educational seminars and the CBA’s board certification program — provided a foundation in legal professional education that she brings directly to her work supporting Green & Sklarz’s IRS representation and bankruptcy clients.

• Recognition & Leadership

Amanda serves as Secretary of the Connecticut Society of Enrolled Agents, reflecting her leadership within Connecticut’s enrolled agent professional community. She is an associate member of the Connecticut Bar Association and has been a recurring presenter at the Annual New England IRS Representation Conference — a nationally recognized continuing education event co-founded by Green & Sklarz — where she has addressed audiences of attorneys, CPAs, and enrolled agents on the full range of IRS representation topics from innocent spouse claims to business asset issues in offers and installment agreements.

• Professional Involvement

Amanda’s professional involvement spans the full scope of Green & Sklarz LLC’s tax representation and bankruptcy practice. At the Annual New England IRS Representation Conference, she has presented on innocent spouse issues (2016), offers-in-compromise (2017), business assets in offers and installment agreements (2019), and a range of IRS collection topics. She is the current Secretary of the Connecticut Society of Enrolled Agents and an associate member of the Connecticut Bar Association, maintaining active engagement with both the enrolled agent and legal communities that her dual role as EA and paralegal bridges.

• Experience

Amanda Evans came to Green & Sklarz LLC after nearly eight years at the Connecticut Bar Association, where she developed deep expertise in legal professional education administration — coordinating seminars, managing certification programs, and working alongside attorneys across the state. She brought that organizational and educational background to Green & Sklarz, where she has become a key member of the firm’s tax representation and bankruptcy teams and a recognized educator in her own right through her recurring speaking roles at the Annual IRS Representation Conference. Her EA designation, her CTSEA leadership, and her CBA associate membership reflect a practitioner who is as invested in the professional community as in her own clients’ outcomes.

 

Lisa E. Perkins, Esq.| Green & Sklarz LLC

Lisa E. Perkins is an attorney at Green & Sklarz LLC and an Assistant Clinical Professor and Associate Director of the Tax Clinic at the University of Connecticut School of Law. She joined the firm after more than 17 years with the U.S. Department of Justice — including five years as a trial attorney in the DOJ Tax Division’s Western Criminal Enforcement Section, where she prosecuted tax crimes across the western United States, and more than a decade as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Hartford handling civil and criminal federal litigation. Lisa is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel and holds a B.A. and J.D. from Michigan State University, and an LL.M. in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center.

• Education & Credentials

Lisa earned her Bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctor from Michigan State University, and an LL.M. in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. She is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel — a peer-nominated honor reserved for practitioners at the top of the tax law profession. Her 17-plus years of DOJ service, spanning both civil and criminal federal litigation, provide the institutional credentials and government experience that make her one of the most formidably credentialed practitioners in the tax controversy bar.

• Recognition & Leadership

Lisa’s Fellowship in the American College of Tax Counsel reflects peer recognition among the nation’s leading tax lawyers. Her roles as Assistant Clinical Professor and Associate Director of the Tax Clinic at UConn School of Law reflect her leadership in clinical legal education, where she supervises law students representing low-income taxpayers before the IRS and in Tax Court. Her 17-plus-year DOJ career, including time as a trial attorney in the Tax Division’s criminal enforcement section and as an AUSA in Hartford, represents one of the most distinguished government prosecution records among tax controversy practitioners now in private practice.

• Professional Involvement

In addition to her client work at Green & Sklarz, Lisa maintains an active role in legal education as an Assistant Clinical Professor and Associate Director of the Tax Clinic at UConn School of Law, where she supervises law students in live-client representation before the IRS and the U.S. Tax Court. Her prior DOJ service — including prosecuting tax crimes in the western U.S. and handling a wide range of civil and criminal federal matters as an AUSA in Hartford — gives her a prosecutorial perspective she brings to every aspect of her private practice.

• Experience

Lisa Perkins’s more than 17 years with the Department of Justice encompass two distinct chapters: five years as a trial attorney in the Western Criminal Enforcement Section of the DOJ Tax Division, where she prosecuted federal tax crimes across the western United States, followed by a long tenure as an AUSA in Hartford, where her caseload included tax and financial crimes, immigration, employment discrimination, medical malpractice, FOIA litigation, and civil rights matters. That breadth of federal litigation experience — across both civil and criminal forums — is the foundation of a private practice at Green & Sklarz that has established a record of convincing government agents and attorneys to resolve criminal investigations civilly. Her concurrent role at UConn Law’s Tax Clinic ensures that her government-side expertise is continuously transmitted to the next generation of tax practitioners.

 

G. Michelle Ferreira, Esq., Executive Vice President | Greenberg Traurig LLP

G. Michelle Ferreira is Executive Vice President, Co-Chair of the Global Tax Practice, and Co-Managing Shareholder of the San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices of Greenberg Traurig LLP. She counsels individuals, partnerships, estates, and corporations in complex tax disputes with the IRS and California state and local tax authorities — including the California Franchise Tax Board, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, the Employment Development Department, and county assessment appeals boards. Drawing on her prior experience as a trial attorney in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel (1995–2003), she brings a uniquely strategic perspective to high-stakes tax and penalty matters. Michelle has 23 reported decisions in the U.S. Tax Court, has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 2011, and was named ‘Lawyer of the Year’ for Litigation and Controversy – Tax in San Francisco in the 2026 edition. She is also an adjunct professor at Golden Gate University School of Tax.

• Education & Credentials

Michelle is a licensed attorney in California, admitted to the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Central Districts of California, and a member of the California State Bar Taxation Section (Chair, 2009–2010; Executive Committee, 2006–2010). She served as a Trial Attorney in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel from 1995 to 2003, giving her firsthand experience with the government’s approach to tax litigation that now informs her representation of clients facing IRS disputes. She is an adjunct professor at Golden Gate University School of Tax and a member of the San Francisco Tax Club and the ABA Taxation Section.

• Recognition & Leadership

Michelle has been listed in Best Lawyers in America every year from 2011 through 2026 in both Litigation and Controversy – Tax and Tax Law, and was named Best Lawyers’ ‘Lawyer of the Year’ for Litigation and Controversy – Tax in San Francisco for the 2026 edition. She was shortlisted for Euromoney’s ‘Women in Business Awards – Tax Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year’ in 2024 and has been ranked by Chambers and Legal 500 in tax controversy. As Co-Chair of Greenberg Traurig’s Global Tax Practice and Co-Managing Shareholder of two California offices, she holds some of the most senior positions available to a tax attorney at one of the country’s largest law firms.

• Professional Involvement

Michelle is a member of the ABA Taxation Section, the California State Bar Taxation Section (former Chair and Executive Committee member), and the San Francisco Tax Club. She serves as adjunct professor at Golden Gate University School of Tax and is a regular speaker at major tax conferences including the UCLA Tax Controversy Conference and the San Francisco Tax Club. She also chairs Greenberg Traurig’s Tariff Task Force — a multidisciplinary initiative guiding clients through the legal, tax, M&A, and litigation implications of international tariff developments.

• Experience

Michelle Ferreira’s career traces a direct line from the IRS to private practice. As a trial attorney in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel from 1995 to 2003, she litigated tax cases on behalf of the government across a range of issues — experience that gives her a prosecutor’s understanding of IRS litigation strategy and a client advocate’s ability to anticipate and neutralize it. At Greenberg Traurig, she has spent more than two decades building one of California’s most recognized tax controversy practices, with 23 reported U.S. Tax Court decisions addressing unreported income, family limited partnerships, civil and criminal tax fraud, penalty assessments, valuation disputes, and offshore matters. Her dual role as Global Tax Practice Co-Chair and California office Co-Managing Shareholder reflects the full arc of a distinguished career in both law practice and firm leadership.

 

Sanford J. Boxerman, Esq., Co-Founding Shareholder | Neill, Schwerin & Boxerman, P.C.

Sanford J. (Sandy) Boxerman is a co-founding shareholder of Neill, Schwerin & Boxerman, P.C. in Clayton, Missouri, where he represents individuals and corporations in white collar criminal defense, civil and criminal tax matters, and digital assets issues in federal courts across the country. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School (1988) and served as an assistant public defender in the City of St. Louis from 1991 to 1994, where he first-chaired numerous jury trials. He teaches the tax fraud prosecutions course in the graduate tax program at
Washington University School of Law and previously taught the Legal Environment of Business at Washington University’s Olin Business School. Sandy has been selected to Missouri Super Lawyers every year from 2011 through 2024 and is Co-Chair of the White Collar Committee of the Federal Bar Association’s Criminal Law Section.

• Education & Credentials

Sandy earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1988. He is admitted to practice in federal courts across the country. His teaching role in the graduate tax program at Washington University School of Law — where he teaches tax fraud prosecutions — reflects both his subject matter expertise and the academic recognition he has earned. His prior role as an assistant public defender, where he first-chaired numerous jury and bench trials including two jury trials in a single week, provides the courtroom foundation underlying decades of federal criminal defense and tax controversy work.

• Recognition & Leadership

Sandy has been selected to Missouri Super Lawyers every year from 2011 through 2024. He is Co-Chair of the White Collar Committee of the Federal Bar Association’s Criminal Law Section and actively participates in the Tax and Criminal Justice sections of the American Bar Association. He teaches tax fraud prosecutions in the graduate tax program at Washington University School of Law and previously taught at the Olin Business School — academic roles that reflect the professional esteem in which Washington University holds his expertise. He also serves as immediate past chair of the Professional Society of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis.

• Professional Involvement

Sandy’s professional involvement spans white collar defense, civil and criminal tax controversy, digital assets, and professional education. He co-chairs the Federal Bar Association’s Criminal Law Section White Collar Committee and participates actively in the ABA’s Tax and Criminal Justice sections. At Washington University, his teaching in the graduate tax program extends his expertise to the next generation of tax lawyers. His community engagement includes service on the board of Life for Life Academy, coaching the Lafayette High School mock trial team, and prior service on the board and personnel committee of Kol Rinah.

• Experience

Sandy Boxerman’s career began at Harvard Law School, continued through public defense work in St. Louis — where he developed the trial skills that define his practice — and has encompassed more than 30 years of federal criminal defense and civil and criminal tax controversy work at the highest levels. After serving as assistant public defender (1991–1994), he built a distinguished practice as a shareholder at Capes Sokol before co-founding Neill, Schwerin & Boxerman, P.C. in 2023 alongside Sara Neill and Michelle Schwerin. His practice spans grand jury representations, IRS criminal investigations, tax shelter defense, and — increasingly — digital assets matters, where the firm has developed a national reputation. His Harvard Law degree, his federal court admissions across the country, his Super Lawyers recognition, and his WashU teaching appointment reflect a career of exceptional credentials and sustained professional achievement.

 

Maxine Aaronson, Esq., Attorney at Law | Maxine Aaronson, Attorney at Law

Maxine Aaronson is a Dallas-based tax attorney and mediator with more than 40 years of experience representing closely held businesses, their owners, and executives on the full spectrum of federal and state tax matters. She is Board Certified in Tax Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell. She is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, currently serving as 5th Circuit Regent on the ACTC Board of Directors, and chairs the Tax and ADR Committee of the ABA’s Section of Dispute Resolution. She earned a B.F.A. in Theatre Education and English from an undergraduate institution, followed by her J.D. (Order of the Coif, 1980) from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, where she was an editor of the Southwestern Law Journal. Maxine has been selected to Texas Super Lawyers multiple times and is widely recognized as a leading practitioner and mediator in the tax law community.

• Education & Credentials

Maxine holds a Juris Doctor, Order of the Coif, from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law (1980), where she served as an editor of the Southwestern Law Journal. She is Board Certified in Tax Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization — a certification she has held since 1986 — and carries an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest possible designation. She is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, currently serving as 5th Circuit Regent on the ACTC Board of Directors, and has been admitted to the Texas bar since 1980. She is also a Contributing Author for CCH Tax Research Consultant’s ‘Business: Deductions and Credits.’

• Recognition & Leadership

Maxine has been Board Certified in Tax Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1986 and is an AV Preeminent-rated attorney per Martindale-Hubbell. She is a Fellow and current 5th Circuit Regent of the American College of Tax Counsel, serves as Chair of the ABA Dispute Resolution Section’s Tax and ADR Committee, and chaired the University of Texas Tax Conference in 2012 and 2013. She has been selected to Texas Super Lawyers for 2004–2005, 2007–2011, and 2019–2025. She has served as Course Director for the State Bar of Texas’s Advanced Tax Law Course and is a member of the American Bar Foundation.

• Professional Involvement

Maxine is actively engaged in both the tax law and alternative dispute resolution communities. She chairs the ABA Dispute Resolution Section’s Tax and ADR Committee and chairs the ABA Taxation Section’s Subcommittee on Tax Aspects of Damages and Settlements (1998–2001). She has also served as Chair of the Tax Committee of the ABA Dispute Resolution Section (2000–present). She is an experienced mediator for tax, business, and commercial disputes, including cases involving the IRS and the Texas Comptroller’s Office. Her presentations at the UT Tax Conference and the State Bar of Texas Advanced Tax Law Course reflect decades of professional education engagement at the highest levels of Texas’s tax law community.

• Experience

Maxine Aaronson has practiced tax law exclusively since establishing her firm in 1983, building a business generated entirely by referrals from other professionals and satisfied clients. Her practice covers the full spectrum of tax planning and controversy for closely held businesses — from startup structure and compensation planning through IRS audits, appeals, and litigation, to estate planning and business succession. Her Texas Board Certification in Tax Law (since 1986), her ACTC Fellowship and Board service, her Order of the Coif distinction from SMU Law, and her Super Lawyers recognition across multiple years establish her as one of Dallas’s most distinguished and long-tenured tax practitioners. Her dual expertise as a tax lawyer and mediator makes her a uniquely valuable resource for resolving complex tax, business, and commercial disputes that benefit from both legal expertise and skilled facilitation.

 

Dan Mayo, JD, LL.M., Partner & Lead, National Tax Services | Withum

Dan Mayo is a Partner at Withum and leads the firm’s National Tax Services practice. He brings more than 25 years of professional tax experience in federal, international, and financial products taxation, with particular expertise in QSBS, the Employee Retention Credit, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions, and cross-border matters. He also represents individuals and businesses in tax controversies with the IRS and serves as an expert witness in tax-related litigation. Dan is an adjunct tax professor at Georgetown University Law Center, a FINRA-approved arbitrator, and a Forbes contributor covering all things tax. He holds a J.D., cum laude, from Seton Hall University School of Law, an LL.M. in Tax from NYU School of Law, and a B.S. from Rutgers College. Prior to Withum, he gained experience at large law firms, KPMG, and as in-house tax counsel at Citigroup and Barclays/Lehman Brothers.

• Education & Credentials

Dan holds a B.S. from Rutgers College, a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Seton Hall University School of Law, and an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law. He is an adjunct tax professor at Georgetown University Law Center and an approved FINRA arbitrator. He is a past Chair of the Banking & Savings Institutions Tax Committee of the ABA Tax Section and a co-author of the treatise Taxation of Financial Institutions. His government and in-house background — including roles at KPMG, Citigroup, and Barclays/Lehman Brothers — supplements his Georgetown teaching and his Withum advisory practice.

• Recognition & Leadership

Dan leads Withum’s National Tax Services practice and oversees the firm’s U.S. Federal income tax research, planning, and review functions. He is a nationally recognized expert in QSBS and the Employee Retention Credit, and co-leads Withum’s ERC Group. He is a Forbes contributor on tax topics, a frequent speaker at tax conferences including the DC Bar Tax Conference, and has been published in Tax Notes Today, the Daily Tax Report, and the Journal of Taxation. His Georgetown teaching appointment and his FINRA arbitrator status reflect professional recognition across legal, academic, and regulatory communities.

• Professional Involvement

Dan actively engages with the ABA Tax Section, the Wall Street Tax Association, the Structured Finance Institute, the Bank & Capital Markets Tax Institute, and PLI. He speaks regularly on tax issues affecting banks, investment funds, and technology companies and has been quoted in Bloomberg Tax and other publications on M&A, ERC, and capital markets tax developments. He also writes for Forbes on federal tax policy, year-end planning, and legislation — making him one of the most publicly visible tax advisors in the Withum orbit.

• Experience

Dan Mayo’s career spans large law firms, Big Four accounting (KPMG), in-house roles at two of the world’s largest financial institutions (Citigroup and Barclays/Lehman Brothers), and now the firm leadership of Withum’s National Tax Services practice. His 25-plus years of experience in federal, international, and financial products taxation — combined with his Georgetown adjunct professorship, Forbes columns, FINRA arbitrator role, and QSBS and ERC subject matter expertise — reflect a career that is simultaneously practice-leading, academically engaged, and publicly visible at the intersection of tax law and financial markets.

 

Christopher M. Ferguson, Esq., Partner | Kostelanetz LLP

Christopher M. Ferguson is a partner at Kostelanetz LLP and an experienced litigator with more than two decades of practice concentrated in white collar criminal defense, civil and criminal tax controversies, and other regulatory enforcement matters. He represents clients before the U.S. Department of Justice, the IRS, the SEC, FINRA, the New York Attorney General’s Office, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in proceedings involving tax fraud, securities fraud, antitrust violations, Bank Secrecy Act violations, CARES Act fraud, and other federal and state offenses. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America in both Commercial Litigation and Litigation and Controversy – Tax, and by International Tax Review/World Tax as Highly Regarded for Tax Controversy. Chris earned his B.A., magna cum laude, from Boston College and his J.D. from New York University School of Law, and clerked for Judge Jay C. Waldman of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

• Education & Credentials

Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Boston College (1994) and a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law (1999). He clerked for the Honorable Jay C. Waldman of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania before joining Dewey Ballantine LLP, where he practiced in complex commercial, antitrust, and bankruptcy litigation, prior to joining Kostelanetz. He is admitted to practice in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America and International Tax Review/World Tax as Highly Regarded for Tax Controversy.

• Recognition & Leadership

Chris has been recognized by International Tax Review/World Tax as Highly Regarded for Tax Controversy in New York, and by Best Lawyers in America in Commercial Litigation and Litigation and Controversy – Tax. He has been selected to New York Metro Super Lawyers for Criminal Defense: White Collar. His record of securing non-prosecution agreements, favorable dispositions, and non-incarceration sentences for clients facing serious federal charges reflects litigation capability and advocacy that courts and opposing counsel consistently acknowledge.

• Professional Involvement

Chris writes and lectures frequently on white collar criminal defense and civil and criminal tax controversies, and has written on DeFi and cryptocurrency tax compliance in publications including the CPA Journal. He is a former Secretary of the Criminal Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association.

His practice spans civil litigation, internal investigations, and criminal defense, making him one of the more broadly engaged attorneys on the Kostelanetz bench.

• Experience

Chris Ferguson’s career at Kostelanetz LLP represents more than two decades of intensive white collar and tax controversy litigation. His record includes persuading prosecutors not to charge clients in numerous investigations involving tax fraud, securities offenses, antitrust violations, Bank Secrecy Act breaches, payroll tax matters, government contract fraud, and MWBE fraud. His ITR/World Tax Highly Regarded recognition, his Best Lawyers listings, and his prior clerkship with a federal district judge ground a litigation practice defined by deep technical knowledge, client-centered strategy, and a consistent record of favorable outcomes at the pre-charge, trial, and appellate levels.

 

James R. Grimaldi, CPA, JD, Tax Partner | Citrin Cooperman Advisors LLC

James R. Grimaldi is a Tax Partner at Citrin Cooperman Advisors LLC with more than 30 years of experience in strategic tax planning, research, and compliance. He serves clients in a wide range of industries — including real estate, manufacturing, family offices, and not-for-profits — and is a member of the firm’s Trust and Estate Practice, where he helps individuals and families preserve and grow wealth through tax-efficient strategies. Jim is a member of the Tax Quality Control Committee, the Not-for-Profit Committee, and serves as chair of the firm’s Education Committee. He is admitted to the New York State Bar, U.S. Tax Court, and the Southern and Northern District Courts, and earned his B.S. in Accounting from Fordham University and his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. In 2002, the Department of the Treasury appointed him to the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel. He received the Max Block Distinguished Article Award, Honorable Mention, from the CPA Journal.

• Education & Credentials

Jim holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Fordham University and a Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School. He is admitted to the New York State Bar, the U.S. Tax Court, and the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Northern Districts of New York. He is a member of the AICPA Tax Section, the NYSSCPA Tax Section, and the NYSBA Tax Section and Trusts and Estates Committee. In 2002, the Department of the Treasury appointed him to the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel, and he received the Max Block Distinguished Article Award, Honorable Mention, from the CPA Journal for his article on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act co-authored with Sidney Kess.

• Recognition & Leadership

Jim was appointed to the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 2002 and received the CPA Journal’s Max Block Distinguished Article Award, Honorable Mention. As a Tax Partner at Citrin Cooperman and chair of the firm’s Education Committee, he is recognized for his depth in estate and trust planning, tax controversy, and industry-specific tax advisory, particularly in real estate and family office matters. He has attended and reported on the annual Heckerling Estate Planning Conference, reflecting his standing as a trusted commentator on estate and gift tax developments for firm clients and practitioners.

• Professional Involvement

Jim is a member of the AICPA, NYSSCPA, and NYSBA, and has served on the NYSBA Trusts and Estates Committee. He chairs the Citrin Cooperman Education Committee and is a member of the firm’s Tax Quality Control Committee and Not-for-Profit Committee. He also serves on the boards of the Gotham Comedy Foundation, Inc. and the Carroll Gardens Association, Inc., reflecting a community engagement dimension to his professional career.

• Experience

Jim Grimaldi has built a 30-plus-year career at the intersection of tax planning, trust and estate advisory, and controversy representation — serving real estate developers, family offices, closely held businesses, not-for-profits, and high-net-worth individuals. His tenure as chair of Citrin Cooperman’s Education Committee, his Taxpayer Advocacy Panel appointment, his CPA Journal recognition, and his dual legal and accounting credentials reflect a practitioner who brings both technical depth and institutional leadership to every engagement. His regular coverage of the Heckerling Estate Planning Conference for Citrin Cooperman’s In-Focus Resource Center further demonstrates his commitment to keeping practitioners at the leading edge of estate and gift tax developments.

 

Jennifer (Jenni) Black, JD, LL.M., Managing Director | Citrin Cooperman Advisors LLC

Jennifer (Jenni) Black is a Managing Director in Citrin Cooperman’s National Tax Office, where she leads the Tax Procedure & Controversy practice. She brings more than two decades of combined legal and accounting experience to her role, with deep expertise in partnership audit procedures under both TEFRA and the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. Prior to joining Citrin Cooperman, Jenni served for 12 years as Senior Counsel in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel’s Procedure and Administration Division, where she was a principal author of the BBA regulations and played a central role in designing the forms and procedures for the BBA’s implementation. She earned a J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Richmond School of Law and an LL.M. in Taxation with Distinction from Georgetown University Law Center, and holds a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from the University of South Carolina.

• Education & Credentials

Jenni holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from the University of South Carolina, a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the University of Richmond School of Law, and a Master of Laws in Taxation with Distinction from Georgetown University Law Center. She is a former Senior Counsel at the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, Procedure and Administration Division, where she served as a principal author of the BBA regulations — one of the most technically demanding regulatory projects in recent IRS history.

• Recognition & Leadership

Jenni’s recognition is grounded in her role as one of the principal authors of the Bipartisan Budget Act partnership audit regulations — regulations that now govern how the IRS audits all partnerships subject to the centralized audit regime. Her 12 years at the IRS, combined with her LL.M. with Distinction from Georgetown, make her one of the most credentialed BBA and TEFRA authorities in private practice. She is a frequent speaker at ABA Tax Section meetings on TEFRA, BBA, section 6103 disclosure issues, and partnership procedure, and has contributed to Tax Notes on administrative adjustment requests and Tax Court precedents affecting partnership audits.

• Professional Involvement

Jenni speaks regularly at ABA Tax Section meetings, national tax conferences, and continuing education events on partnership audit procedures, TEFRA, BBA, and disclosure issues under section 6103, the Privacy Act, and FOIA. She has written for Tax Notes and presented on unauthorized disclosure litigation at the ABA May Tax Meeting. Her practice at Citrin Cooperman focuses on assisting clients and their advisors in navigating the BBA audit process from examination through resolution, and she advises on administrative adjustment requests, imputed underpayments, and related procedural strategy.

• Experience

Jenni Black’s career trace from pre-CPA practice through 12 years at the IRS and now to private practice leadership gives her a perspective on partnership tax procedure that few practitioners can match. As a principal BBA regulation author, she helped write the rules she now helps clients navigate. At Citrin Cooperman’s National Tax Office, she leads the Tax Procedure & Controversy practice and applies her institutional IRS knowledge to guide clients through examinations, appeals, and administrative adjustment requests with the precision and credibility of someone who helped design the system from the inside.

 

Andrew Weiner, Esq., Counsel | Kostelanetz LLP

Andrew (Andy) Weiner is Counsel at Kostelanetz LLP in Washington, D.C., where he focuses on tax controversies — both civil and criminal — in trial and appellate courts and at the agency level. He is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, a Forbes contributing columnist on tax controversy and policy, and an adjunct professor at American University Washington College of Law. Prior to joining Kostelanetz, Andy was a trial attorney for more than a decade with the U.S. Department of Justice Tax Division, where he briefed and argued approximately 50 cases before U.S. Courts of Appeals and handled significant matters in the Court of Federal Claims involving tax shelters, research and experimentation credits, and other complex federal tax issues. He also served as Director of the Graduate Tax Program and founding Director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic at Temple University Beasley School of Law, where he held a Practice Professor of Law appointment.

• Education & Credentials

Andy is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. He is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel and an adjunct professor at American University Washington College of Law. He is admitted to practice in California. His decade-plus as a DOJ Tax Division trial attorney — arguing approximately 50 circuit court cases and handling complex matters in the Court of Federal Claims — reflects appellate credentials of exceptional depth, and his Temple Law clinical directorship demonstrates a sustained commitment to legal education and access to justice.

• Recognition & Leadership

Andy is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel — a peer-nominated honor reserved for practitioners at the top of the tax bar — and received the DOJ Tax Division’s Outstanding Attorney Award five times, along with a Special Commendation, during his government service. He is Vice Chair of the ABA Tax Section Diversity Committee and Vice Chair of the D.C. Bar Tax Audits and Litigation Committee. As a Forbes contributing columnist, he writes on tax controversy and policy for a broad public and professional audience. His Kostelanetz amicus work on behalf of the American College of Tax Counsel and the Center
for Taxpayer Rights reflects his continued engagement with the constitutional and procedural dimensions of tax law at the highest levels.

• Professional Involvement

Andy is Vice Chair of the ABA Tax Section Diversity Committee and Vice Chair of the D.C. Bar Tax Audits and Litigation Committee. He speaks at PLI’s Tax Strategies, ABA Tax Section meetings, and the Federal Bar Association Tax Law Conference on BBA partnership audits, refund litigation, and international controversies. He is the author of the chapter on ‘Applying Administrative Law in Tax Cases’ in the forthcoming 9th edition of Effectively Representing Your Client Before the IRS (ABA Tax Section) and writes frequently on tax law for Forbes and publications including the Journal of Tax Practice and Procedure.

• Experience

Andy Weiner’s career spans elite law school-to-DOJ-to-Kostelanetz in a trajectory that has made him one of Washington’s most accomplished tax controversy counsel. His approximately 50 DOJ Tax Division appellate arguments, his five Outstanding Attorney Awards, his founding of Temple’s Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, and his current Kostelanetz practice together represent a career defined by commitment to rigorous advocacy on both the government and private sides of tax law. His ACTC fellowship, his Forbes column, his adjunct professorship, and his ABA and D.C. Bar committee leadership further reflect a practitioner who is as invested in the profession’s development as in his own clients’ outcomes.

 

Beverly L. Winstead, Esq., Founder & Managing Member | Law Offices of Beverly Winstead

Beverly L. Winstead is the founder and managing member of the Law Offices of Beverly Winstead, a tax law firm with offices in Baltimore and Laurel, Maryland. An award-winning attorney, professor, and public speaker, Beverly specializes in tax resolution, estate planning, and sports and entertainment law. She earned her J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law (2008) and her B.S. in Business Administration from Bowie State University (2000), where she attended on an athletic scholarship and won three CIAA Women’s Basketball Championships — the only woman in CIAA history to do so. Beverly was selected to Maryland’s 2025 Super Lawyers list, received the National Bar Association’s Top ’40 Under 40′ honor in 2018, and made history as the first person of color to chair the Maryland State Bar Association’s Tax Section. She is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, an adjunct professor and Director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, and a member of the IRS Advisory Council.

• Education & Credentials

Beverly holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bowie State University (2000) and a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law (2008). She is admitted to the U.S. Tax Court and is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel — a peer-nominated distinction recognizing excellence in tax practice. She is an adjunct professor and Director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, and a member of the ABA Section of Taxation’s International Tax Steering Committee (2017–present).

• Recognition & Leadership

Beverly’s recognition includes selection to Maryland’s 2025 Super Lawyers list, the National Bar Association’s Top ’40 Under 40′ in 2018, and historic designation as the first person of color to chair the Maryland State Bar Association’s Tax Section. She is an elected Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel and has been recognized by the National Black Lawyers as Top 100 (2020). Her induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame at Bowie State University underscores a competitive ethos that carries directly into her courtroom and negotiation advocacy on behalf of clients navigating IRS and state tax disputes.

• Professional Involvement

Beverly is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, and the ABA International Tax Steering Committee. She is an active panelist at ABA Tax Section criminal tax and civil tax conferences and speaks frequently on tax resolution, IRS collections, ERC, and creative settlement strategies. As Director of the University of Maryland Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, she supervises law students representing low-income taxpayers and trains the next generation of public interest tax practitioners.

• Experience

Beverly Winstead’s career brings together three distinct professional identities — athlete, advocate, and educator — in ways that make her one of the most distinctive voices in the Maryland and national tax bar. As a three-time CIAA championship basketball player, she developed the competitive drive that now defines her IRS resolution advocacy. As a tax attorney, she has resolved millions of dollars in tax liabilities for individuals, businesses, and corporate officers through negotiated settlements, offers-in-compromise, and Tax Court proceedings. As an adjunct professor, ABA committee member, and LITC director, she multiplies her impact through education and professional leadership. Her ACTC fellowship and her history-making MSBA Tax Section chairmanship cap a career of exceptional achievement and social impact.

 

Roger Nemeth, EA, President & Founder | Tax Help Software / Audit Detective

Roger Nemeth is the Enrolled Agent and founder of Tax Help Software (also known as Audit Detective), the company he created in 2009 after developing the first IRS transcript report processor — a tool that has since processed over one billion IRS transcripts and revolutionized how tax professionals access and analyze taxpayer account data. Roger began his career as a sheriff’s deputy in Leon County, Florida (Tallahassee), was injured in the line of duty — receiving the Medal of Valor and Purple Heart from the Florida Sheriff’s Association — and transitioned to tax practice, managing a Jackson Hewitt franchise before teaching himself to code and writing the 60,000 lines of code that became Tax Help Software. He earned his B.S. from Florida State University, his EA credential in 2011, and holds the NTPI Fellow designation. He is a nationally recognized speaker on tax industry best practices and has provided over 150,000 hours of CE/CPE through NAEA, NATP, CSEA, ASTPS, and Latino Tax Pro.

• Education & Credentials

Roger holds a Bachelor of Science from Florida State University and earned his Enrolled Agent credential in 2011. He also holds the NTPI Fellow designation, reflecting advanced expertise in taxpayer representation. His most distinctive credential, however, is entrepreneurial and technical: the invention of Tax Help Software, the nation’s first and most widely used IRS transcript analysis platform, which reflects
a self-taught programming competency — 60,000 lines of original code — that has fundamentally changed how practitioners interact with IRS transcript data.

• Recognition & Leadership

Roger is widely recognized as the foremost authority on IRS e-Services and transcript analysis, having pioneered the field in 2009. Tax Help Software has processed over one billion IRS transcripts and been adopted by 90% of the tax professionals who download IRS transcripts. His Medal of Valor and Purple Heart from the Florida Sheriff’s Association recognize exceptional service in a prior career, and his 150,000-plus hours of CE/CPE delivery establish him as one of the most prolific tax education providers in the country. He is a frequent speaker at the Annual IRS Representation Conference, NAEA, NATP, CSEA, ASTPS, and Latino Tax Pro.

• Professional Involvement

Roger speaks at national enrolled agent and tax professional conferences on transcript analysis, IRS e-Services, tax resolution best practices, and technology adoption. He has co-presented with Eric Green at the Federal Bar Association’s IRS Representation Conference and the Tax Rep Network’s Annual IRS Representation Conference. He consults with major tax software companies, accounting firms, tax resolution firms, and the IRS on transcript tools and e-Services best practices, and co-developed the Tax Mentor program with Catharine O’Connor to train practitioners in tax resolution fundamentals.

• Experience

Roger Nemeth’s career trajectory — from decorated law enforcement officer to self-taught programmer and entrepreneur — is one of the most distinctive in the tax technology space. After being injured in the line of duty as a sheriff’s deputy and receiving the Florida Sheriff’s Association Medal of Valor and Purple Heart, he entered the tax industry, managed a tax franchise, and recognized a gap in the market for efficient IRS transcript analysis. Teaching himself to code, he built Tax Help Software from scratch — a product that has since become the industry standard for transcript retrieval and analysis, processing over one billion downloads. His 150,000-plus CE/CPE hours delivered to practitioners nationwide reflect a teaching commitment as substantial as his technological one.

 

Darren Guillot, National Director & Former IRS Commissioner of SBSE | alliantgroup

Darren Guillot is a National Director at alliantgroup and a former senior executive of the Internal Revenue Service, where he spent 36 years in roles of increasing leadership and consequence. Most recently, he served as Commissioner of the IRS Small Business/Self-Employed Division (2021–2022), overseeing all domestic and international Collection Operations and supporting functions and leading the agency’s groundbreaking use of voice robotics to eliminate phone hold times for over 14 million taxpayers. He also founded and led the IRS Office of Fraud Enforcement, served as Executive Director of International Operations in IRS Criminal Investigation, and spent 14 years in the IRS Independent Office of Appeals, where he created and led the Appeals Judicial Approach & Culture Project (AJAC). He holds a B.A. from the University of Holy Cross, is a Loyola University Institute of Politics Fellow, and holds a Certificate in Public Leadership from the Brookings Institution.

• Education & Credentials

Darren holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Holy Cross, is a Fellow of the Loyola University Institute of Politics, and holds a Certificate in Public Leadership from the Brookings Institution. His credentials are grounded in 36 years of IRS executive leadership spanning fraud enforcement, international criminal investigation, appeals administration, and collection operations. His founding of the Office of Fraud Enforcement and his leadership of the AJAC project are among the most consequential institutional accomplishments in recent IRS history.

• Recognition & Leadership

Darren’s recognition spans the highest levels of federal tax administration. As Commissioner of the IRS SBSE Division, he led a workforce of more than 12,000 employees and launched the High Wealth High Balance initiative, which recovered over half a billion dollars for the Treasury. His creation and leadership of the IRS Office of Fraud Enforcement established a permanent institutional mechanism for coordinating fraud detection and deterrence across all IRS business divisions. His AJAC project produced appeals policies and procedures that remain in use today. At alliantgroup, he is a recognized national authority on IRS enforcement trends, ERC compliance, and small business tax incentives.

• Professional Involvement

At alliantgroup, Darren helps small and medium-sized businesses navigate America’s tax system to access incentives and credits and resolve compliance and appellate controversies. He speaks and writes regularly on IRS enforcement trends, ERC, the High Wealth High Balance initiative, and the future of IRS fraud detection. He has been quoted in Accounting Today and Inc. and participates in major tax conferences as a government alumni resource and enforcement perspective speaker.

• Experience

Darren Guillot’s 36-year IRS career represents one of the most comprehensive government records of any practitioner now in the private tax space. From his early days as a revenue officer through his leadership of the AJAC project in Appeals, his founding of the Office of Fraud Enforcement, his international criminal investigation directorship, and his SBSE Commissioner role — all capped by his record of innovation in taxpayer service through voice robotics and enforcement through data analytics — Darren brings a government perspective of extraordinary depth and range to his work at alliantgroup.

 

R. Damon Rowe, JD, LL.M., Partner | Meadows, Collier, Reed, Cousins, Crouch & Ungerman LLP

R. Damon Rowe is a partner at Meadows, Collier, Reed, Cousins, Crouch & Ungerman LLP in Dallas, where his practice focuses on white collar criminal defense, federal tax disputes, governmental regulatory litigation, and cryptocurrency and digital assets matters. Before entering private practice in 2022, Damon completed a distinguished 24-year career at the IRS, where he rose from Special Agent to Executive Director of the Office of Fraud Enforcement — the IRS’s primary mechanism for coordinating fraud detection and deterrence across all business divisions. He also served as Special Agent in Charge of both the Los Angeles and Dallas Field Offices and as Executive Director of International Operations in IRS Criminal Investigation. He earned his J.D. from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University, his LL.M. in Taxation from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law, and his undergraduate degree from the University of Houston. He is an adjunct professor at Texas A&M University School of Law.

• Education & Credentials

Damon holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Houston, a Juris Doctor from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University, and an LL.M. in Taxation from SMU’s Dedman School of Law. His IRS career credentials include service as a Special Agent, Special Agent in Charge of two major field offices, Executive Director of International Operations, and Executive Director of the Office of Fraud Enforcement. He is an adjunct professor at Texas A&M University School of Law, where he teaches a course in international white collar crime.

• Recognition & Leadership

Damon’s recognition is defined by his leadership of the IRS Office of Fraud Enforcement, where he designed and implemented data analytics strategies for detecting emerging financial crime threats — including virtual currency — and led the COVID Relief Fraud Project and the Joint International Task Force. His work to detect financial cybercrimes and international money laundering during his tenure as Executive Director of International Operations expanded IRS CI’s global footprint across more than 50 countries. He has been quoted in the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and Tax Notes, and his Texas A&M adjunct teaching role reflects academic recognition of his expertise in international white collar crime.

• Professional Involvement

Damon speaks at major tax and financial crimes conferences on IRS enforcement trends, cryptocurrency, white collar defense, and the intersection of civil and criminal tax enforcement. He is a member of the J.L. Turner Legal Association. At Meadows Collier, he participates in the firm’s annual Taxation Conference and presents to CPA and legal organizations across Texas on criminal tax enforcement and digital assets developments.

• Experience

Damon Rowe’s 24-year IRS career — spanning frontline special agent work, field office leadership in Los Angeles and Dallas, international operations, and fraud enforcement directorship — gives him one of the most comprehensive government résumés of any practitioner now in private tax defense. His founding and leadership of the IRS Office of Fraud Enforcement, his development of data-driven fraud detection strategies, and his 50-country international operations footprint translate into a private practice at Meadows Collier defined by firsthand knowledge of how IRS criminal investigations are initiated, structured, and resolved. His LL.M. from SMU’s Dedman School, his Texas A&M adjunct role, and his speaking record further demonstrate a practitioner who is as engaged with the academic and institutional dimensions of tax law as with his client practice.

 

Kathy Enstrom, EA, CFE, MBA, Chief Operating Officer & Director of Investigations | Moore Tax Law Group LLC

Kathy Enstrom is the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Investigations at Moore Tax Law Group LLC in Chicago, where she leverages nearly 28 years of federal law enforcement experience to assist clients facing governmental investigations involving tax crimes, money laundering, and related financial offenses. Prior to joining Moore Tax Law Group, she served as Special Agent in Charge of the FDIC Office of Inspector General, and before that spent years as an executive in IRS Criminal Investigation — including serving as Executive Director of Field Operations (Northern Area). She holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from Mount Mercy University (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), an M.B.A. from Cardinal Stritch University (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), and holds the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Enrolled Agent (EA) designations. She began her IRS career in 1995 as a CI intern in Cedar Rapids and was sworn in as a Special Agent in Chicago in 1996.

• Education & Credentials

Kathy holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Mount Mercy University and a Master of Business Administration from Cardinal Stritch University. She is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Enrolled Agent (EA), and her nearly 28-year federal law enforcement career spans IRS Criminal Investigation at the agent, management, and executive levels and the FDIC Office of Inspector General as Special Agent in Charge. Her dual private-sector credentials and government investigative background make her one of the most comprehensively equipped fraud and tax crime investigators in private practice.

• Recognition & Leadership

Kathy’s recognition is grounded in her executive-level leadership of IRS Criminal Investigation and the FDIC OIG. As IRS CI Executive Director of Field Operations (Northern Area), she oversaw investigations nationwide into tax evasion, money laundering, bribery, international corruption, bank fraud, cyber and cryptocurrency crimes, and terrorist financing. She has been a keynote speaker at the Accounting & Financial Women’s Alliance Women Who Count Conference and a panelist at the NYU Tax Controversy Forum, the UCLA Tax Controversy Institute, the Hawaii Tax Institute Conference, and the ABA Virtual Fall Tax Meeting, reflecting national recognition as a financial crimes and forensic accounting authority.

• Professional Involvement

Kathy is actively engaged in the tax controversy and financial crimes professional community, speaking at major conferences including the NYU Tax Controversy Forum, the UCLA Tax Controversy Institute, the Hawaii Tax Institute, the ABA Section of Taxation, the Illinois CPA Society, and the West Coast Anti-Money Laundering Conference. At Moore Tax Law Group, she assists clients across all stages of governmental investigation and civil controversy, contributes to the firm’s thought leadership, and helps attorneys and clients understand how financial crimes investigations are conducted and resolved from a government perspective.

• Experience

Kathy Enstrom’s career is built on a rare convergence of forensic accounting, federal law enforcement, and tax administration expertise. Beginning as an IRS CI intern in Cedar Rapids in 1995, she rose through the IRS to executive-level leadership, overseeing some of the agency’s most complex and high-profile financial crime investigations nationwide. Her subsequent role as FDIC OIG Special Agent in Charge broadened her investigative mandate to include bank fraud, CARES Act violations, and government program fraud. At Moore Tax Law Group, she now applies that 28-year investigative experience to help clients understand their exposure, assess risk, and achieve the best available outcomes in government investigations — bringing the perspective of someone who has conducted and overseen thousands of the very investigations she now helps clients navigate.

 

Craig Cafaro, CPA, CFF, Partner | Citrin Cooperman Advisors LLC

Craig Cafaro is a Partner at Citrin Cooperman Advisors LLC in New York, where he focuses on tax planning and compliance for high-net-worth individuals, entities, and trusts across industries including family office, real estate, and franchise, while also specializing in litigation support and forensic accounting in connection with tax controversies and criminal and civil investigations. Craig has more than 25 years of experience, has been a member of the firm’s Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative Committee and Tax Quality Control Committee, and has successfully represented clients before the IRS and various state taxing authorities in examinations, penalty abatements, and offers-in-compromise. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Bryant College and an M.S. in Taxation from the University of New Haven. Prior to Citrin Cooperman, he was a partner at Leon M. Reimer & Co., P.C., and earlier in his career served as an internal auditor in the banking and insurance industries.

• Education & Credentials

Craig holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bryant College and a Master of Science in Taxation from the University of New Haven. He holds the CPA credential and the Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) designation from the AICPA — reflecting specialized expertise in forensic accounting, litigation support, and fraud-related tax matters. He is a member of the AICPA and the NYSSCPA.

• Recognition & Leadership

Craig’s recognition is grounded in his dual expertise as a high-net-worth tax advisor and forensic accounting specialist. His work on the IRS Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program, his representation of clients in tax examinations and criminal investigations, and his prior banking and insurance audit background give him a multidimensional perspective on how financial transactions are structured, reported, and scrutinized by government authorities. He is a frequent speaker at the Annual IRS Representation Conference and IRS Representation Day, and contributes to Citrin Cooperman’s tax newsletter.

• Professional Involvement

Craig is a member of the AICPA, NYSSCPA, and Citrin Cooperman’s Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative Committee and Tax Quality Control Committee. He is a frequent speaker at the Annual IRS Representation Conference co-organized by Green & Sklarz LLC and myLawCLE on forensic accounting, criminal tax investigations, and IRS controversy topics.

• Experience

Craig Cafaro has spent more than 25 years building a practice that bridges high-net-worth tax compliance and forensic accounting — a combination that makes him particularly effective in the tax controversy and criminal investigation space, where the ability to analyze and explain complex financial transactions and records is as valuable as knowledge of tax law. His prior experience as an internal auditor in banking and insurance, combined with his CFF designation and his OVDP committee leadership at Citrin Cooperman, reflects a career that has consistently operated at the intersection of tax, finance, and forensic investigation.

 

Nina Tross, MBA, EA, Owner & Tax Professional | AZ Business Solutions, Inc.

Nina Tross is an Enrolled Agent with more than 20 years of experience as an independent tax professional and small business advisor based in Arizona. She is the owner of AZ Business Solutions, Inc. and is recognized as a leading voice in the national tax professional community, having served as Executive Director of the National Society of Tax Professionals (NSTP) and served on the NSTP Board of Directors (2011–2013). Nina holds an M.B.A. and a B.S. in Business Administration from Western International University and earned her EA credential from the IRS. More than 90% of her tax credential exam preparation students have passed the exam on their first attempt, making her a highly respected instructor. She has been quoted as a national authority on IRS enforcement trends, tax scams, and AI-related tax fraud in CFO Dive and other major business publications, and regularly teaches NSTP seminars across the country.

• Education & Credentials

Nina holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from Western International University. She holds the Enrolled Agent (EA) credential and has served as a longtime instructor and curriculum developer for the National Society of Tax Professionals. Her exam preparation track record — over 90% first-try pass rate for her students — reflects exceptional instructional skill in a technically demanding area.

• Recognition & Leadership

Nina’s national recognition includes her role as Executive Director of the National Society of Tax Professionals and her service on the NSTP Board of Directors. She has been cited as a national authority on IRS enforcement trends and tax scams in CFO Dive and other business publications, and her commentary on AI-related tax fraud — specifically her analysis of the IRS’s 2026 Dirty Dozen list — reflects a current and authoritative voice on the evolving intersection of technology and tax fraud. Her more than 90% first-try exam pass rate among her credential preparation students is a mark of teaching excellence recognized by practitioners across the country.

• Professional Involvement

Nina teaches NSTP seminars nationwide, maintains active membership in the NSTP, the National Society of Accountants, the National Federation of Independent Business, and the Arizona Society of Practicing Accountants, and serves as a media commentator on tax enforcement and IRS developments. Her instructional practice spans tax credential preparation, IRS representation fundamentals, and small business tax compliance.

• Experience

Nina Tross has spent more than 20 years building a practice and professional reputation centered on small business tax advising, IRS representation, and practitioner education. Her tenure as NSTP Executive Director and Board member placed her at the leadership of one of the country’s most established tax professional associations, and her continued speaking and teaching career reflects a practitioner who remains as invested in elevating the profession as in serving her own clients.

 

Walter Pagano, CPA/CFF, CFE, Partner | Eisner Advisory Group LLC

Walter Pagano is a Tax Partner at Eisner Advisory Group LLC in New York, leading the firm’s tax controversy practice and specializing in litigation consulting, forensic accounting, and white collar criminal defense. He brings more than 40 years of diversified experience to complex civil and criminal matters — including financial statement fraud, commercial disputes, tax controversies, internal investigations, and matrimonial and guardianship litigation — and has testified in federal and state courts and at arbitration hearings, and served as a court-appointed forensic accountant and special fiscal agent. Prior to private practice, Walter was an IRS revenue agent, appeals officer, cooperating revenue agent with IRS Criminal Investigation, and forensic accountant assisting federal prosecutors. He has been a presenter, moderator, and panel member at numerous accounting, legal, fraud, and tax CPE conferences and institutes, and co-authored a chapter in the ACFE Fraud Casebook.

• Education & Credentials

Walter holds a B.S. from New York University and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) holding the Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) designation from the AICPA and the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) designation from the ACFE. His pre-private-practice credentials include roles as IRS revenue agent, appeals officer (formerly ‘conferee’), cooperating revenue agent with IRS Criminal Investigation, and forensic accountant assisting federal prosecutors — a set of IRS-side credentials that directly informs his ability to anticipate and counter government strategies in civil and criminal tax matters.

• Recognition & Leadership

Walter has testified in federal courts, state courts, and arbitration hearings, and has served as a federal, state, and bankruptcy court-appointed forensic accountant and special fiscal agent — reflecting judicial trust in his independence, expertise, and analytical rigor. He is a frequent speaker at legal, accounting, and fraud CPE conferences and institutes, and co-authored a chapter in the ACFE’s Fraud Casebook. His 40-plus years of experience in tax controversy, financial fraud, and forensic accounting make him one of the most broadly credentialed practitioners in the field.

• Professional Involvement

Walter speaks regularly at AICPA, ACFE, and IRS Representation Conference events on forensic accounting, criminal tax matters, and cryptocurrency tax issues. He has been a guest on the Tax Rep Network podcast, discussing IRS cryptocurrency enforcement and forensic accounting strategy. His court-appointment record reflects sustained professional engagement with the judicial system as an independent expert.

• Experience

Walter Pagano has spent more than four decades at the intersection of forensic accounting, tax controversy, and litigation support — a career that began inside the IRS and has since spanned private practice, court appointments, and national CPE education. His unique IRS background as both a revenue agent and a cooperating agent with Criminal Investigation gives him a government-side foundation that is visible in his private practice — whether he is assisting attorneys and corporate counsel in civil fraud matters or helping clients navigate criminal tax investigations. His 40-plus years of experience, his court
appointments, and his ACFE Fraud Casebook co-authorship reflect a practitioner whose credentials span the analytical, testimonial, and scholarly dimensions of forensic accounting.

 

Stephanie C. Svenonius, EA, MST, Owner | S2 Tax, LLC

Stephanie C. Svenonius is an Enrolled Agent and the owner of S2 Tax, LLC, a tax practice based in Bangor, Maine, serving clients across the United States, U.S. expatriates worldwide, and inbound foreign taxpayers with their U.S. filing requirements. With more than 20 years of experience, her practice focuses on comprehensive tax preparation and IRS and state revenue representation for individuals and businesses. She holds an M.S. in Taxation from Bentley University (home to one of the nation’s first graduate tax programs), a Graduate Certificate in Taxation from Bentley University, and a B.S. in Organizational Management from Daniel Webster College. She holds the EA designation (since 2009) and the NTPI Fellow designation, demonstrating advanced expertise in taxpayer representation. She serves on the board of the Accounting Cornerstone Foundation and has been affiliated with the National Tax Practitioners Institute, Baker Newman & Noyes, and Vitale Caturano & Company.

• Education & Credentials

Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management from Daniel Webster College, a Master of Science in Taxation from Bentley University, and a Graduate Certificate in Taxation from Bentley University. She has held the Enrolled Agent credential since 2009 and the NTPI Fellow designation, reflecting advanced expertise in IRS taxpayer representation. Her prior professional background includes positions at Baker Newman & Noyes and Vitale Caturano & Company.

• Recognition & Leadership

Stephanie’s MST from Bentley University — one of the country’s foremost graduate tax programs — and her NTPI Fellow designation distinguish her among enrolled agents in the IRS representation space. She serves on the board of the Accounting Cornerstone Foundation, a nonprofit supporting accounting professionals in attending their first conferences to elevate their careers, and has been recognized as a knowledgeable and effective presenter at Tax Rep Network and other national tax representation events.

• Professional Involvement

Stephanie is an active member of the National Tax Practitioners Institute and the Tax Rep Network community, presenting on practical IRS representation topics for practitioners across the country. She serves on the Accounting Cornerstone Foundation board, supporting the professional development of practitioners in the tax community, and has presented at multiple Tax Rep Network programs on IRS representation best practices, non-filer strategy, and client communication.

• Experience

Stephanie Svenonius has built a nationally serving IRS representation practice from Bangor, Maine — demonstrating that deep technical expertise, strong professional networks, and a commitment to continuing education can transcend geography in the modern tax representation field. Her MST and NTPI Fellow credentials, combined with more than 20 years of direct IRS representation experience across individual and business matters, expatriate filings, and state revenue controversies, make her a practical and authoritative voice on the challenges and strategies that define IRS representation practice today.

 

Scott E. Fink, Esq., Shareholder | Greenberg Traurig LLP

Scott E. Fink is a Shareholder in Greenberg Traurig LLP’s Tax Practice in New York, where he focuses on civil and criminal federal and state tax controversies and litigation. He represents corporations, partnerships, estates, and individuals before the IRS and state and local tax authorities at every stage of a dispute — examinations, collections, administrative appeals, and litigation in court. Scott earned his B.A. from the University of Michigan (1996), his J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University (2000), and his LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law (2005). He is a frequent speaker at ABA Tax Section criminal and civil tax controversy conferences and has been a moderator and panelist at events including the ABA’s 2024 Criminal Tax Fraud and Tax Controversy Conference.

• Education & Credentials

Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan (1996), a Juris Doctor from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University (2000), and an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law (2005). He is admitted to practice in New York. His NYU Tax LL.M. and his long tenure in Greenberg Traurig’s Tax Practice reflect sustained academic and professional investment in one of New York’s most demanding areas of tax law.

• Recognition & Leadership

Scott has been a frequent speaker at ABA Tax Section Criminal Tax Fraud and Tax Controversy Conference programs, including moderating the ‘Tools, Defenses, and Recent Developments in Collection’ panel at the 2024 conference. His practice at Greenberg Traurig — one of the largest and most active global law firms in tax litigation — spans IRS examinations, collections, administrative appeals, and court proceedings, reflecting the full range of federal and state tax controversy work at a nationally recognized level.

• Professional Involvement

Scott is engaged in the ABA Tax Section’s criminal and civil tax controversy community, participating as a speaker and moderator at national conferences on collection, penalty defense, and IRS enforcement developments. His practice at Greenberg Traurig contributes to the firm’s Tax Controversy and Litigation and State & Federal Tax Controversies practices.

• Experience

Scott Fink has spent his career at Greenberg Traurig building a tax controversy practice that spans civil and criminal matters at the federal and state levels. His three-degree academic foundation — including a NYU Tax LL.M. — and his two decades of practice at one of the country’s largest global law firms reflect a commitment to technical depth and litigation quality that defines Greenberg Traurig’s tax controversy brand. His ABA Tax Section conference participation ensures that his expertise is continuously shared with practitioners at the national level.

 

Esq., Managing Director, U.S. National Tax | Andersen

Pamela Grewal is a Managing Director in Andersen’s U.S. National Tax practice, where she focuses on federal tax controversy matters, drawing on more than 17 years of government experience at both the Department of Justice Tax Division and the IRS Office of Chief Counsel. After beginning her career at the DOJ Tax Division, she transitioned to IRS Counsel’s National Office in Washington, D.C., where she advised on emerging issues in the tax-exempt organizations sector and drafted letter rulings and regulations. She subsequently moved to IRS Counsel’s San Francisco office, where she litigated cases across multiple divisions — including TEGEDC, LBI, SB/SE, and Strategic Litigation — and advised examination teams on Indian tribal government affairs, employment taxes, research credits, and transfer pricing. She holds a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and is a frequent speaker at PLI, the ABA Tax Section, the UCLA Tax Controversy Conference, and the Tax Council Policy Institute.

• Education & Credentials

Pamela holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School. Her professional credentials include more than 17 years of government service spanning the DOJ Tax Division and the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, where she litigated across multiple divisions and advised nationally on emerging tax issues. She is a frequent panelist at the Practicing Law Institute’s major tax programs, the ABA Tax Section’s criminal and civil tax conferences, and the UCLA Tax Controversy Conference — reflecting broad recognition of her technical expertise in government-side tax litigation and regulatory work.

• Recognition & Leadership

Pamela is a recognized expert on federal tax controversy matters, particularly those involving government-side litigation strategy, tax-exempt organizations, employment taxes, research credits, and transfer pricing. She has spoken at PLI’s Nuts and Bolts of Tax Controversy, PLI’s M&A Tax Strategies, the ABA Tax Section’s Criminal Tax Fraud and Tax Controversy Conference, the UCLA Tax Controversy Conference, the Tax Council Policy Institute’s annual conference, and International Association of Tax Judges panels on AI and tax. Her dual DOJ and IRS background gives her a uniquely comprehensive view of the government’s approach to tax enforcement.

• Professional Involvement

At Andersen, Pamela advises clients on federal tax controversy strategy, including tax-exempt organizations, employment taxes, Indian tribal government issues, R&D credits, and transfer pricing disputes. She is a frequent speaker at national tax conferences on civil enforcement priorities and government controversy strategy, and has been a panelist on the ABA Tax Section’s ERC-related programming and its Virtual Fall Tax Meeting.

• Experience

Pamela Grewal’s career arc — from DOJ Tax Division trial attorney to IRS Counsel National Office advisor to IRS Counsel San Francisco litigator to Andersen Managing Director — represents one of the most
comprehensive government-to-private-practice transitions in the tax controversy bar. Her litigating experience across TEGEDC, LBI, SB/SE, and Strategic Litigation divisions, her National Office regulatory drafting work, and her advisory experience on Indian tribal governments, employment taxes, research credits, and transfer pricing give her a breadth of government-side subject matter expertise that directly benefits her clients at Andersen navigating complex federal tax disputes.

 

Michael Sardar, Esq., Partner | Kostelanetz LLP

Michael Sardar is a Partner at Kostelanetz LLP in New York, where he has practiced since 2009 and was named partner in January 2019. His practice covers the full range of civil and criminal tax controversies — before the IRS, state tax authorities, the DOJ, and local prosecutors — with particular depth in foreign bank account and asset reporting noncompliance, voluntary disclosures, and NY State and City residency audits. Michael has represented scores of clients with unreported foreign assets, enabling the repatriation of over half a billion dollars through the IRS Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program and Streamlined Compliance Procedures. He has also successfully represented nonprofit organizations on tax exemption and UBIT issues, and handles white collar criminal matters including customs fraud, bank fraud, and wire fraud. Michael graduated summa cum laude from Baruch College (2004) and received his J.D. from Cornell University Law School (2007). He is Co-Chair of the Federal Bar Association Tax Section, New York Chapter, and has been selected to New York Metro Super Lawyers since 2019.

• Education & Credentials

Michael holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, summa cum laude, from Baruch College (2004) and a Juris Doctor from Cornell University Law School (2007). He is Co-Chair of the Federal Bar Association Tax Section, New York Chapter, and Co-Chair of the ABA Subcommittee on Offshore Enforcement of the Committee on Civil and Criminal Tax Penalties, and a former Vice-Chair of the NYCLA Taxation Committee. His summa cum laude Baruch distinction and Cornell Law credential reflect an academic foundation that complements nearly two decades of intensive tax controversy practice.

• Recognition & Leadership

Michael has been selected to New York Metro Super Lawyers every year from 2019 through 2024, reflecting consistent peer recognition of his expertise and client advocacy. His record of enabling the repatriation of over half a billion dollars in offshore assets through the OVDP and Streamlined Compliance Procedures is a substantive achievement that few offshore compliance practitioners can match. He has successfully convinced the DOJ Tax Division to discontinue criminal investigations involving more than $50 million in unreported foreign assets and persuaded IRS CI to terminate investigations without charges — outcomes that define the highest level of tax controversy advocacy.

• Professional Involvement

Michael is Co-Chair of the FBA Tax Section (New York Chapter) and Co-Chair of the ABA’s Offshore Enforcement subcommittee. He speaks frequently at the ABA Tax Section Mid-Year Meeting, the Federal Bar Association Tax Law Conference, the AICPA ENGAGE Conference, the Procopio International Tax Institute, and the American Society of Tax Problem Solvers conference. He lectures and writes on offshore compliance, voluntary disclosures, IRS enforcement, and criminal-civil tax case dynamics.

• Experience

Michael Sardar has spent the past 16-plus years at Kostelanetz LLP building one of New York’s most respected offshore compliance and tax controversy practices. His Cornell Law education and summa cum laude Baruch foundation, combined with nearly two decades of representing clients in some of the most complex offshore voluntary disclosure matters ever handled by a private practitioner, have made him a trusted authority in a field where technical knowledge, government relationships, and strategic judgment are equally critical. His FBA and ABA committee leadership, his Super Lawyers recognition, and his speaking at major national conferences reflect a practitioner who contributes as much to the profession as to his individual clients.

 

Hale E. Sheppard, Esq., Partner | Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP

Hale E. Sheppard is a Partner in Eversheds Sutherland’s Tax Practice Group in Atlanta, where he leads a 12-attorney tax controversy team that joined from Chamberlain Hrdlicka in March 2025. With more than 20 years of experience, Hale defends clients in tax audits, appeals, and Tax Court litigation, with a focus on conservation easements, employee retention credits, qualified opportunity zones, captive insurance, and international tax controversies. He has a proven track record in Tax Court, federal district court, and the courts of appeals, and has secured numerous private letter rulings from the IRS National Office. He is a prolific legal scholar with more than 300 major articles published in leading law reviews and tax journals, and has been a Chambers-ranked Georgia tax attorney and a Georgia Super Lawyer since 2012. He earned his undergraduate degree from The University of Kansas School of Law (1997) and passed the bar in 1999.

• Education & Credentials

Hale completed his legal studies at The University of Kansas School of Law (1997 class) and has been admitted to practice since 1999. He is a Chambers USA Band 3 Tax attorney for Georgia, a Georgia Super Lawyer since 2012, and a frequent speaker nationally on tax controversy, conservation easements, ERC, and international tax compliance. His record of over 300 published articles in leading law reviews and tax journals reflects scholarly productivity of exceptional volume and depth.

• Recognition & Leadership

Hale has been ranked by Chambers USA (Band 3, Georgia Tax) continuously for 16 years and selected to Georgia Super Lawyers every year from 2012 through 2025. His record of more than 300 published articles in major law reviews and tax journals is widely cited by peers, in legal briefs, and in published books — reflecting scholarly recognition of his authority in the field. His leadership of the 12-attorney tax controversy team that joined Eversheds Sutherland from Chamberlain Hrdlicka in 2025 reflects the organizational confidence he commands within the tax controversy bar.

• Professional Involvement

Hale speaks regularly at regional and national organizations on conservation easements, ERC, captive insurance, opportunity zones, and international tax compliance. He leads the Tax Controversy & Litigation Section and chairs the International Tax Section at Eversheds Sutherland’s Atlanta office. He has published in Tax Notes, the Journal of Tax Practice and Procedure, and other leading tax publications.

• Experience

Hale Sheppard’s 20-plus-year career in tax controversy began at Chamberlain Hrdlicka, where he built one of Atlanta’s most respected tax dispute practices before leading a 12-attorney team to Eversheds Sutherland in 2025. His practice covers the full range of IRS-coordinated domestic issues — from conservation easements and ERC disputes to opportunity zone and captive insurance controversies — as well as international tax compliance and litigation. His Chambers ranking, his Super Lawyers recognition, and his more than 300 published articles reflect a practitioner whose contributions to the field span both client advocacy and legal scholarship of the highest order.

 

Barry A. Fischman, CPA, Partner | CBIZ

Barry A. Fischman is a Partner at CBIZ in the New Haven, Connecticut office, where he focuses on tax planning and compliance for closely held businesses across a wide range of industries including construction, real estate, research and development, professional services, and manufacturing, as well as high-net-worth individuals and families. He is a member of CBIZ’s National Construction, Real Estate, Business Enterprise Tax Services, High Net Worth Individuals, Tax Compliance, Family Wealth Services, and Trusts and Estates practice groups. Barry represents clients before the IRS and the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services, and is a frequent speaker on income taxation for construction companies, research and development credit opportunities, and gift and estate planning. He holds an M.S. in Taxation from the University of New Haven and a B.S. in Business Administration from Bryant College, and received the Associated General Contractors of Connecticut’s Service Provider of the Year award in 2019.

• Education & Credentials

Barry holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bryant College and a Master of Science in Taxation from the University of New Haven — a graduate tax program that has produced some of the leading tax practitioners in the Connecticut/New York market. He holds the CPA credential and has been admitted to practice before the IRS and the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services for more than 30 years.

• Recognition & Leadership

Barry received the Associated General Contractors of Connecticut Service Provider of the Year award in 2019, reflecting his deep and specialized expertise in construction industry taxation and his contributions to the contractor community as an advisor, speaker, and resource. He is a member of the Construction Industry CPAs and Consultants (CICPAC) Thought Leadership Committee, the Connecticut Estate and Tax Planning Council Board of Directors, and the Manufacturing Alliance of Connecticut.

• Professional Involvement

Barry is a frequent speaker at the AICPA Construction & Real Estate Conference, the New England IRS Representation Conference, CICPAC, the Associated General Contractors of Connecticut, and AGC of America events on construction tax updates, R&D credits, estate planning, and ethical issues in IRS representation. He contributes to Surety Bond Quarterly and Construction Executive on construction accounting and tax topics.

• Experience

Barry Fischman has spent more than 30 years building a tax advisory practice at the intersection of closely held business taxation and industry-specific expertise — particularly in construction and real estate, where few CPAs match the depth of his knowledge of construction accounting methods, R&D credits, long-term contract accounting, and succession planning. His CICPAC Thought Leadership Committee membership, his AGCC Service Provider recognition, and his prolific conference speaking record reflect a practitioner who is as invested in the industry’s professional development as in his own clients’ tax outcomes.

 

Stephen M. Kohn, Esq., Founding Partner | Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto LLP

Stephen M. Kohn is a founding partner of Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto LLP and one of the world’s leading whistleblower rights attorneys, with 38-plus years of exclusively whistleblower-focused practice since 1984. He is the author of eight books on whistleblower law — including Rules for Whistleblowers (Lyons Press, 2023), recognized by Kirkus as a Top 100 Indie Book of 2023 — and has been peer-reviewed by the National Law Journal as one of the 50 top plaintiff’s lawyers in the United States, the only whistleblower rights attorney to achieve that distinction. In 2024 and 2025, Forbes named him one of America’s Top 200 Lawyers. He won the first $100 million whistleblower award for UBS whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld and has secured landmark wins under the False Claims Act, Dodd-Frank, AML, FCPA, Commodity Exchange Act, and IRS tax whistleblower laws. He is the founder and chairman of the National Whistleblower Center, co-founded in 1988. Steve earned his J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law (1984) and holds a B.S. from Boston University and an M.A. in political science from Brown University.

• Education & Credentials

Steve holds a Bachelor of Science from Boston University, a Master of Arts in Political Science from Brown University, and a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law (1984). He has been recognized by the National Law Journal as one of the 50 top plaintiff’s lawyers in the United States — the only whistleblower rights attorney ever to achieve that distinction — and was named by Forbes as one of America’s Top 200 Lawyers in both 2024 and 2025. He is the author of the first legal treatise on whistleblowing and eight books on whistleblower law, and has worked with Congress to draft key provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, Sarbanes-Oxley, the IRS whistleblower program, and the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act.

• Recognition & Leadership

Steve’s professional recognition is among the most distinguished in plaintiff-side advocacy. He secured the $104 million award for Bradley Birkenfeld — the largest reward ever paid to an individual whistleblower in U.S. history — and has set precedents in nearly every major whistleblower statute. The National Law Journal named him one of the top 50 plaintiff’s lawyers in the country; Forbes named him one of America’s top 200 lawyers; the National Whistleblower Center — which he co-founded and chairs — has made him a central figure in the global movement for whistleblower protection. His Kirkus-recognized book Rules for Whistleblowers and eight total publications on whistleblower law establish him as the preeminent scholarly and practical authority in the field.

• Professional Involvement

Steve co-founded the National Whistleblower Center and the National Whistleblower Legal Defense and Education Fund, both of which he leads pro bono. He has testified before Congress and worked with congressional staffs to draft and improve major whistleblower legislation. He speaks nationally and internationally on whistleblower law and has provided U.S.-sponsored seminars and educational programs around the world. He currently represents the Danske Bank whistleblower who reported (and helped stop) the largest known money laundering scandal — $230 billion through Danske Bank.

• Experience

Steve Kohn has devoted his entire 38-plus-year legal career to whistleblower advocacy — from his first case in 1984 involving a nuclear power plant whistleblower through his current representation of the Danske Bank whistleblower in the largest money laundering scandal in history. His legislative drafting of the modern IRS whistleblower program, Dodd-Frank, and Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower provisions has shaped the legal landscape in which all whistleblowers now operate. His $104 million Birkenfeld award, his National Law Journal top 50 recognition, his Forbes Top 200 designation, his eight published books, and his founding of the National Whistleblower Center together represent a career of unparalleled impact on the rights and remedies of whistleblowers in the United States and around the world.

 

Dean Zerbe, JD, LL.M., National Managing Director | alliantgroup

Dean Zerbe is National Managing Director of alliantgroup and a partner at Zerbe, Miller, Fingeret, Frank & Jadav LLP, a law firm specializing in tax whistleblowers and tax litigation. He is also a Senior Policy Advisor to the National Whistleblower Center. Dean spent more than 25 years in congressional service, including as Senior Counsel and Tax Counsel for the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, Senator Charles E. Grassley, from 2001 to 2008. In that role, he was the driving force behind the legislation that created the modern IRS Whistleblower Office and expanded the rewards for tax whistleblowers. He has represented several tax whistleblowers — including Bradley Birkenfeld, who received the largest individual whistleblower award in U.S. history ($104 million) — and led the landmark Tax Court case Whistleblower 21276-13W v. IRS (2017), which established the definition of ‘collected proceeds’ under the whistleblower law. He holds a J.D. from George Mason University and an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University (notably also holding a BFA in Film Production from NYU). He was recognized by National Journal as one of the ‘Hill 100’ top congressional staffers.

• Education & Credentials

Dean holds a Juris Doctor from George Mason University School of Law and an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law — along with a BFA in Film Production from NYU, making him perhaps the only NYU LL.M. Tax graduate who also holds an NYU BFA. He was recognized by National Journal as one of the ‘Hill 100’ — the top 100 congressional staffers in Washington — for his tax and investigative work in support of Senator Grassley.

• Recognition & Leadership

Dean’s recognition is grounded in his authorship of the legislation that created the modern IRS whistleblower program, his representation of Bradley Birkenfeld in the largest individual whistleblower
award in history, and his landmark Tax Court victory in Whistleblower 21276-13W v. IRS (2017), which codified the definition of ‘collected proceeds’ for award purposes. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post, Bloomberg, Tax Notes, and Accounting Today as a leading authority on the IRS whistleblower program, and is a columnist for Forbes.com on tax and oversight matters.

• Professional Involvement

Dean speaks and writes regularly on the IRS whistleblower program, tax policy, and government oversight matters. He serves as Senior Policy Advisor to the National Whistleblower Center and has submitted extensive comments to the IRS and Congress on whistleblower program reform. He has testified before the House Committee on Small Business and other congressional committees on tax whistleblower law and has consulted with state governments and foreign nations on whistleblower program design.

• Experience

Dean Zerbe’s career spans more than 25 years of congressional service, legislative drafting, whistleblower representation, and tax advisory work. As the Senate Finance Committee staffer who wrote the IRS whistleblower law in 2006 and as the attorney who represented the most successful tax whistleblower in history, he occupies a unique position at the intersection of tax policy and whistleblower advocacy. At alliantgroup, he advises small and medium-sized businesses on tax incentives and compliance, while at Zerbe Miller, he continues to represent tax whistleblowers and consult on the program he helped create. His dual role as a practitioner and a Forbes commentator gives him a public profile that is rare among tax practitioners.

 

Bradley C. Birkenfeld, Author, Whistleblower & Keynote Speaker

Bradley C. Birkenfeld is the most significant financial whistleblower in history — the former UBS private banker whose disclosures triggered the demise of Swiss banking secrecy and launched a global crackdown on bank-aided tax evasion that has resulted in the recovery of over $25 billion from American tax cheats. Born in the Boston area, Brad began his banking career at State Street Bank in 1988 before moving to Europe in 1995, where he worked as a private banker for Credit Suisse, Barclays Bank, and UBS. In 2005, he objected to UBS management about the bank’s illicit practices enabling wealthy Americans to commit tax fraud and, rebuffed by management, contacted American authorities. His disclosures led to UBS’s $780 million settlement with the U.S. government, the release of thousands of American account holder names, and over 120 criminal indictments. In 2012, the IRS awarded him $104 million — 26% of the $400 million in taxes collected — the largest reward ever paid to an individual whistleblower in U.S. history. He is the author of Lucifer’s Banker Uncensored: The Untold Story of How I Destroyed Swiss Bank Secrecy and holds an international MBA from the American Graduate School of Business in Switzerland. He currently resides in Malta.

• Education & Credentials

Brad holds an international MBA from the American Graduate School of Business in Switzerland, earned during his career as a European private banker. His professional credentials are defined by his insider knowledge of Swiss private banking structures, offshore account management, and the legal mechanics of international tax evasion — expertise he turned against the very system he once served and that has informed his decades of advocacy for stronger whistleblower protections.

• Recognition & Leadership

Brad received the largest individual whistleblower reward in U.S. history — $104 million — from the IRS in 2012. His disclosures directly produced UBS’s $780 million deferred prosecution settlement, the disclosure of over 4,450 American account holder names, and recoveries that, through voluntary disclosure programs inspired by his case, ultimately exceeded $25 billion. His book Lucifer’s Banker Uncensored details the full story of how he destroyed Swiss banking secrecy, and he is represented by Leading Authorities as a nationally sought keynote speaker on financial whistleblowing, offshore banking, and the necessity of robust whistleblower protections.

• Professional Involvement

Brad speaks nationally and internationally on UBS and offshore banking fraud, the mechanics of bank-aided tax evasion, and the critical role of whistleblowers in detecting and stopping financial crimes that governments and regulators would otherwise miss. He has spoken at the University of Miami School of Law, the National Whistleblower Center’s National Whistleblower Day, and numerous academic and legal conferences. He is dedicated to supporting whistleblower initiatives worldwide from his base in Malta.

• Experience

Bradley Birkenfeld’s story is unlike any in the history of American whistleblowing. As a UBS private banker with firsthand knowledge of how the world’s largest bank systematically helped wealthy Americans commit tax fraud, he stepped forward at enormous personal risk — ultimately serving 31 months in federal prison before receiving a $104 million IRS award — and in doing so changed the global landscape of banking secrecy, offshore compliance, and whistleblower law. His disclosures did not merely result in one case; they triggered a cascade of voluntary disclosures, indictments, and settlements that brought over $25 billion back to the U.S. Treasury. His story is at once a cautionary tale about financial industry corruption and a powerful testament to what one well-positioned whistleblower can accomplish.

 

Elizabeth P. Askey, Esq., Of Counsel | Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Elizabeth (Liz) Askey is Of Counsel in Skadden’s Tax Group, which she joined in September 2025 after a distinguished career at the IRS and in private practice spanning more than 30 years. Most recently, she served as Chief of the IRS Independent Office of Appeals (2024–2025), overseeing the operations of nearly 1,800 Appeals employees and programs designed to resolve tax controversies without litigation. Prior to that role, she served as Deputy Chief of Appeals and as Deputy Division Counsel (International) for the IRS Office of Chief Counsel’s Large Business and International Division, where she directed the work of approximately 350 attorneys and paralegals. Earlier in her career, she served as an attorney-advisor and associate tax legislative counsel in Treasury’s Office of Tax Policy and spent nearly two decades in private practice at law and accounting firms and in private industry. She is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel and holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School (1990) and an A.B. in English (1987) from an undergraduate institution.

• Education & Credentials

Liz holds a Bachelor of Arts (English) and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School (1990). She is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel and has held leadership positions with the ABA Tax Section, the Federal Bar Association Tax Section, and the D.C. Bar Tax Section. Her IRS career credentials include Chief
of the Independent Office of Appeals, Deputy Chief of Appeals, and Deputy Division Counsel (International) for the LB&I Division of IRS Chief Counsel.

• Recognition & Leadership

Liz’s career achievement of serving as Chief of the IRS Independent Office of Appeals — a role in which she oversaw nearly 1,800 employees and set strategy for resolving the nation’s tax controversies without litigation — places her at the summit of administrative tax law. She is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel and brings leadership positions in the ABA Tax Section, FBA Tax Section, and D.C. Bar Tax Section to her Skadden practice. Her September 2025 arrival at Skadden was described by firm tax leaders as a significant addition to ‘the preeminent tax controversy practice’ — a characterization that reflects the professional esteem in which she is held across the tax bar.

• Professional Involvement

Liz is an active participant in the ABA Tax Section, Federal Bar Association Tax Section, and D.C. Bar Tax Section. At Skadden, she advises clients on tax controversy mitigation strategies — including private letter rulings, closing agreements, pre-filing agreements, and the Industry Issue Resolution program — and on regulatory and legislative tax policy. She leverages her IRS Appeals leadership experience to help clients resolve complex disputes with the government at every stage.

• Experience

Liz Askey’s career integrates private practice, Treasury policy advisory work, and IRS leadership in a trajectory that makes her one of the most valuable resources available to clients facing complex federal tax controversies. Her 30-plus years in tax controversy — spanning law firms, private industry, Treasury’s Office of Tax Policy, IRS Chief Counsel’s LB&I Division, and the Independent Office of Appeals — give her an insider’s command of every stage of the federal tax dispute process. As Chief of Appeals, she oversaw the resolution of tax controversies at the highest institutional level. At Skadden, she now applies that comprehensive government perspective to helping clients prevent, manage, and resolve complex tax disputes with the government.

 

Sarah Green, Esq., Senior Managing Associate | Dentons Sirote

Sarah Green is a Senior Managing Associate in Dentons Sirote’s Tax Practice Group in Huntsville, Alabama, where she focuses on Tax Controversy and Litigation. She represents clients in all phases of federal income tax disputes — including IRS audits, administrative appeals, and court proceedings in the U.S. Tax Court, federal district court, and U.S. Courts of Appeals — and also advises individuals and entities in criminal tax investigations and prosecutions. Sarah has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America 2026 and was named a 2025–2026 John S. Nolan Fellow by the ABA Tax Section — one of the most prestigious fellowships for emerging tax law leaders. She serves as Vice Chair of the ABA Tax Section’s Standards of Tax Practice Committee, where she arranges panels on critical tax ethics and practice topics. She holds a J.D. from Liberty University School of Law (where she received the Class of 2020 ADR Award, served as SBA president, and was a national negotiation competition champion) and a B.S. in Political Science from the University of North Alabama.

• Education & Credentials

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science with a minor in Business Administration from the University of North Alabama, and a Juris Doctor from Liberty University School of Law (Class of 2020), where she received the Alternative Dispute Resolution Award, served as Student Bar Association president, was a Liberty Law Student Ambassador, and was both a champion in the ABA’s 2019 Regional Negotiation Competition and a semi-finalist in the ABA’s 2019 National Negotiation Competition. She was named a 2025–2026 John S. Nolan Fellow by the ABA Section of Taxation, and recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America 2026.

• Recognition & Leadership

Sarah has been named a 2025–2026 John S. Nolan Fellow by the ABA Section of Taxation — a highly prestigious fellowship recognizing emerging leaders in tax law — and recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America 2026. She serves as Vice Chair of the ABA Tax Section’s Standards of Tax Practice Committee, where she helps shape the national dialogue on tax ethics and professional responsibility. Her selection for these honors early in her career reflects exceptional promise and professional engagement within the tax controversy community.

• Professional Involvement

Sarah is Vice Chair of the ABA Tax Section’s Standards of Tax Practice Committee and an active participant in the ABA Tax Section’s criminal and civil tax controversy programming. She co-authors articles on tax law for Dentons Sirote’s U.S. Tax Disputes blog, covering subjects such as the Third Circuit’s recent expansion of the fraud statute of limitations and other emerging tax controversy developments.

• Experience

Sarah Green’s career at Dentons Sirote represents an early-career trajectory of exceptional momentum. Her negotiation competition championships at Liberty Law, her ADR Award, her SBA presidency, and her clerkship for a federal judge were followed by a practice at Dentons Sirote that has already produced Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch recognition and an ABA Tax Section Nolan Fellowship — two distinctions that signal the depth of her engagement with the tax controversy community and the quality of her advocacy. Her focus on civil and criminal federal tax controversies, combined with her ABA Standards of Tax Practice Committee leadership, positions her as one of the most promising emerging voices in the tax controversy bar.

DAY 1, Wednesday, July 15, 2026

 

SESSION 1 – What’s Hot and What’s Not: 2026 Enforcement Update | 9:00am – 10:00am

Panelists review the IRS’s current enforcement priorities — including ERC audits, defaulted SBA loans, high net-worth audits, digital assets, S Corporation compensation, worker classification, and abusive tax shelters — giving practitioners the insider perspective they need now.

Moderator:

Sara Neill, Esq, Neill, Schwerin & Boxerman, P.C.

Panelists:

Dan Mayo, Esq., Withum

Chris Fergusen, Esq., Kostelanetz

James Grimaldi, Esq., Citrin Cooperman

 

Break | 10:00am – 10:15pm

 

SESSION 2 – IRS Audits Under the Centralized Partnership Audit Regime (BBA) | 10:15am – 12:00pm

The BBA transformed how partnerships are audited and how prior-year returns are adjusted. Panelists navigate filing requirements, imputed underpayment computations, push-out elections, and BBA litigation so practitioners can spot issues and advise clients effectively.

Moderator:

Robert Day, Esq., Green & Sklarz LLC

Panelists:

Jenni Black, Esq., Citrin Cooperman

Andrew Weiner, Esq., Kostelanetz

 

Lunch | 12:00pm – 1:00pm

 

SESSION 3 – IRS Enforcement in a Resource-Constrained Environment: Trends and Challenges | 1:00pm – 2:15pm

With significant IRS staff reductions reshaping the enforcement landscape, this panel examines shifting audit priorities, the practical impact of staffing shortages, and what these developments mean for both ongoing audits and tax litigation strategies.

Moderator:

Eric Green, Esq., Green & Sklarz LLC

Panelists:

Beverly Winsted, Esq. Law Offices of Beverly Winsted

Roger Nemeth, EA, Tax Help Software

Darren Guillot, Alliant Group

 

SESSION 4 – The Fine Line Between Tax Planning and Tax Evasion | 2:15pm – 3:30pm

Some transactions on the IRS’s “Dirty Dozen” list can still be legitimate planning tools. Panelists review applicable statutes, common transaction structures, and the critical distinctions that separate lawful tax planning from criminal tax evasion exposure.

Moderator:

Dawn Brolin, CPA, CFE, Powerful Accounting, Inc.

Panelists:

Damon Rowe, Esq., Meadows, Collier, Reed, Cousins, Crouch & Ungerman, LLP

Kathy Enstrom, Moore Tax Law Group, LLC

Craig Cafaro, CPA, Citrin Cooperman

 

Break | 3:30pm – 3:45pm

 

SESSION 5 – Offers-in-Compromise: Items that Create Issues | 3:45pm – 5:00pm

Understanding the RCP formula is only the beginning. This panel identifies the client-specific issues that derail OIC submissions at the Centralized Unit and outlines steps practitioners can take beforehand to maximize the chances of acceptance.

 

DAY 2, Thursday, July 16, 2026

 

SESSION 1 – Where’s My Money? Bringing a Refund Action | 9:00am – 10:00am

As IRS refund delays mount, the clock is ticking for taxpayers to act. Panelists cover statutory refund requirements, critical deadlines practitioners must monitor, and the procedural steps required to bring a successful refund action against the government.

Moderator:

Jeffrey Sklarz, Esq. Green & Sklarz LLC

Panelists:

Walter Pagano, CPA, CFE, Eisner Advisory, LLC

Chris Fergusen, Esq., Kostelanetz

 

Break | 10:00am – 10:10am

 

SESSION 2 – International Forms 101: Foreign Tax Forms You Need to Know | 10:10am – 11:00am

International reporting is now a routine risk area. Panelists break down the most consequential foreign reporting forms, explain what triggers filing obligations, identify where practitioners most often go wrong, and show how these forms intersect with each other.

Moderator:

Amanda Evans, EA

Panelists:

Stephanie Svenonius, EA

Dan Mayo, Esq., Withum

 

SESSION 3 – International Tax Enforcement: What the IRS Can and Cannot Do Regarding Taxpayers Operating Offshore | 11:00am – 12:00pm

As global financial transparency expands, IRS offshore enforcement has intensified. This panel examines the legal tools the IRS uses to pursue taxpayers abroad, how offshore activity is detected, and the jurisdictional constraints that shape enforcement boundaries.

Moderator:

Lisa Perkins, Esq., Green & Sklarz LLC

Panelists:

Damon Rowe, Esq., Meadows, Collier, Reed, Cousins, Crouch & Ungerman, LLP

Kathy Enstrom, Moore Tax Law Group, LLC

 

Lunch | 12:00pm – 1:00pm

 

SESSION 4 – Ethics: Advising Clients for Penalty Protection and Return Positions (Ethics)| 1:00pm – 3:00pm

Tax advisors play a critical role in structuring defensible return positions and protecting clients during audits. This panel addresses penalty protection strategies, the application of legal privileges, and best practices for providing sound transactional tax advice.

Moderator:

G. Michelle Ferreira, Greenberg Traurig

Panelists:

Scott Fink, Esq., Greenberg Traurig

Pamela Grewal, Andersen Tax

 

Break | 3:00pm – 3:15pm

 

SESSION 5 – Freedom of Information Act Requests: The Benefits and Limitations of FOIA | 3:15pm – 4:05pm

When clients face audits, trust fund penalties, or IRS criminal investigations, knowing what the IRS knows is invaluable. Panelists walk through drafting effective FOIA requests, available records, applicable exemptions, and how to leverage what you obtain.

Moderator:

Lisa E. Perkins, Esq., Green & Sklarz LLC

Panelists:

Michael Sardar, Esq., Kostelanetz LLP

Walter Pagano, CPA, CFE, Eisner Advisory, LLC

 

SESSION 6 – Limited Partner Exception to Self-Employment Taxes: Where Things Stand After a Half-Century of Fighting | 4:05pm – 5:00pm

The IRS is aggressively challenging limited partner classifications to collect self-employment taxes on distributive shares. Panelists trace this issue from 1977 through recent Tax Court decisions and pending appellate cases, clarifying what partner characterization means going forward.

Moderator:

Sanford Boxerman, Esq., Neill, Schwerin & Boxerman, P.C.

Panelists:

Hale Sheppard, Esq., Eversheds Sutherland

Barry Fischman, CPA, CBiz

 

DAY 3, Friday, July 17, 2026

 

SESSION 1 – Whistleblowing to the IRS: Where Are We Now | 9:00am – 10:15am

The IRS whistleblower program continues to evolve. Panelists — including former Senate Finance Committee counsel Dean Zerbe — review the program’s current state, congressional gaps that need addressing, and key considerations for practitioners advising potential whistleblower clients.

Moderator:

Eric Green, Green & Sklarz LLC

Panelists:

Steve Kohn, Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, LLP

Dean Zerbe, Alliant Group

Bradley Birkenfeld

 

Break | 10:15am – 10:30am

 

SESSION 2 – Revisiting ADR, Fast-Track and Post-Appeals Mediation in a Resource-Challenged Environment | 10:30am – 12:00pm

As case complexity grows and IRS resources shrink, alternative dispute resolution tools are increasingly critical. Panelists examine Fast Track Settlement, Post-Appeals Mediation, and Early Referral options, exploring how staffing constraints affect the strategic timing and effectiveness of each.

Moderator:

Maxine Aaronson, Esq., Attorney at Law

Panelists:

Elizabeth Askey, Esq., Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP

Sarah Green, Esq., Dentons Sirote

Darren Guillot, Alliant Group