We welcomed many of you to Las Vegas on December 12-14 for the Criminal Tax Fraud and Tax Controversy Conference. In addition to more than two days of programing ranging from civil and criminal enforcement priorities to the new landscape for regulatory enforcement and the state of voluntary disclosure, attendees heard from IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel, who was the Plenary Lunch speaker on Friday, December 13. As always with Section events, there were plenty of opportunities for networking within affinity groups and gatherings that expand your networks.
The end of 2024 will provide an opportunity to get into the giving spirit of the holidays by contributing to the Tax Section’s Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fund, which funds our Loretta Collins Argrett Fellowship. The Argrett Fellowship seeks to infuse historically underrepresented individuals into the Section and to create a more accessible and equitable pipeline into both the Section and the tax bar. The Fellowship honors the achievements of Loretta Collins Argrett, a tax trailblazer who was the first Black staff member of the Joint Committee on Taxation and also the first woman and the first Black person to hold the position of Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Now entering its third year, the Fellowship has had a discernible effect on the Section, as anyone who has attended a Section meeting or seen a recorded program or webinar can attest. I hope you will join me in donating by December 31 to ensure that the fellowship continues well into the future.
The New Year will start with a revamped 2025 Midyear Tax Meeting from Wednesday, February 19 to Friday, February 21, in Los Angeles at Marriott’s LA Live. Changes include: track programming that creates fewer conflicts and allows greater networking opportunities, a shift in the days of the week to Wednesday–Friday, allowing attendees to be home for the weekend, and a Plenary at the start of the conference rather than at the end that capitalizes on our venue; learn about “Glamorizing Tax Avoidance: How Hollywood Royalty Turned Tax Dodging into a National Sport and Transformed Tax Legislation.” As usual, the meeting will also feature Live Well, Lawyer Well sessions, our Law Student Tax Challenge competition, Committee dinners, and other events. Check out this video preview and review the schedule-at-a-glance and preliminary program on the registration page for a more in-depth look at our revamped Midyear meeting.
Finally, in the spirit of this season of gratitude and in support of my desire to bring a bit of transparency to Section operations, I want to close with thanks to my predecessors who had the wisdom to establish a leadership structure that makes strong, steady, and inclusive leadership possible. Senior Section leadership – the Chair (me), Chair-Elect (Megan Brackney), and Last Preceding Chair (Scott Michel), and Senior Staff – the Section’s Executive Director (Betsi Roach), Associate Director (Ty Hansen), and Chief Counsel (Meg Newman), have a standing meeting once a week to discuss the status of activities, current challenges, and future projects. Those meetings not only ensure that all oars are rowing in the same direction but as Chair-Elect, they provided me with a long on-ramp into the day-to-day operation of not only the Section but the ABA. They also allowed me to learn from more experienced individuals. Now that I am Chair, the weekly meetings along with the support of the Section’s Officers and the rest of our leadership Council, which meets roughly quarterly, are a source of wisdom and comfort - I know that I am not alone. I am fortunate to be a member of a group that cares just as deeply about the Tax Section and the tax system as I do.
With much gratitude and best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season,
Alice G. Abreu
