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Join Us for Our 10th Annual USD School of Law – RJS LAW Tax Institute, July 18, 2025

“We Bring the Whole Tax Community Together”

A Leading Educational Event for Tax and Business Professionals

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The 10th Annual USD School of Law – RJS LAW Tax Institute will be held on July, 18, 2025. It is one of the best tax events in the nation held in sunny San Diego. The region’s top tax attorneys, enrolled agents (EAs), certified public accountants (CPAs), law and business school professors will discuss topics including international tax, trust and estate litigation, tax planning, crypto currency, and tax controversy.

The 2025 Tax Institute Agenda

7:30 a.m. – Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:30 a.m. – Introductory Speaker & Opening Remarks – Tyler R. Hatcher, Executive Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – International – Get Your Piece of the PIE: Portfolio Interest Exemption

• A. Lavar Taylor, Managing Partner, Taylor Nelson Amitrano LLP
• Rene M. Fimbres, Senior Manager, International Tax and Transaction Services, PWM
• Jeffrey Rubinger, Partner, Winston & Strawn, LLP
• Moderator: Andrea Cisneros Valdez, Esq., LL.M., Of Counsel, RJS LAW

10:00am – 10:10am – Break

10:10 a.m. – 11:09 a.m.  – Trust & Estate Litigation – “I’LL SUE YOUR ASSets!”

• Scott Rahn, Esq., Founding Partner, RMO LLP
• R.C. Harlan, Partner, Larson LLP
• Carl L. Jones, Senior Litigation Associate, The Estate Lawyers
• Moderator: Benazeer “Benny” Roshan, Esq., Founder of Roshan Law Group

11:09 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. – Refreshment Break

11:20 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. – Tax Planning – Tax Cuts and Jobs Act 2.0: What You Need to Know

• Bruce C. Wood, CPA/ABV, CVA, MTx, Applied Economics LLC
• Michael Friedman, CPA, Partner, LevitZacks
• Mark Milton, Managing Attorney, Milton Law Group
• Moderator: Sam Imandoust, Esq., Of Counsel, RJS LAW
• Moderator: Kaveh Imandoust, JD., MBT, CPA, RJS LAW

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Luncheon

12:30 p.m. – 1:20 p.m. – Presentation of Richard Carpenter Excellence in Tax Award – A. Lavar Taylor, Managing Partner, Taylor Nelson Amitrano LLP

1:20 p.m. – 1:30 p.m – Remarks by Jordan Z. Marks, Chief Deputy Assessor/ Taxpayer Advocate for the San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/ County Clerk

1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. – Crypto Currency “A Whole New Digital World”

• Philipp Behrendt, Hochman Salkin Toscher Perez, P.C.
• Darren John Guillot, Director, Zerbe, Miller, Fingeret, Frank & Jadav, LLP; Former Deputy Commissioner, SB/SE Collection & Operations Support, IRS
• Rob Massey, Partner| Global Tax Leader – Blockchain & Digital Assets, Deloitte Tax LLP
• Charles P. Rettig, Esq., Chamberlain Hrdlicka (former IRS Commissioner)
• Moderator:  To Be Announced (TBA)

2:45pm – 2:50pm – Break

2:50 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. – Tax Controversy – How to Navigate Effective Client Representation with IRS Collection and Examination Matters During the Current Uncertain State of the IRS Operations

• Kevan P. McLaughlin, JD, LL.M; Managing Partner, McLaughlin Legal, APC
• Lisa Nelson, Partner, Taylor Nelson Amitrano LLP
• Charles Rettig, Esq., Former IRS Commissioner (2018-2022); Chamberlain Hrdlicka
• Moderator: Richard Carpenter, Esq., Richard Carpenter Tax Law Office, Adjunct Professor of Law, USD School of Law

3:50 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Break

4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. – Criminal Tax

• Victor Song, Partner, Integritas3
• Frank Agostino, Founder and President, Agostino & Associates, P.C.
• Joseph Orabona, Senior Litigation Counsel, United States Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California
• Moderator: Sandra Brown, Esq., Principal, Hochman Salkin Toscher Perez P.C.

5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. – Evening Reception – Hosted Bar and Hors d’Oeuvres at the beautiful Garden of the Sea

Continuing Education

The University of San Diego School of Law is a State Bar of California-approved MCLE provider.RJS LAW is a registered Continuing Education provider with the IRS.

2025 Recipient of the Richard Carpenter Excellence in Tax Award

A. Lavar Taylor, Esq.
Managing Partner, Taylor Nelson Amitrano LLP

A. Lavar Taylor, the founder of Taylor Nelson Amitrano LLP, has over 43 years of experience in handling civil and criminal tax controversies involving the IRS and state tax agencies. Mr. Taylor handles tax-related litigation in all trial and appellate courts. He also handles administrative disputes with the IRS and state tax agencies, including audits, collection matters, criminal investigations, Collection Due Process Appeals, other types of administrative appeals before the IRS Office of Appeals, and disputes before the California Office of Tax Appeals and the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. He is widely recognized for his expertise in bankruptcy-related tax matters. Since 2004, Mr. Taylor has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Chapman University School of Law in Orange, California, where he currently teaches Federal Tax Procedure. He has also taught as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of California at Irvine Law School. Mr. Taylor has authored numerous briefs as amicus curiae in tax-related cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and the federal Courts of Appeal. He is a regular speaker at continuing legal education events, including programs sponsored by the Tax Section of the ABA and the Tax Section of the California Lawyer’s Association.
 

2025 Sponsorship Levels

We invite you to partner and grow with USD School of Law – RJS LAW Tax Institute by becoming a sponsor. Your sponsorship is the most effective way to demonstrate your support of the Institute while ensuring maximum exposure for your organization. In addition to being a great marketing opportunity, all money raised will go to support USD’s philanthropy, community outreach, and low-income legal clinics that benefit the San Diego community. It is a wonderful chance to support the leaders of tomorrow as well as those in need of legal assistance who cannot afford it.