A Message from the Tax Section Chair

Bob, a white man with brown hair and wire glasses, wears a blue tie, white shirt, and black suit. He is smiling.By Robert Gallagher

Greetings to the NCBA Tax Section! I would like to welcome everyone to a new year of section membership and activities. On behalf of myself and the Tax Council officers (Reed Hollander – Vice Chair; Chris Hannum – Treasurer; and Stacey Brady – Secretary), we look forward to seeing and working with you over the next year.

Reed and I were in Cary last week for the NCBA’s annual Leadership Orientation, where we met some of the officers of the other sections and heard about their plans for the year. I have already heard from Patti Ramseur, the new NCBA President, whose focus is going to include professionalism and especially the importance of civility within the profession. This is an area where the Tax Section can and in fact already does set a good example. I do not know how to quantify civility, but it is my belief that tax practice among the private bar tends to be more collaborative than many other areas of law. Although some of us occasionally find ourselves in opposition to a counterparty or the government, my experience is that our practitioners are able to part as friends, or at least as respected colleagues, at the end of the day.

When Patti asked me what our section could do to encourage civility, the answer for me was easy: promote more face-to-face interaction. It is easier to be rude or dismissive in an email than on the phone; on the phone as opposed to a Zoom call; on Zoom versus face-to-face. One of the first things I learned as a young lawyer is that unless my position is very clearly a winner both legally and factually, I always ask for a face-to-face meeting or hearing. When we see each other in person, we are better able to recognize the humanity in one another and treat each other with the respect and dignity everyone deserves. We are much more likely to look for a compromise. I will be seeking ways to foster and encourage physical meetings within the section throughout the year, and I sincerely hope to see as many of you as possible.

A few housekeeping items:

  1. Thank you to our Immediate Past Chair Allie Petrova as well as Chris Hannum and Stacey Brady for organizing and running another successful Workshop over Memorial Day Weekend. If you were not able to attend, I hope you will consider joining us next year in Kiawah. The material was outstanding and useful as always, and everyone had a chance to make new friends or catch up with old acquaintances.
  2. Congratulations to Wells Hall, who was the inaugural recipient of the Tax Section’s Lifetime Achievement and Service Award. We were blessed and overwhelmed to receive nominations for several very outstanding candidates. I strongly encourage those who submitted nominations last year to do so again.
  3. Our first Council meeting of the year will be on Thursday, September 7. Before the Council meeting, we will have an hour-long roundtable discussion, beginning at 11:30 a.m. An invite went out this week for that. These are open forums where anyone can ask and discuss questions about tax issues. If you have an inkling that you would like to learn more about the section, the Tax Council, or just tax practice in general, this is the best way to start getting involved.

Finally, a thank you to our Community Manager, BreAnne Shieh, who helps us stay organized and on track. I look forward to seeing and speaking with all of you soon.

Yours,

Bob Gallagher

Robert J. Gallagher is with Carolina Tax, Trusts, and Estates in Southern Pines.

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