11th Annual USD School of Law - RJS LAW Tax Institute presented by Whittier Trust

The 11th Annual USD School of Law – RJS LAW Tax Institute presented by Whittier Trust will be held on Friday, July 17, 2026.

The Institute is the premier tax event in San Diego. The region's top tax attorneys, CPAs, and law/business school professors will discuss topics including government loan relief and abuses, challenges in cross-border transactions, and practical and realistic solutions in Trust, Estate Planning, and Tax matters.

2026 Ticket Information - Register Here

*= includes Whittier Trust Networking Reception

2026 Agenda

The 11th Annual USD School of Law - RJS LAW Tax Institute presented by Whittier Trust

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Continental breakfast and Check-In

8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Welome Remarks

• Robert Muth, Vice Dean and Professor of Law, USD School of Law
• Ronson J. Shamoun, '98 (BA), '02 (JD), '03 (LLM), CEO and Principal Attorney, RJS LAW, and Adjunct Professor, USD School of Law and Knauss School of Business

8:35 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Introductory Speaker

• Darren Lian, Special Agent in Charge, Los Angeles Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
International: Tax Updates in a Politicized World

• Enrique Hernandez-Pulido, Partner, Procopio
• Joshua P. Katz, Tax Attorney, Higgs Fletcher and Mack
• Moderator: A. Lavar Taylor, Managing Partner, Taylor Nelson Amitrano LLP

10:00 a.m. – 10:10 a.m.
BREAK

10:10 a.m. – 11:09 a.m.
 Trust & Estate Litigation - Representing Clients with Diminished Capacity: Ethical Duties, Practical Challenges, and Litigation Risks

• Danielle P. Barger, Esq., Founding Partner, Barger and Battiest Law, APC
• Kristen Caverly, Partner, Snell & Wilmer LLP
• Shannon N. Taylor, Attorney, Shareholder, Hughes & Pizzuto, APC
• Moderator: Scott Rahn '02 (JD), Esq., Founding Partner, RMO LLP

11:09 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.
BREAK

11:20 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.
Tax Planning: The ABCs of OB3

• Bruce Wood, CPA/ABV, CVA, MTx, Director, Applied Economics LLC
• Daniel Mayo, J.D., LL.M., Partner, Lead for National Tax Services, Withum
• Steven J. Geller, CPA ,TEP, Partner Prager Metis
• Moderator: Kaveh Imandoust, JD, MBT, CPA; RJS LAW

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Luncheon

• Remarks by Jordan Z. Marks, San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/Clerk

1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Cryptocurrency: Pitfalls, Planning, and Opportunities

• Wendy Walker, VP, Regulatory Affairs, Sovos
• Samuel D. Brotman, Esq., Owner and Managing Attorney, Brotman Law
• Alyssa Maloof Whatley, Director, Frost Law
• Moderator: Phillip Behrendt, Principal, Hochman Salkin Toscher Perez P.C.

2:45 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
BREAK

2:50 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.
Tax Controversy: Writings for the Tax Court

• Steven L. Jager, CPA, MST, USTCP, Partner, Fineman West & Company, LLP
• Hon. Emin Toro, Judge, United States Tax Court
• Jonathan Amitrano Esq., LL.M., Managing Partner, Taylor Nelson Amitrano LLP
• Moderator: Richard Carpenter '84 (JD), Tax Attorney, 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 Panel: Criminal Tax Workshop

• Joseph Orabona, Partner, Glaser Weil Fink Howard Jordan & Shapiro LLP and (Former Chief, Special Prosecutions Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Southern District of California)
• Gregory A. Vega, Esq., Shareholder & Litigation Department Chair, Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek
• Hon. Allison H. Goddard '00 (JD), Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
• Moderator: Sandra R. Brown, Principal, Hochman Salkin Toscher Perez P.C.

5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Whittier Trust Networking Reception, Hosted Bar and Hors d’oeuvres, Garden of the Sea

• Presentation of Richard Carpenter Excellence in Tax Award to Judge Emin Toro, U.S. Tax Court

updated July 9, 2026