History and Purpose
Founded in 1981, the American College of Tax Counsel is a professional association of tax attorneys. Membership in the College is an honor reserved for those at the top of the tax bar in the United States.
The College’s members, called Fellows, are tax lawyers currently engaged in or are retired or semi-retired from full time legal work, either in private law practice, in a corporate legal or tax department, in a governmental legal position, in a trade association, in a graduate-level teaching position (such as at a law or business school), or in a combination thereof. They are recognized for their extraordinary accomplishments and professional achievements and for their dedication to improving the practice of tax law. Fellows must be nominated in writing by a current Fellow in good standing, except that a Fellow may not nominate a lawyer practicing with their firm or on their faculty. Each nominee must satisfy the established criteria, pass a rigorous screening process, and be approved by a vote of the Board of Regents before they become a Fellow.
The College is a nonprofit corporation and is governed by its 19-member Board of Regents: four members of the College’s Executive Committee, one Regent is elected from each of the thirteen federal judicial circuits and two Regents are elected to serve at large.
The purposes of the American College of Tax Counsel are:
- To foster excellence and to elevate professional standards in the practice of tax law;
- To stimulate skills development and knowledge through participation in continuing legal education programs and seminars;
- To provide additional mechanisms for input by tax professionals into the development of tax laws; and
- To facilitate scholarly discussion and examination of tax policy and tax administration issues.
