International Tax Conference 2025 IN PERSON

Aaron Johnson, Shareholder, Tax Attorney & Professor, Ballard Spahr

Aaron is a partner at Ballard Spahr Lane Powell in Seattle, WA, where he co-leads the firm’s SALT team and represents multinational, U.S., and regional businesses in SALT matters including tax litigation, audit defense, appeals, planning and structuring tax efficient transactions. Previously, he was an experienced tax manager at PwC where he managed a multistate practice and tax controversies, a judicial law clerk, stockbroker and financial advisor, and an enlisted U.S. Army Soldier. He is the WA Bar SALT Committee Chair, a member of the Legislative and founder of the Tax DEI committee; on the ABA SALT Executive Committee; and teaches tax at UW School of Law. He previously taught corp. tax at UW Foster and fed. tax at SPU (20-21 prof. of the year). Aaron is an appointed member of the WA DOR’s Business Advisory Council and an advisory member to the Assoc. of WA Bus. (AWB).

Christopher Saddock, Shields Legal Group

Chris Saddock, JD, LLM Taxation, practices business and individual tax planning for high-net-worth individuals and closely-held corporations and partnerships. Chris has an extensive history serving private clients as a tax and business adviser by preparing and implementing complex business and holding structures, as well as maximizing tax efficiencies and ensuring compliance. His areas of practice include U.S. passthrough entity planning, U.S. trust and estate tax planning, mergers and acquisitions, fund formation, startups, cryptocurrency, and international income and estate tax planning.

Jordan Reichelt, Partner, Spott Lucey & Wall Seattle

Jordan Reichelt, CPA, is a Partner at Spott, Lucey & Wall, a CPA firm specializing in international tax and cross-border issues. His clients include many investors and entrepreneurs in the real estate, technology, and creative sectors and businesses from around the world. Jordan has developed a special focus on state and local compliance services for multinational businesses and issues involving international trusts and estates. He leads Spott, Lucey & Wall’s Seattle office and is a frequent speaker on international tax topics including GILTI, subpart F, and other CFC issues.

Mehrdad Ghassemieh, Harlowe & Falk LLP

Mehrdad Ghassemieh is a partner at Harlowe & Falk LLP. Mehrdad’s practice includes assisting clients of all sizes on domestic and international matters. This includes consulting with international business owners regarding the tax implications related to establishing new business entities, succession planning, and mergers and acquisitions. His clients include both U.S. based companies that have expanded abroad and foreign companies with U.S. ties. While helping clients in the setup of international structures, Mehrdad routinely helps clients find solutions to Subpart F and taxation on CFCs, taxation of PFICs, foreign tax credit planning, cross border withholding tax and attaining tax treaty benefits. Mehrdad also consults with U.S. based exporting companies to determine whether they qualify for IC-DISC tax incentive benefits, and assists in both implementation and maintenance of IC-DISC structures. Mehrdad is an adjunct professor at the University of Washington School of Law, where he teaches a class in advanced international taxation planning in the law school’s masters in tax program. He is also an adjunct professor at Golden Gate University, in the Masters in Tax Program.

Namir Hallak, Andersen LLP

Namir Hallak, CPA, CA, CPA (Kansas), CGMA, is a Vancouver, BC-based Tax Partner at Andersen with over 20 years of experience in cross-border tax compliance and planning for multinational Canadian and U.S. corporations. He specializes in advising businesses through international expansion, providing strategic tax insights on cross-border operations, investments, and mergers & acquisitions.

Philip Hodgen, HodgenLaw PC

Philip D. W. Hodgen is the principal attorney for Hodgen Law Group, which specializes in the international tax arena. He earned his undergraduate degree from Claremont McKenna College and his law degree from the School of Law at the University of California, Los Angeles. He then went on to earn a Master of Laws degree with a specialty in taxation from the University of San Diego School of Law.

Admitted to the California bar in 1982, Mr. Hodgen spent nine years in law firms and with a large U.S. bank before starting his own firm in 1991. For six years of his youth, he lived in Rhodesia, South Africa and New Zealand. Mr. Hodgen is a past chair of the International Tax Committee of the State Bar of California’s Tax Section and was a member of the Executive Committee of the State Bar of California’s Tax Section for 2004-2007.

Mr. Hodgen frequently speaks on a variety of international tax, trust and estate topics to attorneys, accountants, real estate professionals and other groups.

Roy Deaver III, Partner, Moss Adams LLP (Consulting Group)

Roy Deaver is a Partner in Moss Adams’ Seattle office. He has over 14 years experience in providing tax services to his clients, the last eight focusing on international tax matters. Roy has worked in both public accounting and in industry allowing him to provide practical tax advice to his clients. Roy has worked closely with his clients to optimize the worldwide effective tax rate and to reduce foreign taxes through, tax-efficient financing, efficient cash management, repatriation of earnings to the U.S., and transfer pricing analysis. Roy has assisted clients in both acquisition and divestiture structuring and in entry into new markets. Additionally, Roy has an extensive background in FAS 109 and its application to foreign subsidiaries.