June 20, 2008
Leading Tax Lawyer Daniel M. Berman Joins BU Law
 |
Dean Maureen O’Rourke announced today that leading international tax lawyer, Daniel M. Berman, will join Boston University School of Law as Director of the Graduate Tax Program and Professor of the Practice of Tax Law, effective July 1, 2008.
“We are very excited to welcome Daniel Berman to BU Law. Dan brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the area of tax law. Dan’s understanding of tax policy, coupled with his experience as a practicing tax lawyer and teacher, will greatly enhance our ability to prepare students for practice,” said Dean O’Rourke.
Berman is an expert in the area of international taxation, with vast experience in tax planning, tax controversies, tax policy work and negotiating and interpreting tax treaties.
He has worked in both the legislative and administrative branches of the U.S. government, having served as Deputy International Tax Counsel for the U.S. Department of the Treasury and as Legislation Counsel for the Joint Committee on Taxation of the U.S. Congress.
“Dan has a thorough understanding of tax law and policy, having played a key role in the process in the U.S. Treasury Department and in Congress. There are many tax experts, but only a very select few combine executive branch, congressional, private sector and academic perspective in the way that Dan Berman does. His views should be given extremely careful consideration,” said Lawrence H. Summers, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and former President of Harvard University.
Berman also has extensive experience in the private sector, having practiced as a partner with Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner, LLP, and with Sutherland Asbill & Brennan, LLP, both in Washington, D.C. He began his legal career with the Cohen and Uretz law firm, also in Washington.
“BU is fortunate to have Dan Berman become its director of the Graduate Tax Program. Dan has the broad government and private experience which will be invaluable to students entering the tax field. Dan is an expert at making and practicing tax law,” said Sheldon S. Cohen, former Commissioner of Internal Revenue, founder of Cohen and Uretz and currently a Director of Farr, Miller & Washington, LLC.
Berman has taught courses in U.S. and international tax law at the International Tax Academy of the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation (IBFD) in Amsterdam, as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, and as an instructor at Harvard Law School’s International Tax Program. He is an elected member of the Council of the International Fiscal Association (USA Branch), served as National Reporter for IFA and led the first Tax Law Delegation to China with People-to-People International. He is a former co-chairman of the worldwide tax practice group of the TerraLex law firm network, and he has served on several advisory boards. He has lectured widely on tax topics, and his work has been published in numerous tax publications including the Tax Management International Journal, International Tax Review and Taxes.
Berman says: “I am delighted to join BU Law, which has one of the top tax law programs in the country. Because tax considerations drive many business and individual decisions in today’s global economy, it is critical for lawyers to understand both domestic and international tax law and policy. My goal is to assure that our graduates are prepared to help their clients make sound business and personal plans and decisions, with a full understanding of tax law ramifications. We will also assure that they understand the formation of tax policy, including the process and the substantive considerations that shape it, in order to provide the perspective necessary to interpret the law.”
While Berman’s greatest expertise is in international tax, he expects to continue to strengthen the Graduate Tax Program’s curriculum in all tax subspecialty areas, including estate planning and domestic business transactions.
“BU Law has made an excellent choice. Dan is a superb tax lawyer and teacher and will be a great asset to BU’s Graduate Tax Program and to its students. I congratulate both Dan and BU Law on their exciting new partnership,” said Elena Kagan, Dean of Harvard Law School.
Berman received his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School and his AB, magna cum laude, from Harvard College, where he majored in Applied Mathematics and Economics and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He was the recipient of the Endicott Peabody Saltonstall Prize, which is awarded by the Deans of Harvard College and Harvard Law School to the most outstanding senior in Harvard College proposing to enter Harvard Law School.
Berman has been married for nearly 25 years to Elizabeth Kessin Berman, an art consultant and fine art appraiser. They have a daughter, Reena, who will enter Brandeis University in the fall.
Berman will be succeeding Associate Dean Ernest M. Haddad who will remain at BU Law, assuming other duties. Dean O’Rourke stated: “I would like to thank Ern Haddad for his exceptional service over the past six years – coordinating our several LL.M. Programs and leading our Graduate Tax Program to its highest levels of excellence and recognition. I am delighted that Ern will be staying on at BU Law as Associate Dean for Special Projects, assisting me in achieving some of the School’s most interesting and challenging objectives.”
Boston University School of Law is a top tier school with an outstanding faculty ranked #1 in teaching quality by Princeton Review and Leiter. BU Law’s Tax, Intellectual Property and Health Law programs are ranked in the top ten nationally by U.S. News & World Report. Since its founding in 1872, the School has welcomed qualified men and women from across the United States and abroad, without regard to race, gender or belief.