Joseph
F Bigane, III, CPA, MST is the Managing Director of JFB Tax Consulting LLC. For
over 50 years Joe has worked in public accounting, specializing in the field of
taxation with a concentration on state and local taxes, serving a diverse group
of clientele. Joe was a partner at Wolf & Company LLP from 1981 until his
retirement in August, 2012. Thereafter, he continued with Wolf as the Director
of State and Local Taxes. In 2014 Wolf merged with BKD LLP. In November, 2015
Joe resigned from BKD and opened his own State and Local Tax consulting firm
which serves as a resource for accounting firms and attorneys. He is one of a
select group of Certified Public Accountants in the country admitted to practice
before the United States Tax Court. Joe does a significant amount of representation
before all levels of the Internal Revenue Service, the Illinois Department
of Revenue, the Chicago Department of Revenue, and many
other out-of-state revenue departments. Joe is a frequent speaker for ICPAS
conferences and Chapters as well as for other Chicago area organizations.
Keith is currently Special
Counsel with the Chicago office of Duane Morris LLP. Before joining Duane
Morris, Keith was the Executive Director of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce Tax
Institute. He previously was a director in Grant Thornton's State and Local Tax
(SALT) practice in Chicago, where he was involved in tax planning, consulting,
and dispute resolution in all areas of state and local taxation. Keith was
Counsel at McDermott Will & Emery in Chicago where he specialized in
multistate tax planning, consulting, and litigation. Keith served as general
counsel of the Illinois Department of Revenue, and was on the legal staff of the
Illinois Department of Revenue for 10 years. Prior to joining the
Illinois Department of Revenue, Keith was the Assistant Director of the staff
of the Illinois General Assembly’s Joint Committee on
Administrative Rules. Professional Affiliations Chicago Bar Association State and Local Tax Section
Council - Vice Chair 2024-25, Chair 25-26, Illinois CPA Society State and Local
Tax Committee - former Chair, Chicago Tax Club Indirect Tax Committee.
Jessica Macklin is a partner in Wipfli LLP’s tax
department with over fifteen years of experience, providing tax planning and
consulting services for companies with multi-state operations. Jessica helps
clients navigate the tax laws of the jurisdictions in which they operate by
sharing her knowledge to help clients make informed business decisions.
Jessica’s clients appreciate her vast state and local tax expertise as well as
her responsiveness to their questions and issues.
David Hughes is the co-chair of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton’s State
and Local Tax Group. David advises clients on how to structure their business to
reduce their state and local tax liabilities and he also defends clients in
audits, administrative proceedings and court against state and local tax
assessments. David has represented clients in over 30 states and has advised
clients on income tax, sales/use tax, franchise tax, and unclaimed property. He
has argued cases at the Illinois Supreme Court, the Illinois Appellate Court and
the New York Supreme Court (Appellate Division). David is licensed in Illinois
and Wisconsin.
David is an adjunct professor at the Northwestern University Pritzker School
of Law where he teaches an LLM class on state and local tax. David is a Director
for the Chicago Tax Club, the chair of the Club’s Indirect and Operational Tax
committee and a Vice Chair of the ABA’s state and local tax committee. He is
also a Fellow in the American College of Tax Counsel (ACTC). David is a
co-author of the chapter entitled "Illinois Sales and Use Tax" in the American
Bar Association's Sales and Use Tax Handbook.
In addition, he has spoken on behalf of NYU's School of Continuing and
Professional Studies, the Council on State Taxation (COST), Tax Executives
Institute (TEI), the American Bar Association, the Institute of Professionals in
Taxation (IPT), the Illinois CPA Society, the Unclaimed Property Professionals
Organization (UPPO), the Chicago Tax Club, the Association of Consumer Vehicle
Lessors (ACVL) and Telestrategies. He is also the former Chair of the SALT
committee for the Illinois CPA Society and the former chair of the Chicago Bar
Association's committee on state and local taxation. David graduated from the
University of Notre Dame with a degree in English and from the Columbia
University School of Law.
Eric Fader is special counsel with Duane Morris LLP.
Eric focuses his law practice on state and local tax matters, including
sales/use taxes, gross receipts taxes, income/franchise taxes, real and personal
property taxes, as well as unclaimed property issues. Eric advises and
represents clients in audits, litigation, tax planning, and M&A
transactions. Eric is a graduate of DePaul University College of Law, where he
was the executive director of the DePaul Business Law Journal, and a graduate of
Bradley University where he majored in accounting. Eric is also a CPA. Eric has served as an adjunct professor on financial accounting and taxation,
and he is the current chair of the Illinois CPA Society's state
and local tax committee.
As a partner in our state and local tax (SALT) practice,
I work in all areas of SALT including income/franchise, sales/use, and gross
receipt taxes. I primarily work in our service and manufacturing &
distribution (M&D) industries, including our due diligence practice where I
help identify state issues and assist with restructuring for tax efficiency.
Frequently, I speak with clients, other professionals, and prospects on SALT
issues. I've been a speaker at the Ohio Tax Conference, past ICPAS State Tax
Conference, NPRRA and Chicago Tax Club. Recent topics have included state
implications of the TCJA, the impact of the Wayfair decision, and the taxability
of SaaS and other technology products. I'm a member of the AICPA and the
Illinois CPA Society where I’m on the SALT committee. I’m a recipient of the
ICPAS Distinguished Service Award for 2018-2019. In addition, I’m a board member
of the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois. I’m also a member of the Next Generation
Board (NGB) for Chicago Run, a 501(c)(3) that focuses on the promotion of health
and wellness of Chicago children through innovative, engaging, and sustainable
youth running programs. I received my B.S. in accounting from Elmhurst College
and my MST from DePaul University. I spend most of my free time
with my wife who’s also a tax accountant, so you know
our dinner conversations are super exciting. I enjoy being active, finding ways
to exercise, craft beer, and trying new cuisines and
restaurants.
Jordan Goodman is co-leader of the firm's Tax Practice
Group. He focuses his practice on resolving complex state and local tax
controversies for Fortune 1000 corporations and wealthy families, nationwide.
Jordan represents operationally complex companies in manufacturing, retail,
financial services, e-commerce, broadcasting, and telecommunications. As an
attorney and CPA with decades of experience, he has successfully resolved tax
controversies in nearly every state. Jordan also represents numerous clients in
multistate unclaimed property litigation and advises on a wide range of
compliance issues. Clients seek Jordan's help on a full range of tax issues
including corporate income, sales and use, franchise, local licenses, gross
receipts, business and occupation, single business, capital stock, and unclaimed
property matters. He regularly advises on nexus, apportionment, business income, unitary business groups and
residency, credits, losses, exemptions, and the tax base. He represents clients in
all facets of unclaimed property issues-from audit notifications and
audit defense to protecting sensitive information and resolving
legal challenges. Further, Jordan regularly partners with businesses
to establish compliance through the voluntary disclosure process and strategic planning. Prior
to joining the firm, Jordan was a partner in the SALT
Group at HMB Legal Counsel. A sought-after lecturer and author on
multi state tax issues, controversies and planning, Jordan is very active in the
SALT community as a frequent staple to many major SALT
institutions’ conferences and publications. Jordan is listed in the 2022
and 2023 editions of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for
Business as a leading lawyer in Tax Controversy. He was recognized
in The Best Lawyers in America® in 2023 and 2024. Jordan
was recognized as an Illinois "Super Lawyer" for Tax Law
by Super Lawyers magazine. He was named a "Leading
Lawyer" in 2024 for Business Tax Law by Leading Lawyers
magazine.
Natalie is a founding member of Kupiec & Martin, LLC,
a law firm specializing in assisting businesses with state tax issues. Natalie
focuses on state and local planning, controversy resolution, and legislative and
regulatory matters. Prior to forming Kupiec & Martin in 2008, Natalie was a
State and Local Tax Principal with Exelon Business Services Company for five
years in Exelon's Chicago offices focusing on state tax, merger and legislative
issues. Natalie was also a State Tax Consultant with Deloitte and Arthur
Andersen. Prior to this, Natalie was an Assistant District Attorney in
Stanislaus County, California prosecuting criminal cases including conducting
numerous bench and jury trials. Natalie is the past Chair of the Chicago Bar
Association's State Tax Committee. She is a member of various committees of the
Taxpayers' Federation of Illinois. She is a member of the Chicago Tax Club and
the Illinois Chamber of Commerce Tax Institute. Natalie is a frequent speaker at
state tax conferences and the author of numerous state tax articles.Natalie
received her B.S. in Accountancy with honors from the University of Illinois in
1993 and her Juris Doctorate from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1996. Natalie
is licensed to practice in Illinois and California.
David J. Kupiec, CPA, JD David is the managing partner of Kupiec &
Martin, LLC. Prior to forming Kupiec & Martin in May 2008, David was a State
and Local Tax Manager with Exelon Business Services Company for six years in
Exelon's Chicago offices focusing on state tax, merger and legislative issues.
During the sixteen years prior to joining Exelon, David was a State Tax Manager
at Arthur Andersen LLP, Associate Counsel for the Illinois Department of Revenue
and a Regulatory Auditor for the National Futures Association. David was Chair
(2013-2014) of the Illinois State Bar Association's State and Local Tax Section
and was appointed to various positions on that Section (2005-Present) including
Vice-Chair, Associate Editor, Continuing Legal Education Coordinator and was
elected to the ISBA’s General Assembly (2019 – Present). David was appointed
Chair of the Illinois Taxpayers' Federation Income Tax Committee (2006-2011) and
to the TFI Board (2014-Present), Chair of the Illinois CPA Society State and
Local Tax Committee (2016-2018) and Member (2011- Present) and was appointed to
the Illinois Department of Revenue's Director's Advisory Group and AuditAdvisory
Group (Director Hamer: 2002-2015; Director Beard: 2015 – 2018; Director Harris:
2019 – Present). He is also a frequent speaker at state tax conferences at both
local and national venues and the author of numerous state tax articles.
David received his B.B.A. from Loyola University of Chicago and his Juris
Doctorate from Chicago-Kent College of Law. David is a registered Certified
Public Accountant, a member of the Illinois Bar and an Illinois lobbyist. David
is also an Adjunct Business Law Instructor at Loyola University Chicago Quinlan
School of Business (2015-Present), President of Loyola University of Chicago's
National Alumni Advisory Board (2018-2023) and on the Executive Committee of
Loyola’s LUCAA Board (2023 – Present).
David Blum is a partner with Akerman LLP and serves as
Deputy Chair of its National Tax Practice Group. David is a Fellow of the
American College of Tax Counsel, and is ranked for Tax and Tax Controversy in
Chambers USA, Legal 500 and Best Lawyers in America. David provides
transactional, tax planning, and tax litigation counsel to local and
multinational businesses throughout the United States. His practice serves a
variety of sectors, including technology, communications, automotive retail,
equipment leasing, financial services, senior care, logistics, hospitality, and
retail, among others. A former state tax auditor, David has years of experience
representing U.S. and multinational companies before the Internal Revenue
Service and State and Local Taxing Agencies throughout the country in
administrative and judicial actions.