Joan C. Arnold

Career

Joan is a widely recognized authority on federal and international income tax and chair of the firm’s Tax & Benefits Practice Group. She has extensive experience helping clients navigate the tax aspects of their domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, stock offerings, and other corporate finance matters. Joan regularly advises on corporate and partnership taxation, corporate and private investment fund formation, and tax planning. She is particularly experienced in tax issues related to private equity fund structures and transactions.

Joan is an integral member of the firm’s corporate, life sciences, and private equity deal teams, and has structured the tax aspects of hundreds of domestic and cross-border transactions.

Joan is a well-known leader of the tax bar and longtime educator. For more than 30 years, she has taught corporate and international tax for graduate tax programs at several law schools throughout the U.S. and frequently presents at international tax conferences. Joan is past chair of the Section of Taxation of the American Bar Association, past president of the American College of Tax Counsel, and is a member of the advisory committee for the George Washington/IRS International Tax Institute. She is also a past member of the executive committee of the U.S. Branch of the International Fiscal Association.

Professional Memberships

Pro bono counsel to ACTC

Chair (2020-2021), chair-elect (2019-2020), vice chair (2016-2018), council director for international committees (2010-2014); prior activities: chair, Committee on US Activities of Foreign Persons and Tax Treaties; chair, US-European Tax Planning Strategies Conference (four years), Tax Section of the American Bar Association

Fellow (Regent 2009-2012; secretary/treasurer 2012-2013; vice president 2013-2014; president 2015-2016), American College of Tax Counsel, member, (1999-present)

Vice president; member, Executive Committee, USA Branch of the International Fiscal Association

Member, Executive Committee, George Washington/IRS Annual International Tax Institute

Past president, Philadelphia Tax Conference

Member, Law360 Tax Authority International Advisory Board

Publications

Author of the IFA-USA report “Is There a Permanent Establishment?"