Joe joined the state and local tax practice of Sullivan in 2006 after having spent three years as Deputy General Counsel of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, where he was responsible for working with the General Counsel to manage the Department’s Legal Division – the group responsible for developing public written statements of departmental policy, litigating tax cases in the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board and drafting and providing comments on proposed tax legislation. From 1984 to 2003, Joe held various positions in the state tax consulting practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and its predecessor firm Coopers & Lybrand, including leader of its Northeast Region state tax practice.
Joe is the author of the Massachusetts Sales and Use Tax Manual and co-author, with J. Gary Dean, of the BNA Multistate Tax Portfolio on Formulary Apportionment Methods. He has been an adjunct faculty member in tax programs at Suffolk University, Northeastern University and New York University. In April of 2007, Joe was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick to a special commission charged with studying Massachusetts corporate taxation. He earned his undergraduate degree in philosophy from Cornell University and also holds a J.D., with honors, from the University of Michigan Law School.
Bar & Court Admissions
- Massachusetts
Education
- J.D., with honors, University of Michigan Law School
- A.B., Cornell University
Community Engagement
- Board of Trustees, New England State and Local Tax Forum
- Board of Trustees and Tax Thought Leadership Group, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation
- Taxation Committee, Associated Industries of Massachusetts
- Member, Independent SALT Allianc
Languages
- Russian
Awards & Honors
- Best Lawyers' Boston Litigation & Controversy - Tax Lawyer of the Year (2021)
- Best Lawyers in America® (2011-2021)
- The Legal 500 U.S. (2019)
- Chambers USA, Ranked in Tax (Massachusetts) (2014, 2015)
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers (2006, 2007, 2011-2018)
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February 6, 2020
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Sullivan Press ReleaseMay 30, 2019
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Tax Notes, QuotedMay 6, 2019
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TaxNotesApril 15, 2019
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TaxNotes, QuotedNovember 12, 2018
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TaxNotesOctober 22, 2018
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New England Super Lawyers MagazineOctober 18, 2018
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Law360July 11, 2018
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Law360June 29, 2018
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Law360, QuotedJune 20, 2018
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Client AdvisoryJune 13, 2018
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Client AdvisoryDecember 16, 2017
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Tax Notes Today, QuotedOctober 20, 2017
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New England Super Lawyers MagazineOctober 16, 2017
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State Tax Today, QuotedJune 27, 2017
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State Tax Today, QuotedJanuary 12, 2017
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Boston Business JournalApril 1, 2016
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State Tax Today, QuotedJanuary 14, 2016
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Boston Business JournalMay 8, 2015
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IPT InsiderApril 1, 2015
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State Tax Today, QuotedMarch 27, 2015
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State Tax NotesSeptember 8, 2014
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State Tax Today, QuotedJuly 11, 2014
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State Tax Today, QuotedJune 9, 2014
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State Tax Today, QuotedApril 11, 2014
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Client AdvisoryApril 9, 2014
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State Tax Today, QuotedMarch 27, 2014
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Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Business Insider, QuotedMarch 19, 2014
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InformationWeekAugust 23, 2013
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Boston Business Journal, QuotedMarch 23, 2012
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The Boston Globe, QuotedMarch 20, 2012
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Boston Business JournalMarch 2, 2012
- "What is Massachusetts Corporate Tax Basis?," State Tax Notes (April 9 2007)
- BNA Multistate Tax Portfolio on Formulary Apportionment Methods (1998)
- Refund Opportunities for Corporations Filing Consolidated Returns in Massachusetts, Journal of State Taxation, Vol. 8, No. 3 (1989)
- Massachusetts Sales and Use Tax Manual (1989)
Seminars & Presentations
- Massachusetts Tax Developments – Everything BUT Corporate
Boston Bar Association (June 18, 2019) - North Atlantic Regional State Tax Seminar
Council on State Taxation (May 9, 2019) - Best Practices in Teaming with Local Counsel
Eversheds-Sutherland State and Local Tax Symposium (March 15, 2019) - GILTI as Charged: How to Structure Successful U.S. Offshore Business Activities
Sullivan & Worcester Conference Center, Boston, MA (November 14, 2018) - Looming Constitutional Challenges: State Corporate Income Tax Conformity with the International Tax Provisions in the TCJA
Council On State Taxation (COST) (October 24, 2018) - State Tax Implications of Federal Tax Reform
Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation (September 25, 2018) - Massachusetts and National State Tax Update for 2018
Boston Bar Association (June 12, 2018) - Discussion of State Tax Cases, Issues and Policy Matters to Watch
North Atlantic Regional State Tax Seminar (May 16, 2018) - The 11th Annual Worldwide Tax Update
Sullivan & Worcester Conference Center (May 15, 2018) - The Qualified Business Income (QBI) Deduction: It Actually Makes Sense!
Sullivan & Worcester Conference Center, Boston, MA (March 28, 2018) - The 2017 Tax Act
Sullivan Conference Center, Boston, MA (January 31, 2018) - 10th Annual Worldwide Tax Update
Sullivan & Worcester Conference Center, Boston, MA (May 16, 2017) - 9th Annual Worldwide Tax Update
Sullivan & Worcester Conference Center, Boston, MA (May 17, 2016) - 2015 Year-End State Tax Update
Sheraton, Needham, MA (February 6, 2016) - Unitary Business Principle
Suffolk University Law School (November 19, 2015) - International Structures: States on the Cutting "Edge"
Boston Newton Marriott, Newton, MA (November 16, 2015) - Independent SALT Alliance Conference
Sullivan & Worcester Conference Center, Boston, MA (June 12, 2015) - 2015 American Bar Association, Section of Taxation, May Meeting
Grand Hyatt, Washington, DC (May 8, 2015) - State Taxation: Reaching Beyond the Water’s Edge
The Peabody, Memphis, TN (April 21, 2015)