2024 Tax Bar and Tax Policy Conference

MARGIE ROLLINSON
Chief Counsel
Internal Revenue Service

Margie Rollinson is the 49th IRS Chief Counsel and the first woman to be nominated and confirmed to this position; and, also serves as Assistant General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Treasury.

Margie began her career at Ernst & Young as a senior tax consultant in 1987, was promoted to partner in 1997 and spent the bulk of her time in the National Tax Department, eventually as the D.C. Leader of the International Tax Services Group. Margie’s extensive career and leadership experience led her to the IRS, Office of Chief Counsel, where she initially served as the Deputy Associate Chief Counsel (International), (2013 – 2016); and subsequently, the Associate Chief Counsel (International) where she provided guidance to the IRS, Treasury, and the Department of Justice on international tax issues (2016 – 2019). Margie later returned to Ernest & Young, LLP, where she served as the Deputy Director National Tax Department (NTD), overseeing the financial and technical performance of over 500 tax professionals while also engaging in significant client work, particularly in the international tax arena; and led the Diversity Equity and Inclusion efforts for NTD (2019 – 2022).

Margie earned her J.D. with honors, from the University of Maryland School of Law, and her B.A. from Wellesley College. 

Ben Miller Award

RICHARD J. AYOOB is a partner in the Glendale, California law firm of Ajalat, Polley, Ayoob, Matarese & Broege which limits its practice to matters involving state and local taxation.  Mr. Ayoob received his B.S. degree from the University of Southern California, and his J.D. degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.  He has served as Chairman of the State and Local Tax Committees of the Taxation Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and of the Taxation Section of the California State Bar, and as a member of the State Bar Taxation Section Executive Committee.  Mr. Ayoob served on the Board of Governors of the Institute for Professionals in Taxation, has appeared at numerous of the Institute’s symposia and its Annual Conference, and has received the Institute’s Distinguished Service Award.

In addition to publishing many articles and being a speaker on matters relating to state and local taxes, Mr. Ayoob has authored a chapter on California state and local taxes for the Matthew Bender treatise, entitled California Closely Held Corporations., He has taught a course on state and local taxes in the Masters of Taxation program at the University of Southern California.  Mr. Ayoob has also served under special appointment to advisory groups for the California State Board of Equalization and the California Franchise Tax Board.

Richard has participated in a number of charitable activities including the Board of Directors, Glendale Education Foundation (2004-2010), Member, Notre Dame High School Board of Directors (1992-98), and the St. Francis High School Board of Directors (2013 – current).

Additionally, he has served in numerous capacities on the national, regional, and local level of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, Those positions include:  Board of Directors, St. Nicholas Orthodox Christian Cathedral of Los Angeles 1981-89; 1991-94 (Vice-Chair 1986-88, Secretary 1982-85, 1988-89). President, Western Region Society of Orthodox Youth, Organizations 1978-80, Treasurer, North American Council of the Society of Orthodox Youth Organizations 1980-82, Council on Missions and Evangelism, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, 1999-2004, and the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese Board of Trustees, 2015-current.

Joanne M. Garvey Award

Ellen Aprill is Senior Scholar in Residence at the Lowell Milken Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofits.  She is also John E. Anderson Professor Emerita at LMU Loyola Law School.  Among other affiliations, Aprill is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, a member of the American Law Institute, the board of the American Tax Policy Institute, a member of the Executive Committee of the USC Federal Tax Institute, and a member of the Faculty Advisory Board of the Tannenwald Foundation for Excellence in Tax Scholarship. She formerly served as Vice Chair of the ABA Section of Taxation, Chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Tax Section, a member of the Board of Advisors of New York University National Center on Philanthropy and Law, and an advisor on the American Law Institute Restatement of the Law, Charitable Nonprofit Organizations. Aprill co-founded the annual Western Conference on Tax-Exempt Organizations, now in its 27th year.

Aprill was recently awarded the Vanguard Award for lifetime achievement in nonprofit law from the Nonprofit Organizations Committee of the ABA’s Business Law Section. She previously received the Dana Latham Award for outstanding contribution to the community and the legal profession from the Taxation Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. The Loyola Law Review is publishing a festschrift in honor of her career upon the occasion of her retirement.

Aprill’s articles have appeared in Duke Law Journal, Fordham Law Review, and Boston College Law Review, among many others. She is a frequent speaker on issues related to nonprofit organizations and other matters of tax policy. She is also frequently quoted on these topics in the media, including the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and Politico.

Aprill has taught several courses in the nonprofit field, as well as courses on federal income tax, federal estate and gift tax, and trusts and wills. Aprill was Associate Dean for Academic Programs at Loyola Law School from 2005 to 2009 and the founding co-director of the school’s tax LL.M. Program. Prior to joining Loyola Law School, she served in the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Policy and worked for several years as a lawyer at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP.  

Professor Aprill received her B.A. with High Honors and Distinction and her J.D. from Georgetown University magna cum laude. Following law school, she served as a law clerk for the Honorable John D. Butzner for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and for Byron R. White, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.  She is a member of the Bar of the State of California.

V. Judson Klein Award

Lorraine Y. Yu is the Deputy Area Counsel (Criminal Tax) for the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, Criminal Tax, Area 6.  As Deputy Area Counsel, Ms. Yu assists the Area Counsel (Criminal Tax) and supervises attorneys who provide legal advice to IRS Criminal Investigation’s Los Angeles, Oakland, and Seattle Field Offices.  Prior to becoming Deputy Area Counsel and beginning in 2005, Ms. Yu worked as a Criminal Tax Attorney, providing advice to IRS Criminal Investigation’s Los Angeles Field Office.  Ms. Yu joined the IRS Office of Chief Counsel in 1999 in the SB/SE division, where she litigated tax cases before the United States Tax Court and counseled the IRS in all aspects of tax administration and collection.  Ms. Yu received a Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA and Juris Doctor degree from the UCLA School of Law. 

Ms. Yu joined the Executive Committee of the California Lawyers Association (CLA) Tax Section in 2017.  As a member of the Executive Committee, Ms. Yu served as a Co-Chair of Standing Committee Outreach and Development in 2018 and 2019 and Co-Chair of the Tax Section Annual Meeting and Tax Policy Conference in 2020.  In 2021, Ms. Yu became an Advisor to the Executive Committee and continues to serve in that role.