ABA Tax Section Selects New Chair

[2] Shaw took office Aug. 12 at the close of the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco. At the same time, Kenneth Gideon, a tax partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, was named chair-elect.

[3] Shaw, who most recently served as chair-elect of the Section of Taxation, will lead the organization through August 2004, when Gideon will succeed him. Shaw assumes the Tax Section's top post after holding a variety of leadership positions within the organization, including three years as the section's vice-chair of professional services and three years on the section's governing council.

[4] Shaw practices law in San Diego with an emphasis on business and tax planning, estate planning and tax controversy. He earned his law degree from the University of Oregon in 1962 and has a Masters in Taxation Law from New York University. He is currently a distinguished adjunct law professor at the University of San Diego Law School, where he is an editor of the Business Entity Journal. Early in his career, Shaw served as a captain in the office of the Army Judge Advocate General in the Pentagon.

[5] In addition to his service with the ABA, Shaw has served as chair of the California State Bar Tax Section, the Western Region Tax Bar, and the San Diego County Bar Business Section. He also chairs the American Bar Retirement Association, is a regent of the American College of Tax Counsel, and serves on the advisory board of the NYU Tax Institute.

[6] Gideon was formerly vice-chair of the Section of Taxation's government relations committee and served three years on the section's governing council. He is currently a regent of the American College of Tax Counsel. During his legal career, Gideon served as assistant secretary of the Treasury for tax policy (1989-1992) and chief counsel for the Internal Revenue Service (1981-1983). He earned his law degree from Yale University in 1971.

[7] The Section of Taxation has approximately 20,000 lawyer members nationwide. Its public service goals include helping taxpayers to better understand their rights and obligations under the tax laws, and working to make the tax system fairer, simpler and easier to administer.

[8] The American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world. With more than 410,000 members, the ABA provides law school accreditation, continuing legal education, information about the law, programs to assist lawyers and judges in their work, and initiatives to improve the legal system for the public.