2025 Louisiana Tax Conference - Both Days - Live In Person

Robert Angelico, Shareholder, Liskow & Lewis

Bob Angelico is a nationally-known tax lawyer at Liskow & Lewis with years of experience helping top-tier companies with sophisticated state and local tax issues throughout Louisiana. As the head of the firm’s tax practice group, Bob works to minimize the taxes of his clients, which include manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, non-profits, construction businesses and other entities of all types and sizes. 

Clients frequently rely on Bob to represent them in state and local tax audits and administrative appeals as alternatives to the court system. Bob works extensively with the Louisiana Department of Revenue, Louisiana Tax Commission, Louisiana Board of Tax Appeals and local taxing authorities around the state. In addition, he represents clients involved in state tax litigation, and parish and local tax litigation, at both the trial and appellate court levels. 

Bob’s training and credentials set him apart. He is a Board Certified Tax Specialist – as certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization – and a licensed Certified Public Accountant. Bob is immediate past president and managing partner of Liskow & Lewis.

S. Brooke Bernal, Long Law Firm, LLP

Brooke Bernal serves on the adjunct faculty of the LSU Law Center and teaches a course in trial advocacy and evidence.

Since joining the firm, Brooke's clients have included accountants, architects, engineers, surveyors, attorneys, small business owners, government agencies and condominium associations.  She frequently represents accountants in the accountant review panel process, which is unique to Louisiana. Brooke was named as a "Rising Star" by Louisiana Super Lawyers in 2015 and 2016. She is also fluent in Spanish.Brooke is a frequent speaker on various topics and legal issues and is the co-author of:

• "Ins and Outs of Rule 19 - How it Works and What you Need to Know" (LSU Law Center CLE, October 2009);
• "Construction Legislation 2010 Indemnity Clauses in Construction Contracts" (BRBA Construction Law CLE Seminar, March 2011);
• "ESI: Electronically Stored Information - Securing, Safeguarding, Submitting and Screwups (Spoliation)" (LSBA Uncorked: A CLE Adventure in California's Wine Country, March 2014);
• Social Media: The issues for the Practicing Lawyer (BRBA Bench Bar Conference, Point Clear, AL, July 2018);
• Navigating the Employment Maze (Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants' Winter Cluster, November 2015);
• Discovery, Authentication And Admissibility Of Social Media Evidence (BRBA Bench Bar Conference, July 2016, Attorney General's Annual CLE Seminar, September 2016, and Louisiana Workers' Compensation Educational Conference, February 2017);
• How to Avoid Malpractice Lawsuits: Survival Techniques and Red Flags (LSU Fraud and Forensic Accounting Conference, July 2016);
• Latest Trends in Employment-Related Dilemmas: Do's and Don'ts for Employers (Louisiana Society of Certified Public Accountants Conference, November 2016);
• Accounting Malpractice Lawsuits: Survival Techniques and Red Flags (Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants Winter Cluster, November 2017 and December 2018);
• "A Lawyer's Guide to Emojis - What You Need to Know" (LSBA - New York, New York, Multi-Topic CLE, November 2019).

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Jeffrey Birdsong, Associate, Jones Walker LLP

Jeff Birdsong is an associate in the firm’s New Orleans office, practicing in the areas of nonprofit law and federal, state, and local taxation.

Jeff helps individuals and companies analyze tax consequences for an array of transactions and works to resolve individual and corporate income tax, franchise tax, property tax, and sales tax disputes.  

He also counsels nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations in obtaining tax exemptions, structuring internal governance, and planning related to intermediate sanctions and unrelated business income.

Jeff earned his Juris Doctor from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University where he graduated cum laude. He attended NYU School of Law where he completed their Graduate Tax Program.

J Gautreau, Cost Segregation Initiatives

Curt is President of Cost Segregation Initiatives and a Certified Member of the American Society of Cost Segregation Professionals, CCSP. He has been involved in the consultation with CPAs and or directly with real estate owners and developers on a national basis for the benefits and implementation of Cost Segregation and the surrounding taxation issues for the past 20 years. He is a national educator and speaker on Real Estate Taxation, Depreciation, Accounting Method Changes, Passive Losses and Capitalization Rules. Curt previously served as the National Chair of the Technical Standards Committee of the American Society of Cost Segregation Professionals. Prior to forming Cost Segregation Initiatives, Curt formed and built a very successful tax practice limited to emerging businesses in selected industries. The practice was focused on Real Estate Developers, Real Estate Management Firms, and Real Estate Investors.

Justin Headley, Warren Averett

Justin Headley joined Warren Averett in 2016 and is a Senior Manager in the firm’s Risk Advisory & Assurance Services Group. He has over a decade of combined experience in public accounting and industry. With a robust background in technology, cybersecurity and risk management, his experience helps business leaders by providing tailored risk management solutions that align with business objectives and regulatory requirements. Justin excels in providing his clients with comprehensive technology and cyber risk assessments, SOC 1 and SOC 2 reports and business process reviews. He also assists his clients with navigating a complex regulatory environment by providing IT internal audit outsourcing and IT control testing for Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. In addition to his professional services, Justin is a published author and a speaker on a variety of technology topics. His insights and thought leadership in the field continue to drive his success in an ever-evolving environment.

Robert Keller, KPMG, LLP

Rob is a Partner in KPMG’s Washington National Tax Practice. Rob focuses on tax planning for closely held businesses and their owners. Rob is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. He is a frequent lecturer on the taxation of partnerships, S-corporations, and individuals. Rob is the past Chair of the AICPA’s national S-corporation TRP. Rob received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame, his law degree from Loyola University and his LL.M. from Georgetown University.

Raymond Ladouceur, Raymond P Ladouceur, CPA, LLC

Raymond P. Ladouceur has been a licensed certified public accountant in Louisiana since 1979.  His firm, Raymond P. Ladouceur, CPA, LLC is located in beautiful Abita Springs, Louisiana.  He services clients located throughout the United States by providing tax compliance and planning.  As a lawyer, he can offer his clients a stronger degree of client confidentiality regarding their tax matters.  He prepares individual, partnership, trust, estate, and  corporation returns on both the federal and state level. 

Brandon Lagarde, EAG Gulf Coast, LLC

Brandon Lagarde is a Partner in the firm's Tax Services Group. Brandon concentrates his practice on tax planning and consulting for federal and state income taxes. Brandon works with clients of all sizes in a variety of industries and assists those businesses with navigating the tax complexities of today's highly regulated environment.
Brandon has extensive experience assisting clients with tax issues associated with the CARES Act, Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (aka "Federal Tax Reform") Louisiana income and sales taxation, tax planning for closely-held business, trusts and estates, multi-state planning and compliance, and mergers and acquisitions.
Prior to joining the firm, Brandon was a Director at Postlethwaite & Netterville (P&N), a leading full-service accounting and business advisory firm. Before this, Brandon practiced tax law at a national law firm. 
Brandon is a member of the AICPA (Tax Section), where he serves as the Chair of the Tax Practice Management Committee and Vice-Chair of the National Tax Conference Planning Committee, the LCPA, where he serves on the State and Local Tax Committee, as a member of the Legislative Committee , and as a member of the Baton Rouge Chapter of the LCPA, American Bar Association (Tax Section) and Louisiana Bar Association (Tax Section). Brandon graduated from Leadership Greater Baton Rouge, a year-long leadership program of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC), and was named to the Baton Rouge Business Report's Top 40 under 40.
Furthermore, Brandon is a frequent speaker on a variety of tax topics, including CARES Act, Federal Tax Reform, Louisiana taxes, and income and estate tax planning for closely held businesses and high-net worth individuals. 

Melanie Lauridsen, AICPA-CIMA

Melanie Lauridsen represents the Association’s interests in legislative and regulatory based tax advocacy efforts. In this role, she leads and implements strategic initiatives around technical and policy recommendations for improvement of the federal tax process. She is a principal liaison for the Association with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Treasury Department. Lauridsen joined the organization in 2011 as a Manager of Tax Policy & Advocacy and managed the AICPA’s IRS Advocacy Relations Committee for 10 years. She previously served as Director, Tax Practice & Ethics

Richard Nelson, Louisiana Department of Revenue

Secretary Richard Nelson grew up in Mandeville, where he was an Eagle Scout and valedictorian of Mandeville High. He graduated in the top of his class in both Biological Engineering and Law at LSU. Richard served for seven years in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State, living in Washington, D.C., Germany, and the Former Soviet Republic of Georgia. 

As a State Department Officer, engineer, and diplomat, he managed projects and programs protecting American embassies around the world from terrorism and espionage. His time in the Foreign Service was not without adventure. Richard was shot at with rocket propelled grenades in Afghanistan, served in Libya with Ambassador Christopher Stevens shortly before he was killed in Benghazi, and was struck by lightning in Switzerland. 

In 2017, he left the Foreign Service to take an executive position in the private sector and moved his family back home to Mandeville. Nelson was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2019. During his four-year term, he championed issues from improving elementary school literacy to a comprehensive restructuring of Louisiana’s tax code. After suspending his own campaign for Governor, Nelson was appointed by newly-elected Governor Jeff Landry as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue, where he is spearheading efforts to reform Louisiana’s broken tax code. 

Secretary Nelson and his wife Ashley live in Mandeville with their three boys, Michael, 10, Arthur, 8, and Jack, 5.

Gina Rachel, Partner, EAG Gulf Coast, LLC

Gina Rachel, CPA, is a Partner in the EisnerAmper Tax Services Group. She has over 25 years of public accounting experience.

Gina offers extensive knowledge in the field of taxation, including preparation and review of individual, corporate, partnership, trust, non-profit, estate, and gift tax returns.

Furthermore, her experience extends to such industries as tourism (including restaurants, hotels and related services), real estate, and professional services (including physicians, attorneys, and consultants). She works with businesses and related individuals, assisting them with tax planning and consulting. She also has experience representing clients before the IRS, Louisiana Department of Revenue (LDR) and parish agencies.

In addition to her focus on client service, Gina is active in the accounting profession. She is a past Chair of the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants (LCPA), Past President of the New Orleans Chapter of the LCPA, and is involved in various LCPA Committees.

Carl Servat III, Lukinovich, APLC

Carl J. Servat III is an attorney with Lukinovich, APLC where he has practiced law since 2002. Carl is a Board Certified Tax Specialist and a Board Certified Estate Planning & Administration Specialist, certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization. Carl advises clients on the preparation of wills, trusts, marital agreements and powers of attorney as well as the structure and implementation of multi-generational wealth transfer plans that efficiently utilize available Estate, Gift and GST tax exemptions for closely-held business owners and their families. Carl’s practice also includes advice to executors in complex succession cases and counsel to closely held businesses for planning and structure of sales, acquisitions, buy-sell agreements and general business matters.

Carl received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance from Loyola University in 1998. He also received his Juris Doctorate degree from the Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 2001 and an LL.M. degree in taxation from Boston University in 2002.

Carl has served on advisory councils at Jesuit High School, Loyola University, Louisiana State University and the Catholic Foundation of New Orleans. He also chaired the Jesuit High School Living Endowment Fund in 2008 and served as the President of the Alumni Association at Jesuit High School in 2009.

Hale Sheppard, Eversheds Sutherland

Hale is a Partner in the Tax Controversy & Litigation Section of Eversheds Sutherland. He defends clients during tax audits, tax appeals, and tax litigation, involving both domestic and international issues.

Hale has participated in over 200 tax cases before the Tax Court, Courts of Appeal, District Courts, and various state tax tribunals. In addition to resolving issues through tax litigation, Hale has obtained dozens of favorable Private Letter Rulings for clients from the IRS National Office.

Hale holds five college degrees. At the University of Kansas, he earned a B.S., with distinction, M.A., with honors, and J.D. He later received an LL.M. degree in international law, with highest distinction, from the Universidad de Chile in South America. Finally, he obtained an LL.M. degree in tax from the University of Florida, where he was a graduate tax scholar.

During his studies, Hale received several awards for academic excellence, including the prestigious Harry S. Truman Foundation Scholarship, Janice Dawson Quinn Tax Scholarship, Tinker Foundation Scholarship, and Senator James B. Pearson International Fellowship. Hale also served as a graduate editor of the Florida Tax Review and member of the Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy. Chambers USA, Legal 500, Best Lawyers in America and other groups have recognized Hale as a leader in tax litigation for many years. He has also been inducted into the American College of Tax Counsel.

Hale is proud to be ranked among the most active tax writers in the country. He has published nearly 300 major articles in top tax journals, including Journal of Taxation, International Tax Journal, Tax Adviser, Journal of International Taxation, Journal of Tax Practice and Procedure, Taxes Magazine, Journal of Corporate Taxation, Practical Tax Lawyer, Journal of Passthrough Entities, Tax Management International Journal, Journal of Multistate Tax & Incentives, Tax Notes Federal, Taxation of Exempts, Practical Tax Strategies, Corporate Business Taxation, Trust and Estates Journal, Journal of Taxation of Financial Products, Real Estate Taxation, and others. He has also published major articles in more than 20 university law reviews, both in the United States and abroad. Thanks to his writing, Hale has been cited as an expert in dozens of articles and books, as well as in legal briefs submitted to various District Courts, Courts of Appeal, and even the U.S. Supreme Court.

Hale has held leadership positions in many professional and civic organizations, including: (i) Journal of Taxation, Editorial Board Member, (ii) IRS Practitioner Liaison Committee, state bar representative, (iii) Journal of Tax Practice & Procedure, Editorial Board Member, (iv) Georgia Bar Tax Section, President, (v) Georgia Bar Journal, Editorial Board Member, (vi) GSU Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, Advisory Committee Member, and (vii) Atlanta Bar Tax Section Board Member.

Hale is admitted to litigate before the Tax Court and elsewhere, and he is a member of the state bars in Florida, Texas, Georgia, and Washington, DC.

Shannon Talamo, Long Law Firm, LLP

Before joining Long Law Firm, Shannon provided creative services and video production for companies, non-profits, and professional organizations across the country as founder and director of AWT Productions, LLC. Through his Shannon Talamo Films brand, he cultivated a loyal following of clients that sought him out for his event filmmaking prowess and social media reach. He is excited about bringing his unique and engaging approach to professional service to his litigation practice.

Michael Villa Jr., Meadows, Collier, Reed, Cousins, Crouch & Ungerman, LLP

Mike was named a Texas Super Lawyer in Texas Monthly and Texas Super Lawyer Magazines in 2013-2020 . In 2010-2013, he was named a Texas Rising Star. Mike focuses on resolving federal tax controversies and white collar crime, including securities, tax and bank fraud. He represents individuals, closely-held businesses, and large corporations in IRS audits, appeals, and litigation, as well as in business disputes and lawsuits involving fraud, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, deceptive trade practices act violations, non-compete violations, business torts, and other commercial disputes.
Prior to joining the firm in 2007, Mike worked in Washington, D.C. as a Congressional intern to U.S. Senator John Breaux (Retired) and worked as an Associate with a regional law firm in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 2004-2005, he served as a Judicial Clerk to the Honorable James J. Brady, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Louisiana.
Mike was admitted to practice in Texas in 2005 and in Louisiana in 2004.