Robert Hanson

Rob Hanson is Ernst & Young’s Global Director of Tax Controversy. Located in Washington, DC, Rob has extensive experience in the tax controversy area, and he also provides strategic advice on regulatory and legislative matters. Prior to joining Ernst & Young, Rob served as the Tax Legislative Counsel in the Office of Tax Policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. As Tax Legislative Counsel, Rob was the chief legal advisor to the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (Tax Policy) on all the Administration's domestic tax legislative and regulatory initiatives. In that capacity, Rob was responsible for reviewing and approving all rulings and regulations published by the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service in the areas of corporate, financial products, partnerships, S corporations, exempt organizations and bonds, trusts and estates, and individual taxes. In addition, Rob assisted the Congressional tax staffs, including the Joint Committee on Taxation staff, in drafting legislative language and preparing Committee Reports.

Prior to joining the Treasury Department, Rob was a partner in the Washington, DC law firm of Ivins, Phillips & Barker, Chtd, where his practice covered transactional business planning and restructuring, legislative and regulatory lobbying, representing clients administratively before the Internal Revenue Service, and litigating a broad range of tax issues. Rob also previously served as Tax Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, where he advised the Committee on a broad range of substantive tax policy issues. During his tenure, specific legislative work included advising and formulating strategy for the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (1993), and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (1994).

Rob is a frequent lecturer on legislative and regulatory tax policy issues. He previously served as Vice-Chair of the Formation of Tax Policy Committee, American Bar Association Tax Section, and also was previously an Adjunct Professor of Law at The Georgetown University Law Center in the LL.M. program. Rob co-authored a treatise on the tax legislation that was enacted in the fall of 2004 entitled “American Jobs Creation Act of 2004: A Selective Analysis,” which was published by Warren, Gorham & Lamont, a division of RIA. Rob received a J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif. He also received a B.S., with highest distinction, from Indiana University – Bloomington.