“I have been practising in this area for decades, and each time an amendment is made I have to refocus in order to ensure that I find opportunities for clients within the legislation.”
Jack Bernstein, Senior Tax Partner, Chair International Tax Practice, Aird & Berlis LLP, is being honoured this year with the OBA Award for Excellence in Taxation Law for his outstanding leadership and contributions to the field of tax law. Find out what inspires him and how he is making a difference in his area of practice.
- Who or what inspires you most in your career?
I was inspired to specialize in tax law after the professor of my law school tax course, a well-known tax practitioner, asked me to join his boutique tax firm. It is a result of this experience that I developed a passion for the practice of tax law that has stayed with me throughout my career.
- What does a ‘good day’, or success, look like for you in your work?
Success is being able to make a client happy by accomplishing their objectives through effective tax planning. I appreciate when a client comes to me with a problem that no one else has been able to solve or a new and interesting file that allows me to apply my expertise, experience and creative thinking to meet their needs. I also enjoy helping my colleagues to advance their practices. Ultimately, I love helping people, whether they are my clients or my peers, so a day where I have been able to do so is a ‘good day’.
- What challenges or motivates you most about your particular area of practice?
As an area of legal practice where the laws change all the time, practising tax is never boring. I have been practising in this area for decades, and each time an amendment is made I have to refocus in order to ensure that I find opportunities for clients within the legislation. My involvement in several international and Canadian tax organizations and authoring over 1000 articles has allowed me to stay current and to share my knowledge with fellow practitioners. I have successfully chaired and organized the annual IBA Finance and Capital Markets Tax Conference in London since 2011, as well as served as governor of the Canadian Tax Foundation, chair of the American Bar Association foreign lawyers forum, global co-chair of the International Bar Association taxation committee, and council member of the International Fiscal Association (Canadian branch). I am also a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP Canada) and the OBA, as well as a co-editor of a book on cryptocurrency, which will be published by Wolters Kluwer.
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