AI in Tax Practice: Practical Workflows from Tax Research to Tax Court

Adam Hofmann serves as Deputy Judicial Appointments Secretary in the Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom, where he works alongside Judicial Appointments Secretary Luis Céspedes to vet candidates, manage the application process, and lead judicial mentorship outreach across the state. Prior to joining the Governor’s office, he built a distinguished appellate law career as a partner and co-chair of the appellate practice at Hanson Bridgett, arguing cases before the Ninth Circuit and state appellate courts as a State Bar of California Certified Appellate Specialist, and chaired the State Bar’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluations (JNE). A dedicated advocate for judicial diversity, Hofmann regularly speaks at bar association events statewide to demystify the judicial application process and encourage a broad range of attorneys to pursue careers on the bench.

Tanyee (Tan) Cheung is a Partner at Finn Dixon & Herling LLP, where she represents borrowers, agents, and lenders across all levels of commercial financings, with a particular focus on leveraged finance transactions supporting middle-market to large-cap private equity acquisitions. With over thirty years of in-house and firm experience, she brings deep business acumen and practical, client-centered solutions to complex debt finance matters, including her role as chair of the firm’s Debt Finance practice and a member of its Management Committee. Beyond her transactional work, Tan is a recognized advocate for wellbeing and mindfulness in the legal profession, serving as chair of both the Finn Dixon & Herling and Connecticut Bar Association Wellbeing Committees, and was honored with the Ladder Award at Pathways to Leadership for Women Lawyers in 2023.

Max Kirkham is a Coordinator in Business Affairs at The Walt Disney Company, where he supports the legal and business operations of 20th Television. He brings a strong foundation in entertainment law, having honed his expertise through law clerk roles at prominent entertainment, technology, and media law firms and studios. Prior to his legal career, Max spent several years working across various aspects of television production and has been an active civic leader in Los Angeles, serving in elected and appointed roles on neighborhood councils.

Clara is a lawyer, who has worked to advance climate solutions across policy, communications and grassroots campaigns for over a decade. She has been a leader in the movement calling for divestment from fossil fuels and investment in climate solutions. At Public Citizen, Clara works at the intersection of climate and financial, as well as projects on climate survivor advocacy, fossil fuel accountability and slowing AI data center expansion until reasonable safeguards to protect communities, air and water can be established.

Wendy Musell is the founder of the Law Offices of Wendy Musell PC. Wendy Musell has dedicated her career since 1999 to holding employers accountable for civil rights violations, representing employees in matters ranging from wage theft and discrimination to whistleblower actions, with particular expertise in cases involving federal and public sector employees. A nationally recognized leader in employment law, she has earned honors including the Daily Journal’s Top 75 Labor and Employment Lawyers in California, Top 100 Women Attorneys in California by Northern California Super Lawyer Magazine, and membership in the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation — a distinction limited to one percent of licensed attorneys. She also serves as a past President of the California Employment Lawyers Association and has been recognized for her legislative advocacy, pro bono work, and commitment to advancing workers’ rights across the state and nation.

Katie Mola is Deputy General Counsel at PRISM, where she leads the Employment Practices Legal Advice Service. She is a trusted advisor to California public agencies on reasonable accommodations, leaves of absence, performance management, and compliance-driven policy development. Before joining PRISM, Katie served in senior legal roles at the California State Auditor and CalPERS.

Katie has served on the Executive Committee of the California Lawyers Association’s Labor & Employment Section since 2021. She is currently the Section’s Secretary and co-Editor in Chief of the Law Review, and past chair of the Education and Public Sector Conference committees. She is also a named author of the section’s California Public Sector Employment Law publication.

Noah D. Lebowitz brings nearly three decades of exclusive focus on employment law to his work as a mediator at Signature Resolution, with a career that spans plaintiff-side litigation, arbitration, and nine years as a Judge Pro Tem for the San Francisco Superior Court. He co-founded Duckworth Peters Lebowitz Olivier, LLP, and has served as an Adjunct Professor at UC Law San Francisco, an AAA arbitrator, and a court-appointed discovery referee, earning recognition as a Northern California Super Lawyer since 2009 and a Fellowship in The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Known for his direct, patient, and candid style, Noah draws on his deep understanding of the legal, emotional, and practical dimensions of workplace conflict to guide parties toward resolutions that are both practical and durable.

Hon. Susan L. Greenberg (Ret.) brings over four decades of Bay Area legal experience to Signature Resolution, including 26 years on the San Mateo County Superior Court bench where she held supervising assignments across Family Law, Civil, and Probate courts and guided the court through the COVID-19 pandemic as Criminal Presiding Judge. Before the bench, she served as a Deputy District Attorney and ran a private civil practice spanning personal injury, family law, real estate, and probate matters. Judge Greenberg is known for her tenacious pursuit of resolution, her candor about litigation risk, and her ability to uncover the true drivers of a dispute — qualities that consistently produce settlements where others have fallen short.

Melissa Hague has long been an advocate for the rights of underrepresented groups and those harmed by institutionalized abuse. From representing women who have been taken advantage of by pharmaceutical and medical device giants to children who were abused as a result of institutional negligence and neglect, she has passionately fought to get justice for survivors who suffer from the permanent effects of trauma. Melissa takes a zealous trauma informed approach with each sexual assault client while fiercely standing up for them against their perpetrators. Melissa is passionate about changing the culture of sexual violence and giving survivors a voice in a safe and secure environment. Her number one priority for each client is that civil justice is part of the healing process and affords each survivor with the ability to take back control and regain their Voice.

Melissa has developed a reputation as a sensitive, compassionate and fearless advocate. Her tenacity for defending assault victims along with her knowledge of the civil court system has allowed her to obtain justice for her clients. While empathetic to her clients and the trauma they have experienced, she is not afraid to stand up to powerful defendants who thrive on intimidation tactics.

Amy Lucas is a seasoned litigator and trial lawyer at O’Melveny & Myers whose practice spans contract, copyright, trademark, right-of-publicity, First Amendment, and other commercial disputes, as well as mass tort and product liability matters, class actions, and emerging risks involving generative AI and intellectual property. She has represented some of the world’s most influential companies across the entertainment, media, sports, technology, pharmaceutical, and consumer products sectors, earning recognition for high-stakes courtroom victories including a complete defense verdict in a California opioid trial involving claims exceeding $50 billion, named the #1 Most Impressive Defense Verdict of 2021 by Courtroom View Network. Amy also maintains an active pro bono practice, having represented clients in federal and state criminal trials, civil litigation, and appeals through the U.S. Supreme Court.