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M. Katharine Davidson

Partner
Los Angeles
t: 213-896-2572

Katharine Davidson is a partner in the firm's Private Wealth Services Practice Group. Ms. Davidson has extensive experience representing high-net-worth individuals and their closely-held business interests and real property holdings in connection with income, estate and gift tax planning, wealth and business succession planning and international wealth transfer planning. She drafts complex estate plans and advises clients on buy-sell agreements, family-limited partnerships and LLCs, as well as various trusts, including personal residence trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, and charitable trusts. She also advises on the administration of trusts and estates and the operations of non-profit entities. Her practice also focuses on tax planning and structuring and related business advice, for a wide range of corporations, LLCs, partnerships, trusts and individuals in a broad range of domestic and international tax matters.

International Private Clients. Ms. Davidson's practice includes counseling foreign clients with respect to investments in the United States and the application of tax treaties, U.S. withholding obligations, compliance issues, and U.S. income tax obligations of aliens, both resident and nonresident, in the United States. She also advises U.S. companies and individuals who conduct business abroad.

Tax Controversies. She also handles tax controversy matters, representing clients in audits and appeals before the IRS and U.S. Tax Court, as well as state and local taxing authorities. Ms. Davidson clerked for The Honorable Mary Ann Cohen of the United States Tax Court.

Representing Members of the Entertainment Industry. Ms. Davidson has represented entertainers, producers and other members of the entertainment industry for 25 years in taxation, transactional and trust matters, including tax structuring for the acquisition and disposition of film libraries, tax planning for concert tours, deals with talent agencies and their principals, restructuring of entertainment companies, buyouts of former managers, and international activities of foreign and domestic entertainers, writers and other creative artists.

Professional Honors & Awards

  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Tax Law, 2006-2012
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Litigation & Controversy - Tax, 2011-2012
  • Southern California Super Lawyers magazine, 2004-2012
  • Corporate Counsel Edition, Super Lawyers magazine, July 2009
  • Martindale Hubbell - AV Rated
  • Order of the Coif

Memberships

  • American Bar Association, Taxation Section
  • State Bar of California, Taxation Section, Executive Committee
  • Los Angeles County Bar Association, Taxation Section, Member
  • Loyola Law School LLM Taxation Program, Advisory Board
  • Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), Los Angeles Branch, Founding Member and Secretary
  • Association of Tax Counsel of Los Angeles, Member
  • Los Angeles International Tax Club
  • Angeles Girl Scout Council, Former Member of Board of Directors
  • American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Fellow

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims
  • U.S. Tax Court

Speaking Engagements

  • "Estate Planning for Noncitizens and Multinationals," Annual Meeting of the California Tax Bar & California Tax Policy Conference, November 4, 2011
  • "IRS Global High Wealth Industry Group: Compliance for High Wealth Individuals and Their Related Entities," Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), Los Angeles, CA, October 4, 2011
  • "The Value in Discounting Discounts - Partial Interest Valuations and Discounts," The Appraisal Institute IRS Valuation Summit, August 25, 2011
  • Chair, "Advising Nonresident Aliens Intending to Acquire a Substantial Personal Residence and Valuable Personal Property in the United States," Annual STEP Pacific Rim Conference, May 12-13, 2011
  • Co-Panelist, "Fundamentals of United States Taxation of Foreign Trusts, Grantors and Beneficiaries," Annual STEP Pacific Rim Conference, May 12-13, 2011
  • Keynote Speaker, "2010 Tax Relief Act: Our New Universe - Opportunities and Challenges for Transfer Tax Planning," North County Estate Planning Council, Carmel Valley/Del Mar, Calif., February 1, 2011
  • Panelist, "The 2010 Tax Relief Act: Once in a Lifetime Planning Opportunities for the New Decade," Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), January 6, 2011
  • Panelist, "2010 Year End Tax Planning: Unique Opportunities in Uncertain Times," Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), November 11, 2010
  • Panelist, "Advanced Topics in Foreign Investment in United States Real Estate," Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Annual Pacific Rim Conference, May 6, 2010
  • Panelist, "Cross-Border Tax and Estate Planning within North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)," Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Annual Pacific Rim Conference, May 6, 2010
  • Panelist, "Between "Sunrise and Sunset" The 2010 One-Year Estate and GST Tax Repeal. Planning Opportunities, Traps and Pitfalls in the "Gap Year"," The Rutter Group, February 22 & 24, 2010
  • "New Expatriation Rules," Annual Meeting of the California Tax Bar & California Tax Policy Conference, November 13, 2009
  • "Advising the Foreign Private Client -- Fundamentals of U.S. Estate and Income and Transfer Tax Planning for Nonresidents and Non-Domiciled Aliens," Southern California Tax & Estate Planning Forum, San Diego, CA, October 22, 2009
  • "Comparative Planning: Cross-Border Investment in Residential Properties," Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Annual Pacific Rim Conference, San Francisco, CA, May 8, 2009
  • "Fundamentals of U.S. Income and Transfer Tax Planning for Non-Residents and Non-Domiciled Aliens," Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Annual Pacific Rim Conference, San Francisco, CA, May 7, 2009
  • "International Tax and Financial Reporting Obligations for Individuals - A Practical Forms-Based Panel Discussion for Estate Planners, Tax Advisors, CPAs and Trust Officers," Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), Santa Monica, CA, February 10, 2009

Published Articles & Books

  • "Understanding Key Provisions of the Tax Bill Passed By the Senate," Business and Tax, Alert - December 16, 2010
  • "Trust Fund Puppies, Give Pet Owners Peace of Mind," Trusts & Estates Magazine, December 2008
  • "Please Leave Your Wallet at the Door... the New U.S. Tax Regime Adds Exit Tax for Expatriates," NATP Tax Pro Journal, Fall 2008
  • "Advising the Multinational Family," STEP USA Journal, June/July 2008