Paul Sokolowski

Paul Sokolowski

BCom (Melb), LLB (Hons) (Deakin)

vCard

About Paul

Paul Sokolowski is a specialist tax lawyer, and has been a partner of Arnold Bloch Leibler since 2001. Paul is the national practice leader of the firm’s taxation practice.

“He has a high level of attention to detail, a strong client focus and impressive ability to discern quickly what clients want to achieve.”

Client quote

Paul advises a range of clients, including (ultra) high-net-worth individuals, large private groups, public entities and not-for-profits, on Federal tax issues in reviews, audits and disputes, and in domestic and international transactions. With many years' experience in taxation law and administration, Paul has an enviable reputation for representing his clients with dedication, passion and understanding and providing technically astute, strategic, commercially sound and understandable taxation advice.

Prior to joining Arnold Bloch Leibler, Paul held various senior positions with the Australian Taxation Office.

Paul is recognised in the area of taxation in a number of prominent international guides to law firms. He is ranked among the leading taxation lawyers in Australia by Chambers Asia Pacific where he is recognised by clients as an “outstanding tax practitioner”. The Legal 500 Asia Pacific has noted that he is “highly regarded for his 'technical strength' and 'commercial approach'”. Paul has been highlighted in successive editions of the Tax Directors Handbook, commenting that his “high technical standards are well balanced by his general commercial acumen”. Paul has been ranked by Doyle’s Guide as the ‘market leader’ in the category of ‘Leading Tax Lawyers – Victoria’. Also, Paul has been listed in successive editions of Best Lawyers® International, including recognition as ‘Lawyer of the Year – Tax Law’.

Paul is a previous winner of the Tax Institute’s prestigious “Chartered Tax Adviser of the Year”, an award that recognises a tax professional who has demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit, strategic business expertise and innovative ideas. He was also named ‘Tax Partner of the Year’ in the Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards.

Paul is a sought after writer and speaker on tax issues, having written for tax publications and presented papers at conferences and seminars for tax professionals, and at in-house tax seminars for clients, accounting firms and umbrella organisations. He has taught the Taxation of Trusts for Monash University’s Masters of Law program, and also makes representations to Government and the Tax Office on income tax policy, legislation and rulings.
Paul holds a Bachelor of Commerce from The University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Laws with first class honours from Deakin University, where he was awarded the Supreme Court Prize.

Practice focus

Paul’s practice focuses on the following areas:

audits and reviews: advising clients on, and managing, all stages of Tax Office audits and reviews of clients’ income tax and GST affairs (mainly in relation to large business and (ultra) high wealth individual audits), negotiating resolutions of the outcomes of the audits and reviews and appearing before the ATO’s General Anti-Avoidance Rules Panel;
tax litigation: acting for, and advising clients, in tax litigation in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, the Federal Court of Australia and the High Court of Australia;
income tax advice: advising on the operation of, and the Tax Office’s practice in applying, income (and capital gains) tax laws to domestic and international transactions, and corporate and family group restructuring, including the implications of recent legislative and ATO policy initiatives;
GST advice: advising on the GST implications of transactions and dealings, in particular: investment in, and development of, property; non-resident entities investing in, or supplying, goods and services to Australia; Australian residents investing in, or providing, goods and services offshore; restructuring or sale of businesses; and settlements and litigation of disputes;
tax risk management: assessing and advising on tax risks and how those risks can be managed;
voluntary disclosures: advising and managing disclosures to the Tax Office on international and domestic matters;
income tax and GST rulings: advising on, and obtaining, private rulings from the ATO in relation to income tax and GST matters; and
alternative dispute resolution and litigation: resolving disputes with the ATO with respect to tax and administrative issues.

“He would be my first port of call for tax advice in the legal field.”

Client quote

Experience

Paul has advised and assisted domestic and international clients on a broad range of taxation matters. His experience includes:

Minerva Financial Group Pty Ltd: in successful appeals in the Federal Court and Full Federal Court
Ongoing significant and complex tax audits concerning international and domestic transactions, involving: litigation on substantive tax issues and the Tax Office’s administrative powers; transfer pricing issues; the invoking of Mutual Assistance Procedures under a Double Tax Agreement; representations to, and appearances before, the Tax Office’s General Anti-avoidance Rules Panel on Part IVA issues; and settlements of significant and long-running audits and disputes
Litigation in the High Court of Australia and the Federal Court of Australia on substantive tax disputes
A large private group: tax aspects of a rationalisation and restructuring of financing arrangements in a complex group of companies and trusts, and
Various not-for-profit clients: in relation to applications for income tax exempt and deductible gift recipient status.

Directorships & memberships

Paul actively contributes to legislative, technical and policy debate, and continues to make an impact on developing and understanding tax law and administration through his membership of:

the Tax Institute, in which he is a Chartered Tax Adviser
the Taxation Committee of the Business Law Section of the Law Council of Australia
various ad hoc Taxation Office professional consultation groups
the International Fiscal Association, and he is a member of the Executive Committee, of the Australian Branch of IFA, and
two tax discussions groups, comprising eminent tax professionals, one of which he chairs.

Paul is a member of the Deakin Law School Advisory Board.