Today is the last day of Donald L. Korb's 1,711-day tenure as the 46th Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service. As previously blogged here, Don is leaving the IRS to become a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, where he will be the head of the firm's Tax Controversy Practice in Washington, D.C., beginning January 1, 2009.
Don graciously agreed to an interview to be published in TaxProf Blog today to mark his remarkable tenure as Chief Counsel. See the attached interview for Don's answers to the following eight questions:
- This is your third tour of service in the IRS. Can you talk a little about your prior IRS experiences and how the IRS has changed since the 1970s and 1980s?
- Can you talk about your private practice experience at Coopers & Lybrand and Thompson Hine?
- What led to your appointment as Chief Counsel in 2004?
- Tax academics are particularly interested in two aspects of your tenure as Chief Counsel: (i) your resurrection of the Professor-in-Residence Program, and (ii) your efforts in making the Chief Counsel’s Office“A Great Place to Start Your Career.” Can you comment on these?
- We shared a panel at the January 2008 ABA Tax Section Meeting in Lake Las Vegas on how blogging has affected tax practice. Can you share some thoughts on what you see as the impact of blogs on tax administration and tax practice?
- What are you most proud of in your tenure as Chief Counsel? Your role in combating tax shelters?
- Do you have any regrets – things you wish you had been able to accomplish as Chief Counsel?
- What will be your role at Sullivan & Cromwell?
