Collette C. Goodman

Collette Goodman is a counsel in the firm’s Tax practice group. Her practice includes advising clients on fund formation, the organization and operation of REITs, asset acquisitions and dispositions, FATCA compliance, and various corporate, international, and partnership matters. She also frequently advises in forming and obtaining tax exempt status for tax exempt organizations, and represents clients in obtaining rulings and in audit controversy matters before the IRS and the Treasury Department.

Collette advises on a broad range of tax matters in connection with the firm’s representation of clients in other areas of its practice, including litigation, securities, railway labor management, banking, environmental, government contracts, union labor, ERISA and employee benefit matters.

Collette serves as tax counsel to a nonprofit corporation formed to manage product liability claims of its 20 major corporate members. She also has handled tax issues arising from the firm's work in representing regulated investment companies and insurance companies issuing variable annuity contracts. For the firm’s many corporate clients, including several high-tech companies, she has worked on structuring of business operations, mergers and acquisitions, financial products and stock option, deferred compensation, golden parachute, and other executive compensation matters. Collette also advises several charitable, tax exempt organizations.

In 1994, Collette spent two months in Hanoi, Vietnam, in connection with the firm's and her interest in expanding our practice in that part of the world. Since that time, she has advised various clients on the establishment of business operations in Vietnam.

Collette has been a member of the Tax Policy Committee (1986-1992), D.C. Bar Section of Taxation Steering Committee (1984-1990), and Council of Officers of the Federal Bar Association Section of Taxation (member 1985-present; chair 1991-1992).

Collette was counsel at Shea & Gardner prior to its combination with Goodwin in 2004. From 1978-81, she worked for the U.S. Treasury Department as a Special Assistant to Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy Donald C. Lubick at the Office of Tax Policy, and as an Attorney Advisor at the Office of Tax Legislative Counsel.

Collette’s recent publications include:

• Co-Author, “New Regs on Application of FICA Taxes to Nonqualified Deferred Compensation,” Tax Notes, May 27, 1996
• “Emerging Opportunities for Infrastructure Finance in Vietnam,” PLI’s Program on Project Financing, February 1996
• “U.S. Tax Considerations in Structuring Business Operations in Vietnam,” The Vietnam Business Journal Part I, June 1995, Part II September 1995
• “The Emerging Vietnamese Market: What to Expect in Doing Business There,” Briefing Paper, August 1994