University of Illinois at Chicago John Marshall Law School Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Taxation – June 2016
(Graduated with honors)
University of Illinois at Chicago John Marshall Law School Juris Doctor – January 2013
Ohio State University Bachelor of Arts, History as Pre-Law – August 2009
Biography
Publications & Speaking Engagements
Memberships
Alex J. Hemmelgarn is a Certified Specialist in Tax Law as designated by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He is a Shareholder in our Corporate, Tax, and Trust & Estate Planning Practice Groups representing businesses, as well as individual and family estates.
Primarily providing clients counsel on tax issues based on state and federal statutes and regulations, case law, IRS Revenue Rulings and Procedures, and tax treaties, Mr. Hemmelgarn has experience in the following:
Entity formation, conversion and reorganization
Municipal, state and federal tax compliance
Tax-deferred transactions
Business Succession Planning
Acquisitions
Sales and Liquidations
Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation (including Employee Stock Ownership Plans, Profit Sharing Plans, and Phantom Stock Plans)
Mr. Hemmelgarn also prepares federal estate tax returns, gift tax returns, federal and state trust income returns and other filings – working closely with our clients’ accounting and financial professionals in all phases of tax preparation.
A graduate of Ohio State University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History, Mr. Hemmelgarn later attended the University of Illinois at Chicago’s John Marshall Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctor. He also received his Master of Laws in Taxation from John Marshall Law School, and graduated with honors.
Mr. Hemmelgarn currently serves on the Board of Directors for HOPE Connection, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization that provides individual and group support, educational programs, and other resources for individuals grieving the loss of loved ones.
An experienced speaker, Mr. Hemmelgarn has frequently presented on the improvement of cultural competency in client counseling and the development of person-centered, trauma-informed best practices in the provision of legal services, including the preparation of trainings and materials for legal professionals seeking to better serve victims of trauma and persons with disabilities.
Mr. Hemmelgarn has also been named a Southern California Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine.
Presenter, The Basics of Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax – San Fernando Valley Bar Association, May 2022
Co-Presenter, A Review of Proposition 19 – San Fernando Valley Bar Association, December 2020
Featured, Meet the 2020 SFVBA Trustee Candidates, Valley Lawyer, a publication of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, July 2020
Presenter, Tax Planning and Pitfalls for the Global Family – San Fernando Valley Bar Association, May 2020
Co-Presenter, 2019 Year-End Tax Planning – MCLE and CPE accredited Client Seminar Series, November 2019
Co-Author, Chapter 10 – Special Powers in Powers of Attorney Relating to Special Needs Issues, Special Needs Trusts, Illinois Institute for Continued Legal Education, 2013
Co-Presenter, Wills and Advance Healthcare Directives – Café Europa (community group for Holocaust Survivors) – August and September 2017
Trusts and Estates Guest Lecturer, Formalities of Execution of Estate Planning Instruments, John Marshall Law School, November 2014
Co-Presenter, Estate Planning for LGBT Couples, Chicago Public Library, May 2014