A former Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Eric advises clients on a wide range of transactional, policy and controversy issues.
Profile
Eric Solomon is a partner at Ivins, Phillips & Barker, Chartered in Washington DC. He advises clients on a wide range of transactional, policy and controversy issues. He has more than 40 years of tax experience in private practice and government service. Before joining Ivins, he was a partner and then senior counsel at Steptoe & Johnson LLP, and before Steptoe he was co-director of Ernst & Young LLP’s National Tax Department.
Eric served as Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy at the U.S. Treasury Department from December 2006 to January 2009. As Assistant Secretary, he headed the Office of Tax Policy, which advises the Treasury Secretary on matters relating to domestic and international taxation. Eric joined the Office of Tax Policy in 1999. He served in both the Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations. He was Senior Advisor for Policy, Deputy Assistant Secretary (Tax Policy) and Deputy Assistant Secretary (Regulatory Affairs) prior to his 2006 Senate confirmation as Assistant Secretary. He led the Office of Tax Policy during the financial crisis in 2008. He has testified before Congress both as a government official and as a private citizen.
Eric has received numerous awards for his government service. In recognition of his contributions at the Treasury Department, Eric received the Alexander Hamilton Award, which is the highest award for Treasury service, and the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award. He has also received distinguished service awards from the Tax Foundation, the Tax Council Policy Institute, Tax Executives Institute, and the taxation sections of the State Bar of California, the State Bar of Texas, and the Federal Bar Association.
Eric served at the IRS from 1990 to 1996, where he was Assistant Chief Counsel (Corporate), heading the IRS Chief Counsel division responsible for corporate tax issues. From 1996 to 1999, he was a principal in Ernst & Young LLP’s National Tax Mergers and Acquisitions group in Washington, DC. He began his career with law firms in New York City and was a partner at Drinker Biddle & Reath in Philadelphia.
Eric received his A.B. from Princeton University (Phi Beta Kappa), his J.D. from the University of Virginia and his LL.M. in taxation from New York University. He was Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Taxation in 2018-2019, and was formerly a member of the Executive Committee of the Tax Section of the New York State Bar Association. He is a past President of the American Tax Policy Institute. He is a past Chair of the Corporate Tax Committee of the ABA Tax Section. He is Co-Chair of the DC Bar Tax Conference, and Co-Chair of the Practising Law Institute conference on Tax Strategies for Corporate Acquisitions and Dispositions.
Eric is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches a course in corporate taxation. He received the Distinguished Adjunct Professor Award for Georgetown University’s graduate law programs.
Practice Areas
Education
New York University, LL.M. in taxation
University of Virginia, J.D.
Princeton University, A.B., Phi Beta Kappa
Bar & Court Admissions
District of Columbia
New York
Pennsylvania
Government Service
Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy, U.S. Treasury Department, 2006 - 2009
Senior Advisor for Policy, Deputy Assistant Secretary (Tax Policy) and Deputy Assistant Secretary (Regulatory Affairs), Office of Tax Policy, 1999 - 2006
Assistant Chief Counsel (Corporate), Internal Revenue Service, 1990 - 1995
Memberships & Affiliations
Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University Law Center
Co-Chair, Practising Law Institute conference on Tax Strategies for Corporate Acquisitions and Dispositions
Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Taxation, 2018-2019
Former member of the Executive Committee, Tax Section, New York State Bar Association
Honors & Awards
U.S. Treasury Department, Alexander Hamilton Award
U.S. Treasury Department, Distinguished Presidential Rank Award
Georgetown University, Distinguished Adjunct Professor Award
Tax Council Policy Institute, Pillar of Excellence Award
Tax Foundation, Distinguished Service Award
Tax Executives Institute, Distinguished Service Award
Federal Bar Association, Taxation Section, Kenneth H. Liles Award for Distinguished Service
State Bar of Texas, Taxation Section, Outstanding Achievement Award
State Bar of California, Taxation Section, Distinguished Service Award