60-second interview with Alan Granwell
What does your firm or employer do?
Holland & Knight is an international law firm providing representation in litigation, business, real estate and governmental law.
What has STEP done for you, individually, or as an organisation?
STEP has provided me with valuable educational and networking opportunities. I have made professional friendships and expanded my network of contacts, domestically and internationally.
What made you decide to volunteer at STEP?
I have always enjoyed planning and staging programmes. When I joined STEP Mid-Atlantic, I offered to assist in preparing and managing projects and events and quickly became involved with branch activities. I highly recommend volunteering; it is rewarding and fun.
Your branch has run some online events recently. How did they go, and do you have any recommendations to share?
We have put on numerous online events and they have been well received. It’s worth reaching out to members to identify topics that are timely and of interest.
After working out the glitches in our early offerings, we've found that webcasts work extremely well, as we generally obtain a wider audience than for live events, particularly since they are available to all STEP USA members. When we put on a live event, we also offer it gratis to those who are unable to attend.
We have also considered separate, live networking events, and hope these may become a reality once the pandemic abates.
Do you have any upcoming events to look out for?
Yes, both for the Mid-Atlantic Branch and STEP USA. Our STEP Mid-Atlantic Branch will host webinars on UK-US Tax Planning issues at the end of September and a cryptocurrency webinar in October. For STEP USA, we will present a webinar entitled ‘The Use of Foundations and Trusts in Private Wealth Succession Planning: Can Civil and Common Law Vehicles Co-Exist?’ We will have speakers from six countries (Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK and the US).
What do you most like about your job?
I have enjoyed the practice of international tax law because it is intellectually challenging and the opportunities to learn about, and work with colleagues, from other countries. This client engagement often results in making long-term friendships with colleagues overseas.
What do you feel are the main challenges facing your practitioners at the moment?
The immediate challenge is the pandemic. How do you maintain physical and mental health for you and your family, and how do you deal with clients and colleagues in this new world of social distancing? Apart from the pandemic, in the international taxation area, the immediate challenge is to keep up and understand the constantly changing landscape of international taxation. The internet has made access to information readily available; but the amount of information is overwhelming, and the key is to be selective in focusing on what's relevant and useful.
Alan Granwell TEP is Of Counsel at Holland & Knight in Washington. A former Chair of STEP Mid-Atlantic, Alan is currently the Branch’s Program Chair and STEP USA’s Webinar Czar. In the early 1980s, Alan was the International Tax Counsel and Director in the Office of International Tax Affairs at the US Department of the Treasury. He was responsible for advising the Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy on legislation, regulations and administrative matters involving international taxation and directing the US tax treaty program.
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