Kendall Houghton, Counsel, Alston & Bird LLP, has for two decades been a nationally recognized expert whose practice focuses on state and local tax planning, tax controversies and various legal matters related to unclaimed property/escheat. She previously served as general counsel to the Council On State Taxation (COST), where she filed numerous U.S. Supreme Court briefs in cases impacting state taxation of multistate commerce, and she led a tax policy initiative addressing taxation of Internet transactions. Ms. Houghton has successfully represented clients on a multi-jurisdictional basis with respect to significant tax disputes; negotiated favorable settlements with numerous state and local jurisdictions; developed and advocated state tax policy and legislative positions that benefited client interests; and collaborated with clients to design transactional and organizational structures that have optimized direct and indirect tax burdens. Ms. Houghton also advises clients with respect to unclaimed property/escheat compliance, voluntary disclosure initiatives, planning opportunities, single- and multistate audit defense, and litigation of state unclaimed property assessments.

Ms. Houghton is co-author of Bloomberg BNA’s Multistate Tax Management portfolio entitled “Unclaimed Property.” She is a Georgetown University School of Law instructor (LL.M. program). Ms. Houghton is a featured speaker at national state tax conferences and schools hosted by COST, TEI and IPT.

Matthew Hedstrom is a senior associate in the State & Local Tax Group at Alston & Bird LLP. He focuses his practice on state and local tax planning and controversy and addresses clients’ multistate tax issues, including state income tax apportionment, tax base, business/nonbusiness income determinations, telecommunications and sales/use tax nexus, sourcing and taxability issues. Matthew also advises clients on the state and local tax implications of restructuring, mergers, acquisitions and dispositions. Matthew has tax controversy experience at the audit, administrative and appeals level in several jurisdictions.

Matthew also assists clients on unclaimed property matters, including multistate compliance, voluntary disclosure, planning, audit defense and legal opinions.

Matthew is a member and on the executive board of the State and Local Tax Committee of the American Bar Association’s Tax Section. He also regularly speaks and publishes on a wide variety of state tax topics.

Jeffrey S. Reed, Associate, Mayer Brown LLP, focuses his practice on state and local taxation. Jeff assists businesses and individuals in audits and state tax litigation before courts and administrative bodies throughout the United States. He has represented clients in state tax controversy matters in over 30 state and local tax jurisdictions. He also provides advice with respect to the potential state and local tax consequences of complex transactions.

Jeff has written extensively in the area of state and local taxation. His articles have been published in a variety of different journals, including State Tax Notes, Bloomberg BNA’s Multistate Tax Report, Corporate Counsel, the American Bar Association’s State and Local Tax Lawyer, Inside New York Taxes, Private Wealth, the Journal of Taxation and Regulation of Financial Institutions, E-Commerce Times, and Legal Times. Jeff is an active member of the New York State Bar Association, and is the principal author of the Tax Section’s Report #1171: Repeal of the Temporary Stay Exception.

A regular lecturer on state and local tax matters, Jeff has spoken before organizations such as the Broadband Tax Institute, the Council on State Taxation (COST), the Tax Executives Institute (TEI), the Institute for Professionals in Taxation, Lorman Educational Seminars, and New York University’s Summer Institute in State and Local Taxation.