Partner

Tom West

Tom West recently joined the firm as a partner after an accomplished career as a senior Treasury official and in the private sector. His government service has provided him extensive experience in the tax legislative and regulatory process, and he is widely recognized as a top expert on tax policy matters. 

Before joining the firm, Tom served in senior tax policy roles in the last three Administrations. Tom first served at the Treasury Department for four years in the Obama and Trump Administrations where he was Tax Legislative Counsel in the Office of Tax Policy. In 2017, his service included nine months as Acting Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy during the change of Administration where he helped advise then-Secretary Steven Mnuchin on the development of the Administration’s policies underlying the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). After several years in the private sector, in 2021, Tom returned to the Treasury Department as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy, where he advised Secretary Janet Yellen and the White House on legislative and regulatory tax matters. 

 Tom’s leadership, judgment, common sense and expertise were instrumental in the passage and implementation of numerous landmark pieces of tax legislation, including the Affordable Care Act, the TCJA, the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. 

 For his many years of service at Treasury, Tom was awarded the prestigious Treasury Medal. The citation with his Medal notes that he “consistently demonstrated the highest standards of integrity and leadership in providing expert advice in public service to three Treasury Secretaries…” and that his “sound judgment, pragmatism, humor, and excellent rapport with his devoted staff and colleagues across the administration were hallmarks of his expert management of all aspects of Treasury's wide-ranging domestic tax portfolio.” 

 During his time in the private sector, Tom was a principal in a Big 4 accounting firm and a shareholder in a large multinational law firm. For more than 15 years in private practice, he advised clients on tax policy, regulatory matters, global tax planning, and compliance.  

Tom earned his Juris Doctor degree from Temple University Beasley School of Law and an LLM degree in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife and son.