James Gould

James C. Gould is a partner with Capitol Counsel LLC.   He brings to the firm more than 25 years of experience in the practice of tax law and tax policymaking in Washington, D.C.   He also brings to the firm experience in international trade law. 

Mr. Gould spent five years on Capitol Hill, serving as staff director, chief counsel, and chief tax counsel to the Senate Finance Committee under Chairman Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX).    He also served as tax and international trade counsel to Senator Bentsen.   During his five years on Capitol Hill, Mr. Gould was intimately involved in the writing of major tax and trade legislation, including the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984, the Tax Reform Act of 1986, the Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1987, and the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988. 

Mr. Gould began his career in Washington as a law clerk to the Honorable Charles Simpson, United States Tax Court, followed by a period in private tax practice, before moving to Capitol Hill.   After serving on Capitol Hill, he re-entered private practice with a focus on tax policymaking.   Since then he has represented a wide array of clients, including companies in the energy, insurance, financial services, and other industries.   He regularly drafts tax legislative proposals and designs and implements the strategy for enactment of the proposals.  He began his practice as a partner with the Washington office of the Houston law firm Vinson & Elkins.  Most recently, he was Principal in the boutique tax-lobbying firm Capitol Tax Partners LLP.  

Mr. Gould is a frequent lecturer on tax policy and policymaking. He has been a participant in Washington Campus, a program on federal policy and politics for corporate executives, and has been an occasional guest-lecturer at educational institutions such as, the Army War College and Georgetown University Law Center.   Articles published by Mr. Gould include the following: 

• “The Coming Payroll Tax Explosion – and a Faint Ray of Hope,” Washington Business Journal, May 2004. 
• “The Rebirth of an Income-Based Medicare Premium,” Tax Notes, December 22, 2003. 
• “A New Fiscal Bonanza in Tax Policy:  The Targeted Retroactive Tax – TRT,” Tax Notes, April 8, 1991.  
• “General Utilities Repeal:  Tax Reform Should Pass It By,” Tax Notes, July 14, 1986.