Joe Pickart is the Team Leader of Whyte Hirschboeck DudekS.C.’s State and Local Tax Practice. As a shareholder in the firm’s Milwaukee, Wisconsin office, Joe practices in taxation, with specific expertise in state and local contested matters, litigation and planning.  He has successfully represented airlines, railroads, telecommunication companies, IT firms, health care providers, manufacturers, developers, property managers, local businesses and individuals in property tax, sales and use tax, transfer tax, estate tax, and franchise and income tax disputes with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, other states’ departments of revenue, and local assessing authorities.  Joe is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Business, where he teaches "Multistate Income Taxation."  He is the principal author of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Bar Association’s "Property Tax Deskbook," and a Regional Editor for that publication.  Joe also serves as a regular columnist for "The Journal of State Taxation."   Joe is an "AV" rated attorney, and was named to the 2008 Wisconsin Super Lawyers list.  He is active in the community, both as a board member for non-profit boards and as a soccer and baseball coach.  

Representative Matters

With almost 20 years of experience in the field, Joe has represented clients in connection with a wide variety of state and local tax matters, including the following:

·         Represented landscaping companies in defense of Wisconsin sales/use tax audits.

·         Represented a taxpayer in defense of a Wisconsin sales/use tax assessment, in which the Department alleged that the taxpayer’s simulcasts were taxable telecommunication and/or cable television services.

·         Represented taxpayers in drafting property tax and sales/use tax statutory exemption language.

·         Represented telecommunication and air carrier companies in defense of property tax assessments.

·         Represented a taxpayer in successful litigation to obtain manufacturing classification and property tax exemption for its produce ripening activities.

·         Represented a marine construction contractor in defense of Wisconsin income/franchise and sales/use tax assessments involving statutory interpretation and exemption issues.

·         Represented an oil company in reducing its property tax assessment by several million dollars.

·         Represented taxpayers in efforts to obtain informal private letter rulings on various sales and use tax issues.

·         Represented taxpayers in general sales/use and property tax planning.

·         Represented and advised clients on multi-state income/franchise and sales/use tax compliance, including nexus determinations, corporate registrations, voluntary disclosure and amnesty programs.

·         Represented construction companies in defense of sales and use tax audits.

·         Advised clients in negotiating and finalizing direct purchase agreements with tax-exempt entities to allow for the tax-free purchase of construction materials.

·         Secured exemptions from property taxes and/or negotiated payments-in-lieu-of-taxes.

·         Represented several other taxpayers in audits and contested tax matters involving income, property, sales/use, and transfer fee taxes.

Professional Associations

State Bar of Wisconsin                                      

Association of Assessing Officers

American Bar Association                                

United States Tax Court

Milwaukee Bar Association                               

United States Court of Federal Claims

Milwaukee Tax Club – Past Chair                   

United States District Court for the Eastern Dist. of Wisconsin

Institute of Professionals in Taxation               

United States Court of International Trade

Wisconsin State and Local Tax, Inc.                               

United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Awards and Distinctions

Named to the 2008 Wisconsin Super Lawyers list

Dedication to Excellence Award - Continuing Professional Education, Professional Education Systems Institute, LLC

Rated "AV" by Martindale-Hubbell

Community Involvement

United Performing Arts Fund, Secretary

United Performing Arts Fund, Board of Directors

United Performing Arts Fund, Chair, Education & Outreach Committee

United Performing Arts Fund, Past Employee Campaign Coordinator

United Way, Past Employee Campaign Coordinator

Christ King Parish & Grade School, Athletic Director (2004-07)

Jesuit Retreat House, Retreat Coordinator (2007-08)

Tosa Kickers Soccer Association, Coach (2003-present)

Education

University of IowaCollege of Law, 1990

Marquette University, 1987