Ovsep Akopchikyan, JD, Tax LL.M.
Certified Specialist in Tax Law, State Bar of California
Prior to founding Akopchikyan Law Firm, Ovsep was:
- an Administrative Law Judge at the State of California, Office of Tax Appeals;
- a Tax Attorney and National Tax Manager at Deloitte Tax, a global Big Four accounting firm;
- a Litigation Attorney at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, a Top 100 U.S. law firm; and
- an Adjunct Professor of Tax Law at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles.
Ovsep draws on his unique blend of government, tax, and litigation experience to navigate complicated tax rules and procedures with ease, and for the benefit of his clients.
As a Tax Judge, Ovsep worked closely with other Judges to decide a full range of appeals from the two largest California tax agencies—the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA). He decided appeals involving franchise and income tax, sales and use tax, and provisions of both the federal tax code (the Internal Revenue Code) and California’s tax code (the California Revenue and Taxation Code). He gained an insider’s perspective on how tax agencies argue their cases, and what it takes for taxpayers to prove and win their cases.
Before he was a Tax Judge, Ovsep was a tax attorney and National Tax Manager at Deloitte Tax, a global Big Four accounting firm. He developed strong technical expertise at Deloitte, resolving cutting-edge tax issues for publicly traded companies, private equity funds, high-net-worth individuals, and family offices. He was designated a technical lead at Deloitte, and was a go-to resource for the firm’s U.S.-based tax attorneys and accounting professionals. Due to his successes, Ovsep was promoted to Deloitte’s Washington National Tax (WNT) practice. Within Deloitte WNT, Ovsep provided specialized knowledge to taxpayers in tax audits, appeals, and settlements, and provided insights on tax legislation and regulatory changes.
Prior to joining Deloitte, Ovsep gained substantial experience litigating a broad range of disputes in state, federal, and appellate courts. He was a litigation attorney at several top law firms, most recently at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, an Am Law 100 law firm. His litigation experience includes serving on a trial team that won a $25,000,000 verdict after a two-month jury trial (Top 100 Verdicts in America, 2016). Ovsep’s strong litigation background has proven invaluable in achieving favorable results in tax controversy and litigation matters at all administrative and judicial levels.
Ovsep is a first-generation American and college graduate. He earned his undergraduate degree in Business Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He earned his law degree, cum laude, and his Master of Laws in Taxation (Tax LL.M.) with distinction from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Ovsep graduated at the top of his law school class (ranked second), and was named to two prestigious honor societies upon graduation—the Order of the Coif and Alpha Sigma Nu. During law school, Ovsep served as President of the St. Thomas More Law Honor Society and worked for a Federal Court Judge, a State Court Judge, the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, and the California State Board of Equalization. He later became a part-time Professor of Tax Law at Loyola Law School’s Top 10-ranked graduate tax program.
Through Akopchikyan Law Firm, Ovsep provides diligent, cost-effective, and one-on-one representation to clients dealing with IRS and California state and local tax matters, regardless of the complexity of the issues or the amounts in dispute.
