– April 1, 2019, By Jonathan Curry
Tax and accounting firms are starting to see value in letting their employees take on unconventional activities that yield intangible benefits, like speaking or podcasting…
Travis W. Thompson of Sideman & Bancroft LLP said that as early as law school he realized the value of networking and being active in the American Bar Association Section of Taxation, particularly for young attorneys.
Thompson said attending the ABA meetings offered the opportunity “to hear panels on some of the most wide-ranging topics in the tax world,” so he listened carefully, took notes, and did some more research on where the industry was moving.
That led Thompson to start diving into the use of AI and big data in the IRS’s tax enforcement efforts, and he decided to become a subject matter expert on the topic. Thompson said he soon enrolled in a Massachusetts Institute of Technology course on AI and businesses, and before long began presenting on it.
“In the last year, I’ve done more press and more speaking engagements than my previous five years combined,” Thompson said.
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