Josh Maxwell

Hone Maxwell LLP Managing Partner Josh Maxwell brings a unique blend of finance and law to his practice as a tax attorney, focusing on international tax law and controversy. A CPA with an extensive accounting and finance background, Josh helps clients navigate the underlying issues and transactions related to tax plans and has a winning record representing taxpayers before taxing authorities.

Josh prioritizes traveling abroad to form strong relationships with his foreign clients and a deep understanding of the business and societal cultures in which they operate. Under his leadership, HMLLP grew into a firm of experienced, successful attorneys and professional staff members who are almost all bilingual in Spanish or Mandarin.

Josh handles international tax and federal, state and local tax issues, particularly civil and criminal tax controversy defense. He advises clients on a wide variety of international tax issues including the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP), the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), treaties and IRS informational reporting. Josh coordinates and defends clients during audits by the IRS and California taxing authorities, including the Franchise Tax Board (FTB), the Board of Equalization (BOE) and Employment Development Department (EDD). Additionally, Josh works with clients on collection issues with the same agencies, including installment agreements, offers in compromise and issues surrounding liens, levies and wage garnishments.

A prolific writer and sought-after speaker on tax law updates, Josh is an active member of many foreign and domestic business, finance and tax professional groups. In addition, he was recently invited to join the University of California, Irvine’s Division of Continuing Education Customer Experience Board, where he uses his client-first philosophy to help business leaders improve their customer service.

A New York native, Josh earned bachelor’s degrees in Accounting and Finance from Syracuse University before graduating from Arizona State University with a master’s degree in Tax. While attending ASU, he worked at a large CPA firm. After graduating, Josh worked in CBIZ’s Federal Tax group, performing compliance and consulting for multiple types of entities, and was accredited as a California Certified Public Accountant. Josh left CBIZ to earn his law degree and master’s degree in taxation from the University of San Diego School of Law, where he then returned as an adjunct professor.

After law school, Josh returned to public accounting at KPMG’s International Corporate Services group. He was responsible for a broad range of U.S. multinational and foreign-owned clients doing business as single entities or in complex ownership structures. He advised these clients on IRS compliance, foreign compliance and a wide range of complex international tax matters relating to businesses. Josh also served in KPMG’s Federal Tax group advising on transactions and providing tax due diligence, tax compliance and regulatory assistance, and tax structuring advice.

Josh’s unique experience, including public accounting with a strong international focus, and education as both a CPA and attorney, allows him to understand the underlying issues and transactions when preparing tax plans or defending taxpayers in front of the taxing authorities.

Josh lives in San Diego with his wife, Lucy, and their two children.