Paul Sokolowski

Paul Sokolowski is a specialist tax lawyer and has been a partner of Arnold Bloch Leibler since 2001. Paul is the national practice leader of the firm’s taxation practice.

Paul advises a range of clients, including (ultra) high-net-worth individuals, large private groups, public entities, and not-for-profits, on Federal tax issues in reviews, audits, and disputes, and in domestic and international transactions. With many years of experience in taxation law and administration, Paul has an enviable reputation for representing his clients with dedication, passion, and understanding and providing technically astute, strategic, commercially sound, and understandable taxation advice.

Before joining Arnold Bloch Leibler, Paul held various positions with the ATO, the last of which was as a senior officer, in what is now the Public Groups and International division, of the Tax Office.

Paul is recognized in the area of taxation in several prominent international guides to law firms. He is ranked among the leading taxation lawyers in Australia by Chambers Asia Pacific where he is recognized by clients as an “outstanding tax practitioner”. The Legal 500 Asia Pacific has noted that he is “highly regarded for his 'technical strength' and 'commercial approach'”. Paul has been highlighted in successive editions of the Tax Directors Handbook, commenting that his “high technical standards are well balanced by his general commercial acumen”. For several years, Paul has been ranked by Doyle’s Guide as ‘pre-eminent’ in the category of ‘Leading Tax Lawyers – Victoria,’ and in the 2020 edition was ranked as the ‘Market Leader’. Also, Paul has been listed in successive editions of Best Lawyers International, and in the 2020/21 edition he was recognized as ‘Lawyer of the Year – Tax Law’.

Paul won the prestigious “Chartered Tax Adviser of the Year” award at the 2019 Tax Institute's Tax Adviser of the Year Awards (and was also a finalist in 2018). The award recognizes a tax professional who has demonstrated an entrepreneurial spirit, strategic business expertise, and innovative ideas. He was also named ‘Tax Partner of the Year’ in the 2018 Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards.

Paul is a sought-after writer and speaker on tax issues, having written for tax publications and presented papers at conferences and seminars for tax professionals, and in-house tax and GST seminars for clients, accounting firms, and umbrella organizations. He has taught the Taxation of Trusts for Monash University’s Masters of Law program, and also makes representations to Government and the Tax Office on income tax and GST policy, legislation, and rulings.

Paul holds a Bachelor of Commerce from The University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Laws with first-class honors from Deakin University, where he was awarded the Supreme Court Prize.