Lawyer Profile
Joseph Takhmizdjian
Montréal, Québec
Overview
A trusted tax advisor to domestic, non-resident and multinational businesses, Joseph Takhmizdjian is a rare breed — a lawyer and a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) — whose diverse practice covers everything from corporate tax and cross-border transactions to real estate deals and tax litigation. His goal: to use his deep understanding of tax law and his love of numbers to find innovative ways to minimize tax, maximize shareholder return and mitigate risk.
Joe’s tailor-made tax optimization strategies routinely save BLG’s clients significant amounts of money. His made-at-BLG method of structuring commercial real estate transactions, for example, has saved clients upwards of $30 million in land transfer duties alone in recent years. He enjoys hunting down instances of double taxation, crunching the numbers to identify the most advantageous tax scenario, and finding practical solutions where there’s no perfect answer.
Not only is Joe fluent in English, French and Armenian, he’s an expert in reading and analysing financial statements. His ability to speak the language of accountants allows him to easily collaborate on creative approaches and earn the respect and cooperation of the other side’s advisors. A visual thinker and clear communicator, Joe explains complicated rules and complex scenarios using simple, real-life examples — often presented using step-by-step explanations and simple graphics in PowerPoint — so clients can make decisions quickly and confidently.
A born networker and creative problem solver, Joe’s counsel is regularly sought by colleagues in corporate practice and accounting who are looking for unique ways to structure deals or avoid tax-related pitfalls. He enjoys coaching junior firm members and has taught several in-house tax and accounting courses for lawyers and paralegals in addition to being a speaker at the APFF (Association de Planification Fiscal et Financière) and Canadian Tax Foundation (CTF).
Practice Areas
Bar Information
Called to the bar: 2004 (QC)
Professional Details
Education
Graduate diploma in public accountancy, McGill University, 2002
LLB, Université de Montréal, 2002
Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants' in-depth tax courses (parts I, II and III) and GST/HST course