“Paul is distinguished by his deep technical tax expertise and strong sense of practicality. He is strategic, collaborative and highly trusted for his judgment on complex matters.”
— Chambers USA 2026
Paul Schmidt is chairman of BakerHostetler, serving as chief executive officer and as chair of the Policy Committee, the firm’s governing board. Paul is responsible for directing client service, practice delivery and operations, and he oversees our practice and office leaders as well as the functional department heads. Paul is a sought-after speaker and commenter on legal industry trends and law firm leadership and is a trusted advisor to clients on risk management, global expansion and international taxation. Prior to becoming firm chair, Paul spent 10 years leading BakerHostetler’s national Tax Practice Group and 16 years leading the International Tax team. He previously served as legislation counsel to the U.S. Congress Joint Committee on Taxation and was a partner at a Big Four accounting firm. This experience allowed him to hone his abilities to advocate for and motivate others and build team consensus to achieve goals.
Paul’s legal experience as a tax practitioner revolves around the needs of domestic and multinational companies for sophisticated tax counsel in two principal areas: tax implications related to transactions and controversies. He has worked with private equity clients, hedge funds and publicly traded partnerships, along with both publicly traded and privately held industrial, technology, energy, agriculture, commodities, hospitality and healthcare businesses, on all facets of taxation. Paul’s primary focus is on international taxation, and he advises clients on technical and policy issues in connection with tax reform, transfer pricing, treaties, permanent establishments, U.S. trade and business, subpart F, foreign tax credits, GILTI, FDII, BEAT, inversions, and global debt and hedging issues. He frequently advocates for clients before the Internal Revenue Service as well as at the Treasury Department and on Capitol Hill.
Paul gives back to the community by serving on the Boys & Girls Club of America’s National Board of Governors since 2019 and chairs its Government Relations Committee. Paul serves on the host committee for the Mid-Atlantic Make-a-Wish Foundation Ball and also serves on the board of Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia.
