Professionals
Richard Nearhood
President/Designated Principal
Richard Nearhood has 40 years of experience as an Arizona licensed attorney and serves as the President of Ryan Legal Services. Mr. Nearhood was previously the Vice President of Legal for Ryan and was responsible for referring Ryan clients to law firms throughout the United States for tax-related services. Prior to joining Ryan, Mr. Nearhood spent eight years creating innovative tax solutions as the President of Software at Thomson Reuters and ePropertyTax. Mr. Nearhood is the co-inventor of a patented invention for handling multijurisdictional tax information, and his work was awarded the “Best of the Web” Award by Forbes magazine, the Smithsonian Institute Honors Award, and the Golden Web Award. For 13 years, he was the managing partner of a law firm specializing in tax litigation. He was the successful trial attorney for two of the largest Arizona decisions involving state and local taxation. Mr. Nearhood has a Master’s degree in law and a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Arizona State University, and a Master’s degree in taxation from Golden Gate University. Mr. Nearhood has also passed the certified public accountant (CPA) exam.
Dawn Gabel
Senior Counsel
Dawn Gabel is an Arizona state and local tax litigator focused on real and personal property tax reductions and sales and use tax litigation. Ms. Gabel represents clients across a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, hospitality, retail, multifamily residential, pipeline, utilities, low-income housing, amusement and entertainment, healthcare, renewable energy, golf course developments, data centers, office building/management, and construction and development. With more than 35 years of experience, she is a seasoned trial lawyer who has appeared before administrative tribunals, trial courts, and appellate courts. Ms. Gabel is a frequent speaker on property tax and sales tax topics. She holds an AV Martindale-Hubbell ranking, is recognized in Best Lawyers, and was named the Best Lawyers 2022 Phoenix Tax Lawyer of the Year. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Arizona State University and a law degree from The University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law.
Holly Harris
Manager, Paralegal
Holly Harris has 25 years of experience as a tax paralegal and serves as the paralegal in charge of client and matter intake for Ryan Legal Services. Ms. Harris was previously a paralegal for Ryan and was responsible for assisting clients with the engagement of law firms throughout the United States for tax-related services.
Derilynn Showers
Senior Paralegal
Derilynn Showers has 12 years of experience as a litigation and contracts paralegal. Previously, she served as an Executive Assistant in the U.S. Operations department at Ryan, where she assisted team members with engaging outside professionals for client service delivery. Ms. Showers holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice from Michigan State University.