Mergers & Acquisitions | Corporate Finance Tax
The Taxation and Estates Group works closely with the firm’s corporate and securities attorneys in structuring and negotiating complex transactions, to ensure tax efficiencies and minimize tax risks for our clients with focus on benefits related to form of entity involved (e.g., corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, trusts and foundations).
Our attorneys advise on the tax aspects of structuring mergers, acquisitions, buyouts and joint ventures, as well as spin-offs and other divestitures and perform due diligence reviews to uncover tax liabilities and exposures in potential mergers, acquisitions and other transactions. We counsel our clients on the tax treatment of United States residents and entities engaged in business abroad and foreign persons and entities conducting business in the United States.
Real Estate
We provide advice to clients on the tax implications of real estate investments and advise them on the tax aspects of real estate transactions, from property acquisitions and sales, to 1031 or “like-kind” exchanges, to structuring management and other ancillary service programs. Our attorneys also structure state and local property tax and documentary transfer tax efficient transfers.
Estate Planning
Our attorneys provide personalized and sophisticated advice on estate and personal planning to individuals and families, and charitable giving. Our clients come to us to help them to navigate the pitfalls of estate planning, including domicile issues, family dynamics and retaining wealth over multiple generations. Our experience in structuring tax-advantaged charitable gifts, including charitable lead and remainder trusts, gift annuities and retirement accounts is a valuable asset to our clients.
Our clients include high net worth individuals and families, entrepreneurs and businesses who rely on our proven ability to address planned or unexpected intergenerational transfers of wealth issues and facilitate business transactions and restructuring opportunities to maximize tax efficiencies and to free-up assets, time and energy for the revitalization of a family or business. Our attorneys also provide counsel on Life Insurance planning.
Employee Benefits
The attorneys in our group advise our business clients on both long- and short-term executive compensation strategies and sophisticated and innovative solutions for organizations and executives. We work closely with the Employment Group to advise clients with respect to such matters as income and employment taxation, employment arbitration and litigation (including the enforcement and challenging of restrictive covenants).
Individual Tax Planning/Audits and Litigation
The attorneys in our group work with business and individuals on general business and personal income tax planning. We counsel clients on a broad range of tax issues, including handling sensitive audits, counseling on tax compliance and reporting, compromising tax debts, defending reporting positions, resolving employment tax issues and obtaining contested tax refunds and advise on the tax collection process and dealing with sensitive tax issues that arise in business and personal settings.
We represent clients in administrative and court proceedings arising from tax audits, federal and state tax disputes and other administrative proceedings and bring administrative appeals in the Appeals Office of the Internal Revenue Service as well as the appellate level of state and local tax agencies.
Tax-Exempt Organizations
We advise on all matters related to tax-exempt organizations, including formation of non-profit corporations and charitable trusts. We assist with tax exemption applications and private letter ruling requests to the IRS and advise on the creation of complex structures involving both for-profit and not-for-profit entities. Our attorneys also advise on corporate governance and conflict of interest issues.
As rapid developments in the world economy transform tax laws, new and complicated legal challenges emerge. Our focus is to provide clear and creative tax advice to clients for their transactions and tax controversies, and with respect to tax legislation and administration. We offer diversified legal transactional resources, as well as the planning, litigation, and regulatory services necessary to address our clients’ short- and long-term tax objectives.
Clients rely on us for effective, practical judgment and technical advice and structuring tax-efficient transactions in arranging business operations to minimize compliance burdens and optimize tax synergies. Our tax attorneys work closely with attorneys from our corporate, real estate, employment and litigation groups to form a cohesive, multidisciplinary team that can develop and implement effective legal and business solutions.
The Firm’s Taxation & Estates Group is active in the following areas: