Most Highly Regarded Firms: Corporate Tax 2009

• September 2009

• Corporate Tax

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP has an established reputation in this field; competitors are quick to praise its “strong department” and “outstanding team”

The firm has a total of 16 individuals from nine offices in seven countries in this edition. The London office houses the firm’s largest contingent with five listed lawyers. Murray Clayson leads the London team in terms of nominations and was described as “one of the best for international tax and transfer pricing”. David Taylor is head of the firm’s private equity tax group in London and he “really knows his area”. Sarah Falk also has a strong private equity dimension to her work and is “extremely switched-on”. The “fantastic” Richard Ballard is head of the corporate finance tax group in London and is also very well regarded. Colin Hargreaves completes the London quintet. Freshfields also put in a strong performance in the Netherlands research, with three practitioners making the grade. Machiel Lambooij heads the firm’s Netherlands tax practice and is joined by Hans Galavazi, who is “excellent” and well known for his “well put-together articles on Dutch tax law”. Eelco van der Stok specialises in the Netherlands and Luxembourg tax aspects of structured finance products and divides his time between the Amsterdam and London offices. Stephan Eilers, a former head of the firm’s international tax group, and Jochen Lüdicke are based in Cologne and Düsseldorf, respectively.

The firm also has a substantial presence in Austria, where competitors ranked it as having “one of the largest and most impressive tax practices in the country”. Both Claus Staringer and Michael Sedlaczek received praise for their “excellent work and pragmatic approach”. Freshfields also has entries in the French and Belgium offices thanks to Antoine Colonna d’Istria and Axel Haelterman. Colonna d’Istria is managing partner of the Paris office and clients include Goldman Sachs PIA, whom he advised on its joint offer with KKR to acquire Pages Jaunes from France Télécom. Haelterman has a “stellar reputation” for tax litigation, especially in high-profile matters. Gregory May is based in Washington, DC, and has a reputation as “an international tax guru”. His practice focuses on structured finance and derivatives, and he is the firm’s most highly nominated practitioner. Robert Scarborough is based in New York and also performed well during our research. He has served as chair of the New York State Bar Association’s tax section and as associate tax legislative counsel at the US Treasury Department.

Loyens & Loeff is a “Benelux tax powerhouse” with an unrivalled position in our Netherlands research, where it boasts nine listed lawyers. It also has a growing international dimension, represented here by lawyers in Singapore and the US. The “excellent” Pieter de Ridder is based in Singapore and is well known for his work for large multinationals entering the Asian market; In New York, Hans de Groot is an “excellent recommendation”. In the Netherlands, meanwhile, Maarten van der Weijden advises clients on Dutch corporate tax and received strong endorsement from clients and peers. Mark Doets’s cross-border expertise was well documented, as was Marc Klerks’s experience in the private funds field. Carola van den Bruinhorst has an international practice with clients that include Canadian, US and Italian multinationals. Ronald Wijs is the “go-to-guy” for European cross-border corporate tax planning and Mark van Casteren is often sought by US companies to provide advice on Dutch tax law. Arnoud Viersen and Paul Simonis are based in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, respectively and also received sufficient nominations to be included. In Luxembourg we identify three Loyens lawyers: Jean-Pierre Winandy, Paul Simonis and Pieter Stalman. Winandy chairs the management committee of Loyens & Loeff Luxembourg and heads the tax practice group. He has a great deal of experience in tax litigation and is one of the “strongest lawyers around”. Stalman’s practice concentrates on cross-border transactions and group restructuring with knowledge of Japan and China making him “a real asset” to clients. Christian Chéruy is a “big name” in Belgium and received more nominations in the country than anybody else. One source called him “the best for Belgium tax law” and another noted how “clients love him – he really knows what he is doing”. Chéruy’s esteemed colleagues, Xavier Clarebout and Christophe Laurent also performed well in the Belgium research and complete the strong contingent from Loyens & Loeff.

Baker & McKenzie has 11 practitioners in this edition, including an impressive showing of six listings in the US. It also has the benefit of strong individual presence in Asia with Michael Olesnicky in Hong Kong and Yukinori Watanabe in Japan. His peers regard Olesnicky as a “figurehead” and he was the only lawyer we selected for the Hong Kong section. Luis Briones Fernandez is a “good name” in Spain as is Fred de Hosson in the Netherlands. Ronald Evans is known for his expertise in transfer pricing matters and tax planning and is based in Venezuela. The firm has individuals listed in five US states. At the head of the pack is David Tillinghast in New York. Tillinghast advised on the strategic restructuring of InfoNXX, which included major foreign debt financing, issuance of shares to private investors with redemptions of shares from existing shareholders. Richard Lipton in Chicago and Leonard Terr in Washington, DC were highlighted to researchers for their prolific writing and tax controversy expertise. John Peterson is chair of the firm’s global tax practice group in Palo Alto where the “brilliant” Gary Sprague also practises.

USA AND CANADA

Ten US-based experts from Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP appear on the following pages. The Washington, DC, office is home to “a galaxy of stars” including the highly regarded Paul Oosterhuis (global head of Skadden’s regulatory practices), Pamela Olson, Kenneth Gideon, Fred Goldberg and the “excellent” Hal Hicks. Matthew Rosen has an established reputation in New York and is joined in this office by Edward Gonzalez, Barnet Phillips and Diana Lopo. Gonzalez has represented Bank of America, Bank of Scotland, National Australia Bank, HSBC and Société Générale in raising financings. Louis Freeman is one of Chicago’s most highly nominated practitioners and is active in the American Bar Association Tax Section, where he has served as chair of the committee on corporate tax. The firm also has talent spread across Europe, including Philippe Derouin in Paris, Hans-Georg Berg in Frankfurt and Tim Sanders in London. Berg was described by one source as “simply the best”.

McDermott Will & Emery LLP has nine names in this edition. Lowell Yoder is another name from Chicago’s “stellar bar”. He co-chairs the international tax practice group and focuses on international tax planning for multinational companies. Andrea Kramer is also based in Chicago. Peter Faber from New York is well known for having carved out a niche in state tax. Stephen Wells is partner-in-charge of the Washington, DC, tax practice and is joined by the “great” Steven Hannes and William Goldman. Peter Nias is head of the London tax department and is joined in this office by David Ryder. Both have established strong international reputations, as has Dirk Pohl, head of the firm’s German tax practice group.

Peter Blessing in Shearman & Sterling LLP’s New York office is one of the most highly nominated practitioners in our research overall. Blessing was part of the team that represented Deutsche Bank Securities, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and RBS, as representatives of the underwriters in connection with Ford Motor Credit Company LLC’s public offering. Also in the US is the “very well known” Robert Rudnick from the Washington, DC office. Niels Dejean in Paris and Iain Scoon in London give the firm international credentials.

Peter Canellos heads the tax department at Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz and is another name on our breakdown of the practice area’s elite. He was described to researchers as “an excellent negotiator” and “someone you would really want to talk to”. Jodi Schwartz joins him in New York. Also on our list of most highly regarded practitioners is James Fuller from Fenwick & West LLP – a “big player” and “excellent recommendation” according to clients and peers. Fuller is joined here by Walter Raineri and David Forst. H David Rosenbloom represents Caplin & Drysdale Chartered in Washington, DC. Known as an “international specialist” Rosenbloom has served as a tax policy adviser for the US Treasury, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank in Eastern Europe and the Baltic States, the former Soviet Union, Senegal, Malawi and South Africa.

Peter Glicklich represents Canadian firm Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP in New York, where he is managing partner. He is involved on an ongoing basis for Cadim and PSP Investments in the tax implications of their investment in a diversified range of products. Nathan Boidman is based in Montreal and has an unsurpassed reputation for cross-border matters. The remaining six “excellent” practitioners are based in the Toronto office. Stephen Ruby represented Cominar REIT as it entered into a binding asset purchase agreement with Homburg Invest to purchase 6.5 million square feet of office and industrial properties. John Ulmer is well known for his knowledge of Canadian REITs and he is currently advising several of these on compliance with the new REIT legislation. David Smith QC, David Ward QC, R Ian Crosbie and Ronald Wilson complete this impressive showing.

Jack Bernstein from Aird & Berlis LLP received more nominations than any other practitioner in Canada. He is chair of the firm’s international tax practice and appears on our list of the most highly regarded individuals.

EUROPE

Clifford Chance LLP has nine “leading lights” in this edition, three of whom work in the London office. David Harkness is global head of tax, pensions and employment and a “top choice for multinational companies”. Douglas French and Jonathan Elman join Harkness in our London list. The “impressive” Eric Davoudet is based in Paris alongside Alexandre Lagarrigue and Eric Zeller, a prolific writer on French tax issues. In Brussels we list Thierry Blockerye and Frank de Vos appears in our Amsterdam list. “Italian tax expert” Carlo Galli is based in the firm’s Milan office and received praise from clients and peers alike.

Seven practitioners from Allen & Overy LLP feature in this edition. Patrick Mears advised WPP on its issue of £450 million guaranteed convertible bonds. The firm is well represented in the German section thanks to the “very experienced” Eugen Bogenschuetz and Gottfried Breuninger, who joined Allen & Overy in October 2008. Jean Schaffner is the partner in charge of the tax department in the Luxembourg office and received a great deal of praise from his competitors in this jurisdiction. Likewise Patrick Smet, who heads the tax practice in Brussels. Siamak Mostafavi in Paris is well regarded and the firm also appears in the US list thanks to David Lewis in New York.

Slaughter and May put in a strong performance in London with four of “the City’s best” in this section. Steve Edge is “an absolutely outstanding tax lawyer”and is the most highly nominated practitioner in our research. His broad practice sees him acting for a variety of clients including non-UK multinationals. He has special expertise representing US companies. Graham Airs was part of the team that advised Standard Chartered in relation to a £1 billion equity placing. Sara Luder and the “impressive” Tony Beare also feature prominently in our research.

A&L Goodbody outperformed its competitors in the Irish research with four practitioners selected for inclusion. Peter Maher received more nominations than anyone else in Ireland with one London-based lawyer calling him his “first port of call in Dublin”. James Somerville, David Glynn and the “senior and experienced” John Hickson join Maher in this edition.

The most highly nominated practitioner in France is Edouard Milhac from CMS Bureau Francis Lefebvre. Milhac is a “lawyer of exceptional skill” and more than one source commented on the “great relationship” he forges with his clients. Paul Sleurink is one of two lawyers listed from De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek. Sleurink is the most highly nominated lawyer in Amsterdam and worked on Banco Santander’s e71 billion offer, together with Fortis and RBS, for ABN AMRO. Dick Hofland joins him in the Netherlands section. Guglielmo Maisto from Maisto e Associati in Milan is the leading practitioner in Italy with a number of sources making him their “number one choice” in Italy.

REST OF THE WORLD

Richard Dukes from Atanaskovic Hartnell is the most highly nominated practitioner in Australia. Dukes is particularly experienced in cross-border transactions within Australia, Asia, the US and Europe. Greenwoods & Freehills Pty Limited performed well with three practitioners from this specialist tax practice listed. Paul King, Andrew Mills and Simon Clark all received praise from international sources for their “impressive practices”.

The leading corporate tax lawyer in Mexico is Manuel Tron from Tron Abogados. Tron is “extremely proactive, practical yet innovative” according to one client. In Brazil, Xavier Bernardes Bragança Sociedade de Advogados stands out thanks to Alberto Xavier and Roberto Duque Estrada. Clients praised the firm’s “excellent legal services on offer to their international clients, combining highest legal skills with a personalised manner” and Xavier’s “outstanding reputation” was also highlighted on a number of occasions.

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