PwC LLP > London, England > Firm Profile
PwC LLP Offices
1 EMBANKMENT PLACE
LONDON
WC2N 6RH
England
Profiles
PwC LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings
Corporate and commercial > International business reorganisations Tier 1
PwC LLP offers 'a fantastic level of detailed knowledge' to clients on their international business reorganisations which are often high-profile multi-jurisdictional projects. The corporate and commercial, international business reorganisations team is jointly headed by Georgie Blyth
and Cynthia Chan. Kevin King handles restructuring and transactional engagements for financial services clients, in particular in the banking and investment management sectors. Latika Sharma 's work includes handling the restructuring of international IP portfolios while Laura Freestone advises on global corporate reorganisation projects for international groups. Harry Wilkins specialises in deal-related structuring projects, in particular pre-deal carve-outs and post-deal integrations. Rebecca Boyers is frequently instructed by US and Asian clients, such as Japanese multinational corporates while Stephanie Xintara supports the team in these matters. Practice head(s):
Georgie Blyth; Cynthia Chan
Other key lawyers:
Kevin King; Latika Sharma; Laura Freestone; Harry Wilkins; Rebecca Boyers; Stephanie Xintara
Testimonials
‘Properly understand the complexities of dealing with re-organisations, contracting within MNE groups and alignment with other specialist teams such as tax, where traditional laws firms can struggle.’
‘Special call out for Latika Sharma who has been my go to person for many years when dealing with inter-company contracting. She has deep experience in this area including common business models, which means that I don’t need to invest significantly explaining the objectives and what I am trying to achieve. She just gets it.’
‘Laura Freestone, Monika Gorska and Cynthia Chan are extremely knowledgeable and thorough lawyers, helping to highlight any potential issues that are not necessarily part of their original scope of advice. Able to deliver business-friendly advice on complex matters. Very capable and reliable in any project in which they are involved.’
‘Georgie Blythe – superb support, responsive and knowledgeable lawyer an absolute pleasure to work with. Amber Attard Kingswell – Associate – magnificent support and leadership in complex cross-border reorganizations.’
‘I work with Georgie Blyth. Georgie is calm, very proficient and always finds ways to support our projects, no matter how complex or how “bumpy” the project road is.’
‘We only see a small aspect of what the PwC International Business Reorganisations team do when we liaise with them as external counsel on their various projects. However, the level of expertise and organisation they bring to these extremely complex and wide-ranging projects is exceptional. They have a fantastic level of detailed knowledge on each of the different elements and are able to engage knowledgeable with us on our particular areas even though they will have to have that same level of knowledge across all areas. It’s incredibly impressive.’
‘Georgie Blyth is the standout individual in the team from my perspective. He is incredibly down to earth (belying his intellect!) and whilst obviously leading the team, he is able to effectively get in the weeds of problems where needed. He’s my go to man on any multi-jurisdictional query.’
‘PWC’s key strength is its ability to handle complex cross-border corporate reorganizations, taking leadership to ensure coordination across both their practices and their client’s organization.’
Key clients
Amazon UK Services Limited
Aptiv Plc
Chart Industries Inc.
ESAB Corporation
Honeywell International Inc.
Jacobs Solutions Inc.
Light & Wonder, Inc.
Livent Corporation
Mott MacDonald Group Limited
Resideo Technologies, Inc.
Santori
Sensata Technologies Plc
TD SYNNEX Corporation
The Blackstone Group
Tropicana Products UK Ltd
Work highlights
- Appointed as lead global corporate restructuring legal advisers for Honeywell International Inc., advising on numerous international business reorganisation projects and related matters over the past 12 months.
- Acting for Aptiv plc as the lead legal counsel to support a range of significant multi-territory intra-group corporate transactions and reorganisations.
- Advising Jacobs Solutions, Inc as their primary legal corporate advisers, supporting on a range of multi-jurisdictional corporate transactions and reorganisations, both which have completed in the past year and which shall take place over the forthcoming 12 months.
Corporate and commercial > Customs and excise Tier 2
With particular expertise in multi-jurisdictional customs and excise investigations, tax litigation and international trade, PwC LLP’s indirect tax team assists in a broad range of customs, excise and environmental taxes issues. They are engaged by FTSE 100 companies and major multinationals, as well as private businesses, public sector organisations and professional bodies. The group is led by David Anderson, the UK and global head of indirect tax disputes, and Caroline Brooks, UK environmental tax leader (non-lawyer). Victor Cramer is experienced in indirect taxation, in particular VAT, customs and other indirect taxes, as well as the alternate dispute resolution methods used by HMRC. Holly Grantham and Sophie Tustian are valuable members of the team.Practice head(s):
David Anderson; Caroline Brooks
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Procter & Gamble International Operations SA
Work highlights
- Acted for Procter & Gamble International Operations SA in challenging an application by HMRC to appeal the decision of the First-tier Tribunal on the customs classification of our client’s products – a dispute that goes to the heart of the EU customs regime.
Corporate and commercial > VAT and indirect tax Tier 2
PwC LLP is distinguished by its multidisciplinary team of tax specialists, which includes solicitors and chartered tax accountants. The team is sought out for its expertise in both contentious and non-contentious indirect tax matters, with a client base which includes large multinationals, public sector organisations, and professional bodies. Practice head David Anderson has extensive experience handling indirect tax disputes, including VAT refund settlements. Victor Cramer has strength in ADR, and is highlighted for his significant EU and UK VAT expertise.Practice head(s):
David Anderson
Other key lawyers:
Prinal Nathwani; Victor Cramer; Michael Taylor; Clea Lapogue; Sophie Tustian; Christian Bell
Testimonials
‘Without doubt the best VAT team in the UK. Really know their stuff and always in all the major cases’
‘Christian Bell has a great working relationship with financial services clients. The go-to for any major financial institution with technical VAT issues. David Anderson heads up charities and other matters, but equally effectively.’
‘Victor Cramer has come in from Stewarts to oversee a large number of contentions VAT matters. Fantastic reach and presence. Up-and-coming associates include Clea Lapogue, Sophie Tustian,’
‘Great depth and breadth.’
‘Their expertise and guidance have been invaluable in navigating complex tax matters, and we continuously impressed the depth of knowledge and commercial understanding of our business.’
Key clients
Target Group Limited
Hippodrome Casino Limited
Telent Technology Services Limited
Boehringer Ingelheim Limited
TalkTalk Telecom Limited
Dollar Financial UK Limited
Work highlights
- Represented Target in an appeal concerning the proper scope of certain financial services VAT exemptions.
- Representing Boehringer Ingelheim, in litigation over HMRC’s rejection of their claims for repayment of output tax on supplies of pharmaceutical products to the NHS, with total claims in the region of £60m.
Dispute resolution > Tax litigation and investigations Tier 2
PwC LLP‘s client base includes FTSE 100 groups, Premier League football clubs, and high-net-worth individuals, with the team experienced in the full range of sensitive and complex tax disputes. Mark Whitehouse heads the direct tax practice, co-leading the department alongside David Anderson, who leads on indirect tax. Whitehouse counts transfer pricing and group litigation actions among his key strengths, while Anderson is noted for his aptitude in VAT. Peter Johnson is experienced in multidisciplinary tax disputes, and has a strong track record in litigation.Practice head(s):
Mark Whitehouse; David Anderson
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The PWC disputes litigation team is probably the strongest tax team in the UK for mainstream tax litigation. It routinely appears in all the significant cases in indirect tax, especially VAT. Their all-round ability to resource a case is also phenomenal.’
‘Great depth and breadth’
‘The recruitment of Victor Cramer from Stewarts has strengthened the team – he is very much ‘on the ball’, considered & easy to work with.’
Key clients
Target Group Limited
Boehringer Ingelheim Limited
Thomas Holdings Limited and Thomas Estates Limited
Parker Hannifin (GB) Limited
Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc
Hippodrome Casino Limited
St Patrick’s International College Limited
Experian Plc
Genus plc
Informa plc
Just Eat plc
Keller Group plc
Merlin Entertainments Limited
Royal Mail Group plc
Smith & Nephew plc
Ultra Electronics Holdings plc
Work highlights
- Represented Target in its ground-breaking appeal concerning the proper scope of certain financial services exemptions from VAT.
- Representing a number of pharmaceutical companies in litigation over HMRC’s rejection of their claims for repayment of output tax.
Corporate and commercial > M&A: Smaller Deals, £10m-£100m Tier 3
Employment > Employers Tier 5
PwC LLP frequently assists large UK and international employers on both their day-to-day employment matters, as well as their vital projects. It has considerable experience in diversity related work, and regularly calls on the firm’s multidisciplinary expertise to support clients on issues such as pre-deal planning matters, restructurings, and redundancy exercises. Through its substantial international network, it is well-placed to handle a variety of cross-border work. The team often advises on substantial employment disputes. Chris Perkins heads the practice.Practice head(s):
Chris Perkins
Other key lawyers:
Ed Stacey; Matt Shelley
Testimonials
‘The team are very experienced, able and extremely thorough – you would expect from a top rank organisation such as PWC.’
‘Chris Perkins and Ed Stacey are both exceptional employment lawyers, who bring a wealth of experience, analysis and sound judgment to every case.’
‘Chris Perkins is a very cool and very focused partner when he litigates. He is relentlessly commercial. He will not back down in a real litigation fight and will deploy his team cleverly so that his client’s case is built as strongly as possible.’
‘Strong, enthusiastic team.’
‘Willing to listen and tune the proposed solution to meet our needs.’
‘Always available to give support or perspective. Responsive to our specific needs and willing to invest time to understand us as a customer. Feel like an extension of our own team.’
‘Working with PwC has always been a smooth process, which we really appreciate – they are always pragmatic with their advice and are very knowledgeable about all areas of the law. A well-oiled machine that we thoroughly enjoy working with!’
‘We appreciate the whole team we work with from PwC from partner to associate level, they all provide a great service that is swift and easy.’
Key clients
VFX Financial Plc
Lookers Plc
John Lewis Partnership
British Airways
GE
McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd
Transport for London
Ocean Infinity
Disaronno
Work highlights
- Led a legally privileged workplace behaviour and culture review for a major consumer markets business across the UK and Ireland.
- Supported a household name FS business with a major restructuring exercise affecting 400+ jobs in the UK.
- Advised a multinational FS organisation on the HR legal aspects of the post-acquisition integration of another FS organisation into its group business, in the UK and across 9 other countries.
Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: mid-market Tier 6
Risk advisory > Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity Tier 6
PwC LLP brings a ‘detailed understanding of complex privacy topics‘ to a cross-border roster of data protection mandates. Chris Cartmell ‘leads this team in an excellent manner‘, and regularly assists with international data transfers and breach responses. Sarah Gee is a key contact for clients from the financial services, fintech and technology sectors.Practice head(s):
Chris Cartmell
Other key lawyers:
Sarah Gee; Stephanie Baker; Orla Middlemiss; Lucas Saric
Testimonials
‘The sense of collaboration on the project made us feel confident they would deliver exceptionally well, and that was the case. They have the knowledge and work ethic required to deliver services with excellence.’
‘Detailed understanding of complex privacy topics, across multiple jurisdictions.’
‘Responsive, great at understanding our business and needs.’
‘It strikes me their organisational culture is very much on point, focussing on service excellence, first-class engagement, understanding client needs and delivery.’
‘Chris Cartmell is a professional, approachable, trusted, knowledgable, open, positive, proactive communicator and facilitor.’
‘Chris Cartmell leads this team in an excellent manner, being available himself when he needs to but also letting the team members take the lead when possible. Chris provides very pragmatic hands-on advice: a clear yes or no when you need it.’
‘The team’s friendly and practical approach makes them feel like they’re an extension of our own team. They take the time to understand the business and adapt their approaches accordingly. The advice that they provide is clear and easy to apply in practice.’
‘I would like to commend Chris Cartmell and Orla Middlemiss. They are both excellent and professional lawyers with quick turnaround times, immediately usable results and a practical eye for the bigger picture. They are also both extremely pleasant to work with.’
Key clients
KFC Europe S.A.R.L.
Axon Enterprise, Inc.
Mott MacDonald Limited
Link Group Service Company Limited
Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation
Work highlights
- Assisted KFC Europe with a data protection compliance review and remediation exercise for KFC restaurants in Western Europe.
- Advising Axon Enterprise on data protection and privacy issues in connection with its development and deployment of surveillance systems in multiple jurisdictions, as well as advising on engagements with governments and regulatory bodies.
- Advising Mott MacDonald on a variety of data protection matters.
Real estate > Environment
PwC LLP > Firm Profile
The legal profession is going through significant change. Legal teams must adapt quickly to changing client and employee demands brought on by advances in technology. There is a growing need to get more value from legal services and those teams that succeed will be agile, innovative and knowledgeable.
International business reorganisations (IBR): In a fast-changing global marketplace large organisations need to achieve structural and business flexibility. However, businesses undertaking any structural change must be alert to the legal risks involved. PwC’s international structuring lawyers are skilled in managing these risks; designing multi-jurisdictional structuring plans and providing full implementation support for our client base of multinational FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies.
Intellectual property (IP): Our experts are highly experienced at helping clients to protect, optimise and commercialise their intellectual property and other business assets. We assist companies of all sizes and across all sectors with their complex intellectual property and commercial needs, working closely with non-legal specialists and PwC’s own extensive legal network around the world.
Data protection: PwC provides business-critical support on data protection, privacy, confidentiality and security matters to businesses, governments and public authorities globally. Successful strategy development, execution and compliance monitoring require the blended skills of a multidisciplinary professional services team, which PwC is uniquely placed to provide.
Banking and finance: The team advises on a wide variety of domestic and cross-border finance transactions, including real estate and development finance, leveraged and acquisition finance, corporate facilities and receivables finance. While we regularly handle traditional transactional banking matters for borrowers and lenders alike, we also provide advice on large-scale transactions such as LIBOR transition projects, complex solvent restructuring and the establishment of in-house banks and other lending vehicles.
Indirect tax: Our indirect tax disputes lawyers are integrated into PwC’s indirect tax business, enabling us to offer clients a fully integrated tax disputes service covering all stages of a dispute from initial enquiry and investigation to final resolution, either by agreement or through the courts. With our in-depth knowledge of all aspects of indirect tax and VAT, and customs and excise we are often asked to conduct pre-litigation investigations for clients to identify potential disputes with HMRC, thereby offering a broader range of options than are available at the litigation stage and helping clients to make properly informed decisions. Clients also appreciate PwC’s depth of technical knowledge and experience of varied dispute resolution styles, including ADR or treaty resolution as well as tax litigation.
Direct tax: PwC has a strong practice in handling direct tax disputes – concerning corporation tax, capital gains tax, VAT, environmental taxes, NIC – before the UK Tax Tribunals (First-tier and Upper), High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and the European Courts. We also handle dispute strategy planning, settlement negotiations and ADR as well as HRCP settlement negotiations, including enquiry management such as limitation of issues, tax authority information gathering and international matters. The team regularly coordinates simultaneous challenges to tax authority decisions across multiple jurisdictions, protecting our clients’ position to the fullest possible extent. We also coordinate investigations and enquiries involving numerous tax authorities, including cross-border information gathering and the use of tax treaty dispute resolution mechanisms.
Environmental regulatory: PwC’s leading team advises clients on all aspects of environmental and sustainability risk management and compliance, and can also help clients to optimise their day-to-day operations. Typical work includes permits, contamination issues and carbon regulation, corporate or property transactions/restructuring, supply chain ESG reporting and environmental disputes relating to contamination, nuisance or other issues. Wework closely with specialist environmental tax and sustainability colleagues to provide commercial advice in a range of sectors – particularly the waste management sector, industrial manufacturing and services, and the retail and consumer markets.
ESG:The world is on a fast trajectory towards a more sustainable future. This journey will lead to increased environmental and sustainability regulation across all sectors of the economy. PwC can help to identify and harness the opportunities arising from these changing environmental, social and governance regulations and ensure that your company is ready to achieve full compliance. We provide commercial, market focused advice to clients in a range of sectors, including manufacturing, oil and gas, energy and waste, and construction.
Employment: More than ever, employment law issues are receiving significant attention. Businesses must attract and retain top talent, adapting to changing employee expectations and engaging the workforce of the future. Understanding the rapidly developing employment law landscape and managing associated risks is a key part of this. PwC counts among our clients many household names and we have considerable experience of all key industry sectors. The multidisciplinary team includes specialists in tax, rewards, pensions, mobility, immigration, HR and incentives, allowing us to handle the most complex multi-faceted matters.
Entity governance and compliance (EGC): Recent regulatory change, both in the UK and globally, has focused attention on the importance to businesses of having robust compliance controls in place. PwC works with businesses to review, design and implement corporate governance structures that help them reduce liability, control costs and manage risks. We can provide integrated services that combine support for ‘business-as-usual’ activities on an annual, fixed fee basis with advice on discrete projects to, for example, address known risks and provide for ad hoc project and advisory support within a transparent pricing framework.
Financial services – corporate and regulatory: PwC regularly advises on international business reorganisations in the banking, insurance, asset and wealth management, and fintech, payments and crypto sectors. This also includes support with M&A, investments and joint ventures. Using sophisticated legal techniques our skilled team is particularly adept at delivering cross-border projects in highly regulated sectors or where the assets and liabilities are unusually complex.
NewLaw: Combining PwC’s unique consulting methodology, data analytics and in-depth knowledge of the legal services market, our NewLaw team provides support to clients in managing and transforming their legal operations, providing process and technology optimised managed legal services and contract review and remediation services.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head of UK Legal Business Solutions | Trusha Kachhela | [email protected] | +44 (0)7808774896 |
| Corporate & Commercial: IBR | Georgie Blyth | [email protected] | +44 (0)7595 850056 |
| Corporate & Commercial: IBR | Cynthia Chan | [email protected] | +44 (0)7887 733399 |
| Corporate & Commercial: Regions | John Clegg | [email protected] | +44 (0)7748 388519 |
| Corporate & Commercial: Intellectual Property | Latika Sharma | [email protected] | +44 (0)7887 733399 |
| Corporate & Commercial: Banking & Finance | Annalie Croney | [email protected] | +44 (0)7590 353745 |
| Corporate & Commercial: Cyber Security & Data protection | Chris Cartmell | [email protected] | +44 (0)7483 353965 |
| Indirect Tax | David Anderson | [email protected] | +44 (0)7715 211529 |
| Direct Tax | Mark Whitehouse | [email protected] | +44 (0)7715 705102 |
| Environmental Regulatory | Georgie Messent | [email protected] | +44 (0)7870 598098 |
| Employment | Chris Perkins | [email protected] | +44 (0)7595 609623 |
| Employment | Ed Stacey | [email protected] | +44 (0)7725 445168 |
| Employment | Laura Nadel | [email protected] | +44 (0)7725 068104 |
| Employment | Tom Williams | [email protected] | +44 (0)7841 103973 |
| EGC | Jonathan Gibson | [email protected] | +44 (0)7764 235240 |
| ESG | Matthew Timmons | [email protected] | +44 (0)7764 958130 |
| Financial Services: Corporate | Kevin King | [email protected] | +44 (0)7887 733399 |
| Financial Services: Regulatory | Andrzej Wieckowski | [email protected] | +44 (0)7483 323140 |
| NewLaw | Simon Leach | [email protected] | +44 7725 827539 |
Lawyer Profiles
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David Anderson | David is a partner and leads the indirect tax team at PwC,… | View Profile |
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Georgie Blyth | Georgie is a Partner and UK & EMEA International Business Reorganisations Leader. | View Profile |
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Cynthia Chan | Cynthia is a Corporate partner in PwC’s international business reorganisations team in… | View Profile |
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Kris Charik | Kris is a Director in our UK and Global EGC team. Kris… | View Profile |
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Annalie Croney | Annalie Croney is a solicitor and partner and leads PwC’s UK Legal… | View Profile |
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Laura Freestone | Laura is a Director and corporate lawyer (qualified in Scotland) in PwC’s… | View Profile |
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Jonathan Gibson | Jonathan is Head of UK and Global EGC at PwC, which is… | View Profile |
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Tilly Harries | Tilly is a qualified barrister with 15 years’ experience of advising on… | View Profile |
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Peter Johnson | Peter is a solicitor, chartered accountant and chartered tax adviser in the… | View Profile |
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Kevin King | Kevin is a corporate partner specialising in engagements in the financial services… | View Profile |
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Tom Lewis | Tom is a Director in PwC’s International Business Reorganisations legal team, and… | View Profile |
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Georgie Messent | Georgie Messent leads the environmental and sustainability legal team. She advises clients… | View Profile |
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Christopher Neill | Christopher is a Director in the NewLaw team and has significant experience… | View Profile |
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Chris Perkins | Chris is a Partner is the Employment practice. | View Profile |
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Pritul Shah | Pritul is a Director in our UK and Global EGC Team. Pritul… | View Profile |
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Latika Sharma | Intellectual Property Legal Leader, Latika is a Director with more than 20… | View Profile |
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Ed Stacey | Ed is a partner in the Employment legal team. He has a… | View Profile |
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Charlotte Thackrah | Charlotte is a Director in our UK and Global EGC Team. Charlotte… | View Profile |
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Matt Timmons | Matt is a Director in our UK and Global EGC team. Matt… | View Profile |
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Mark Whitehouse | Mark leads the Direct Tax Disputes practice. He is one of the… | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Number of UK Partners & Directors : 47 Number of UK Legal Professionals : 497 Legal, Technology & Consulting Professionals Number of Global Legal Professionals : 4,000+ Legal, Technology & Consulting Professionals, across 100+ territoriesPwC LLP > Firm Profile
Firm Overview
We believe businesses need legal services that provide certainty in a time of disruption, that help them think differently and even turn that disruption into their advantage. We quickly identify opportunities and risks and provide clear, actionable advice on the best response. We’re legal partners who embrace technology to enable smarter, faster decision making. We understand our client’s businesses and how they need to evolve.
At PwC we’ve got lawyers. But we’ve also got accountants, consultants, experts in industries, deals, risk, tax and technology. We work together to help clients unlock value throughout their business while protecting their people and their organisation.
Main areas of Practice
Our Legal Business Solutions team brings the best of business understanding, technology innovation and Legal expertise, to advise our clients on industry and technology trends.
- International Business Reorganisations (IBR)
- Intellectual Property (IP)
- Data Protection
- Banking & Finance
- Indirect Tax
- Direct Tax
- Environmental Regulatory
- ESG
- Entity, Governance and Compliance (EGC)
- Financial Services
- NewLaw
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
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Languages
English German French Spanish Hungarian Turkish Portuguese ItalianPress Releases
A new management team to deploy the “PwC Legal 2025” strategy: Catherine Baflast becomes managing partner as of October 1, 2021
23rd September 2021 At the end of her mandate at the head of PwC Legal, the time has come for Cindy Arces to hand over the reins to Catherine Baflast, who will become managing partner as of October 1, 2021. This succession and change in governance has been prepared for several months.Comparative Guides
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Greece: Private Client
Published: January 2024
Authors: Costas KalliderisMantha Stamatiou
This country-specific Q&A provides an overview of Private Client laws and regulations applicable in Greece.
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Greece: Securitisation
Published: March 2024
Authors: Kely PesketziPalmyra Chantzara Cleo Lagadianou
This country-specific Q&A provides an overview of Securitisation laws and regulations applicable in Greece.
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Poland: Alternative Investment Funds
Published: September 2024
Authors: Wojciech TrzcińskiFilip BrachŁukasz ŁyczkoKatarzyna Kaczmarzyk
This country-specific Q&A provides an overview of Alternative Investment Funds laws and regulations applicable in Poland.
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Belgium: Tax
Published: October 2024
Authors: Patrice Delacroix Véronique De Brabanter
This country-specific Q&A provides an overview of Tax laws and regulations applicable in Belgium.
- Corporate and commercial > International business reorganisations
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Corporate and commercial > Customs and excise
- Corporate and commercial > VAT and indirect tax
- Dispute resolution > Tax litigation and investigations