A&O Shearman’s non-contentious tax offering has a particularly strong reputation for advising multinational companies on cross-border M&A and financial offerings. The team also has considerable experience representing private equity clients and sovereign wealth funds, including China Investment Corporation, in relation to the acquisition and tax-efficient structuring of portfolio companies. Larry Crouch, dividing his time between the firm’s New York and Menlo Park offices, leads the practice. His broad experience covers M&A, capital markets, and joint venture transactions, particularly those involving private equity sellers and buyers. Washington DC’s Todd Lowther offers expertise handling private equity funds and petroleum industry taxation issues. Ryan Bray in Dallas regularly advises emerging growth companies and their founders on choice-of-entity decisions, while New York’s Derek Kershaw handles M&A, private equity and hedge fund investments and structuring, and REITs transactions, among other matters.
A&O Shearman advises governments, financial institutions, corporations, insurance companies, funds, and other clients active in the investment sector on the taxation of financial instruments and derivatives, including CLOs, securitizations, and asset repackagings. The team has particular strengths in REITs, structured product issuances, and administrative rulings and controversies. The practice is headed by New York-based Dave Lewis, who has extensive experience advising on general tax aspects of financial instruments and derivatives and in global tax planning and cross-border structures, and Jack Heinberg, whose practice covers domestic and international tax planning, the taxation of financial instruments and derivatives, cross-border financing, CLOs, securitizations, REITS, debt restructurings and other structured finance transactions. Also in New York, John Hibbard and Dustin Plotnick routinely advises on the taxation of capital markets transactions including securitizations, financial instruments and derivatives, cross-border financing transactions, project finance and FATCA. Caroline Lapidus, who is located in Silicon Valley, has expertise in capital markets, including securitizations, financial instruments, CLOs and derivatives, cross-border financing, project finance, asset management and real estate including REIT investments. Following the completion of the firm’s merger with Shearman & Sterling, the team has expanded. Larry Crouch handles the full spectrum of tax planning matters for domestic and cross-border transactions, with significant experience in transactions involving private equity sellers and buyers. Lorenz Haselberger, who is also based in New York, routinely advises banks, broker dealers, financial exchanges, and sovereign investors, among others, on the tax aspects of financial products, transactions, services, and inbound investments. Washington DC-based Michael Brown has a special focus on a wide range of tax related matters including joint ventures, private equity, hedge fund investments, and the taxation of financial instruments. Andrew Meiser and Daniel Kachmar, who are both based in the New York office, are notable team members.
A&O Shearman offers a strong global tax practice, regularly providing clients with international strategic tax planning advice and representation in a variety of complex transactions as well as tax controversy and cross-border restructuring matters. The team has notable strengths in Chinese tax matters. Team lead Larry Crouch has significant experience advising on the tax aspects of various international transactions including mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and joint ventures. Crouch has particular expertise in transactions involving private equity sellers and buyers. Jay Singer advises clients on tax aspects of corporate transactions, particularly domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, tax-free spin-offs and internal restructurings. Ryan Bray’s practice covers tax planning for domestic and cross-border M&A transactions and advising clients with respect to all corporate tax matters. Bray regularly advises emerging growth companies and their founders in connection with choice-of-entity decisions, including qualified small business stock planning. At the associate level, Matthew Brown supports clients on a wide range of domestic and international tax planning and transactional matters. All lawyers mentioned are in New York. Following the merger with Allen & Overy, the team has expanded. New York-based Dave Lewis, who has vast experience in tax planning for corporate mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, domestic and international joint ventures and global capital markets transactions, and Jack Heinberg, whose practice covers international tax planning, the taxation of financial instruments and derivatives, cross-border financing, CLOs, securitizations and other structured finance transactions. In Silicon Valley, Caroline Lapidus focuses her practice on focused on private capital, where she routinely advises sponsors on the formation and operation of investment funds and carried interest structuring as well as their portfolio investments. John Hibbard, who sits in the New York office, advises on a wide range of tax issues, such as M&A, taxation of capital markets transactions including securitizations, financial instruments and derivatives, cross-border financing transactions, project finance and FATCA.
