North America - United States • Tax
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP routinely acts for major multinational clients, including Apple, Microsoft, and Pfizer, in business-critical SALT matters. The department is particularly strong in California, where it regularly handles appeals, audits, and administrative procedures. SALT expert Carley Roberts leads the team from Sacramento and acts in litigation and administrative matters in addition to maintaining a robust non-contentious practice. San Francisco lawyer Jeffrey Vesley, who previously co-led the group alongside Roberts, remains active in a range of SALT matters. Zachary Atkins, who is based in Nashville, made partner in January 2024 and is described by clients as ‘a future leader in the space.’
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team is very informative and responds to questions in a timely manner.’
‘Carley Roberts demonstrated great collaboration and expertise. She also had a great deal of knowledge regarding our company and was able to speak to historic positions.’
'I find the Pillsbury SALT team to be the clear #1 option when it comes to Sales and Use Tax matters.'
'Carley Roberts is one of, if not the, preeminent SALT practitioner(s), always having a pulse on what rules are changing and how they might impact my business, being hyper-responsive to business and administrative needs, and is the best lead service partner I've worked with in my career.'
'Zachary Atkins has been a key contributor to supporting my team on all matters, big and small, thinking and advising commercially about how to best position our business, and has all the makings of a future leader in the space.'
Key clients
- Apple, Inc.
- AT&T
- Chevron Corporation
- Coca-Cola Company, The
- DIRECTV
- General Electric Company
- Johnson & Johnson
- Microsoft Corporation
- MUFG Union Bank
- Pfizer
- Walmart
- Walt Disney Company, The
Work highlights
- Represented Microsoft in a high-profile case of first impression in two Superior Court actions against the City and County of San Francisco involving a gross receipts tax.
- Represented Chevron Corporation in two separate disputes with the Oregon Department of Revenue, involving complex sales factor apportionment issues.
- Advised a renewable energy company managing $22b in assets on a number of state and local tax issues, including transaction tax and property tax planning involving various utility-scale solar photovoltaic projects.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Carley Roberts