JD Journal » tax practices

Skadden On Top Of Tax Practice Heap In 2010

eric — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:10:52 +0000

Chambers has presented Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom with its annual Award for Excellence in the Tax Category. Awards, which were presented yesterday in New York, coincide with the release of the 2010 edition of Chambers USA.

With a depth of transactional experience, Skadden continues to develop a group of tax specialists with experience in virtually every type of matter, domestic or international, that presents significant tax issues. With approximately 150 tax lawyers including 45 partners, the firm’s tax group coordinates its efforts with firm attorneys in other disciplines to provide a team approach to each client matter.

Skadden is a New York City based firm with 2,000 lawyers in offices around the world including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Toronto, Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Beijing, Hong Kong and Sydney.

Sutherland Asbill Hires Associates

Erik Even — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:13:13 +0000

Sutherland Asbill & Brennan has brought on two associates.

J. Page Scully joins from McDermott Will & Emery, as a member of the tax practice group in Washington, DC. Scully got her JD from the Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law.

Angela R. Fox joins Sutherland’s litigation practice group as an associate in Atlanta. She was a judicial extern for Judge Marvin H. Shoob of the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Her JD is from the Georgia State University College of Law.

Founded in 1924, Sutherland Asbill & Brennan focuses on seven major practice areas—corporate, financial services, energy & environmental, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, and tax. It has 450 attorneys, and offices in Atlanta, Austin, Houston, New York and Washington DC.

Venable Brings on 8 for Tax Practice

Erik Even — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:32:17 +0000

Baltimore’s Venable has brought on eight lawyers for its tax and estate planning practice in Los Angeles.

Brad Cohen, Michael Foster, Robin Gilden, and David Schwartz join as partners from Reish Luftman Reicher & Cohen. Name partner Michael Luftman will also soon join Venable. Charles Kolstad joins as of counsel, and Richard Luftman as an associate.

Kyle Neal joins Venable as of counsel from Freeman, Freeman & Smiley.

In March, the firm laid off 64 people and deferred incoming associates.

Venable LLP is a law firm, formerly known as Venable, Baetjer & Howard LLP. It was founded in Baltimore in the post-Civil War period. Today the firm maintains six Northeastern US offices and specializes in patent litigation, labor and employment law and white collar investigations. Venable employs nearly 600 attorneys.

Pillsbury Hiring for Trusts & Estates Practice

Erik Even — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:23:12 +0000

Pillsbury, which fired 155 in March, is hiring lawyers for its trusts & estates practice.

Palo Alto-based partner Jennifer McCall, head of Pillsbury‘s estates, trusts and tax planning group, is “looking to add lawyers in New York, Washington, DC, and expand trusts and estates in Los Angeles.”

She says candidates have to be good at tax law, sensitive with people, and high energy. “It’s hard to find a person with those three main components,” McCall said. “We do find them, but it’s hard.”

The practice is competitive with other Pillsbury groups in terms of rates, as partners bill $650 and up. McCall billed “substantially above 2,000″ hours last year, ranking among the highest-hour billers in the firm.

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is an international law firm with offices located throughout the US and globally, including key financial centers New York, London, Tokyo and Shanghai.

Dehnen Lawyers Opens Washington, DC Office

Erik Even — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:27:05 +0000

Dehnen Lawyers, a small boutique firm in Dusseldorf, Germany, has launched a new office in Washington, DC.

The firm, which has 10 lawyers in its Dusseldorf office, specializes in advising US clients on tax, legislative, and policy issues when working in Germany.

Chairman Peter Dehnen says he will spend one week a month in the Washington office. As business picks up, the office may expand to include one or two more lawyers.

Dehnen formerly worked at Arnold & Porter’s DC office.

Manatt Phelps Lays Off 17 More Lawyers, 8 More Staff

Erik Even — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:22:01 +0000

Two weeks ago, we reported that Manatt, Phelps & Phillips had laid off employees nationwide; 12 attorneys, 3 paralegals, and 32 administrative staff.

Today, Manatt announced the layoff of 25 people today; 17 lawyers and 8 staff.

The firings affect the finance, tax, and advertising practice groups. Severance packages are being offered.

Founded in 1965, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP is a firm of approximately 450 attorneys and other professionals. The firm earned revenues in excess of $240 million in 2007.

Cozen O’Connor Snags 28 Wolf Block Laywers

Erik Even — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:22:22 +0000

Cozen O’Connor is picking up at least 28 attorneys from the now-defunct Wolf Block.

Wolf Block voted this week to dissolve, and the firm’s nearly 300 attorneys are scrambling to find new positions.

Wolf Block executive committee member Robert Silverman has joined Cozen O’Connor, along with 11 attorneys from the private client group and 14 from real estate, and at least three from the tax practice.

Barry Klayman, the one partner from Wolf Block’s Wilmington, Delaware office who didn’t move to Drinker Biddle & Reath, will also join Cozen O’Connor.

Cozen O’Connor PC is a large US law firm based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The firm was ranked 114th on the Am Law 200 Survey in 2008, and ranked 89th on the National Law Journal’s list of the 250 Largest American Law Firms in 2007.

Profits Plummeting at McKee Nelson

Erik Even — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 21:52:53 +0000

The Blog of Legal Times reports that profits are plummeting at New York-based tax & finance boutique McKee Nelson.

The firm has reported a drop in revenue of nearly 16 percent, for gross revenue of $160 million in 2008. Profits per partner plunged 15 percent, or nearly $200,000, to $1.02 million.

The down numbers were foreshadowed in November when the firm laid off 17 lawyers – 13 in its New York office and four in Washington. The layoffs were focused in the mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities, and collateralized debt obligation areas of the firm’s capital markets practice…

Wendy Bernero, the chief marketing officer of the firm, confirmed to the BLT that McKee Nelson was particularly exposed in the capital markets area. She says, in 2007, the practice accounted for about 45 percent of the firm’s revenue. In 2008, however, that number was cut down to about 33 percent.

Via The BLT.

SEC’s Colby Joins Davis Polk & Wardwell

Erik Even — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 22:21:37 +0000

Robert Colby, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s deputy director of the division of trading & markets, will leave the agency this month after 27 years. He will join the Washington, DC office of New York’s Davis Polk & Wardwell.

Colby is credited by the SEC with having led “the development and implementation of investor protection policies, rules and interpretations governing broker-dealers, securities markets, clearance and settlement systems and transfer agents.”

Colby joined the SEC staff in 1981 as a staff attorney in the division, where he was promoted to chief counsel in 1986 and deputy director in 1993.

He graduated with a BA from Bowdoin College, and a JD from Harvard Law School.

Davis Polk & Wardwell is an international law firm that employs more than 740 attorneys, and is primarily known for its corporate, litigation and tax practices.