Market insight: Lawyer moves

Mumbai-based firm White and Brief has announced the addition of two taxation lawyers to its team.

Vineet Nagla joins the firm as a partner heading the taxation, customs and regulatory practices. He comes to the firms from Economic Laws Practice, where he spent more than eight years. He also previously spent several years with Deloitte. He has a particular expertise in indirect taxes, customs work and regulations.

Associate partner Prateek Bansal also joins from Economic Laws Practice, where he had been for more than six and a half years. His work is focused on indirect taxes, customs and foreign trade policy.

International firm Baker McKenzie has announced the addition of a partner to its Los Angeles-based tax practice.

Ethan Kroll joins the firm from EY, where he had been for two years, in what is his third period of employment with the firm. Having initially worked in the Palo Alto for almost three years he briefly moved to Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom before joining the LA practice for almost six years, first as an associate and later as a partner, prior to moving to EY.

His work is focused on international tax planning, IP migrations, business transformations, transfer pricing and transaction tax matters.

Canadian firm Borden Ladner Gervais has appointed a partner to its tax group based in Calgary.

Robert Nearing joins the firm from another firm in the city. His work is focused primarily on tax structuring, in particular in relation to transactional tax matters. He also advises on the structuring of derivative instruments, TP and disputes with domestic and international tax authorities.

International firm Goodwin Procter announced the arrival of a tax partner in its London office.

Dulcie Daly joins the firm from Kirkland & Ellis, where she had been for almost 12 years, most recently serving as partner. Prior to that she had been with Clifford Chance for five years.

Her work is primarily focused on transactional tax matters, in particular tax-related advice for cross-border private equity and M&A transactions.

International firm Kirkland & Ellis as announced the addition of a partner to its New York-based tax practice.

Michael Masri joins the firm from Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, where he had served as partner for more than two years. Prior to that he had held positions in Norton Rose Fulbright and White & Case.

His work is focused on tax matters related to renewables and infrastructure. This includes advice on energy tax credits, government incentive programmes, project finance and project development, M&A and leasing transactions.

International tax network Andersen Global has added several new offices to its group in Europe.

This includes the signing of a collaboration agreement with NSF, which is based in both Zurich and Vaduz, Liechtenstein. The firm includes five partners and more than 40 professionals.

The group also signed an agreement with Monaco-based advisory firm EBC Trust. Established in 1975, the team of seven professionals is led by office managing partner Richard Maclellan and specialises in corporate and private client services. Its areas of focus include the active management of underlying assets as well as accounting and reporting services.

In Turkey, the network also signed an agreement with Istanbul-based firm ECC Denetim. A relative newcomer to the market, it was only established by managing partner Celal Çelik in 2020. It is the group’s second member firm based in Istanbul.

German firm Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek announced the addition of an equity partner to its transactional and tax team in Hamburg.

Henrik Lay joins the team from Arends Hofert Bergemann, where he had been for more than five years, having previously worked at Watson Farley & Williams and Latham & Watkins.

His practice focuses on corporate tax law, in particular transactional work, with notable experience working in the real estate sector.

Spanish firm Pérez-Llorca has announced a Supreme Court judge has joined its tax practice as of counsel.

Jesús Cudero joins the firm as a Senior Judge on leave of absence from the Second Section of the Administrative Chamber of the Supreme Court.

He brings with him more than 35 years of experience in the market, most notably in litigation and tax matters.

Canadian firm Osler Hoskin & Harcourt announced the return of a partner to its taxation group in Toronto.

Amanda Heale re-joins the firms from Blake Cassels & Graydon, where she had been for almost a year and a half. Prior to that, she had been with Osler for 13 years, both as an associate and as a partner.

Her work is focused on tax issues related to international tax and TP, domestic and cross-border M&A and tax controversy. She has been involved in some of Canada’s most significant TP disputes, including the first and only TP case heard by the Supreme Court of Canada.

International firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher announced the addition of a partner to its tax practice.

Michael Desmond is a former Chief Counsel of the US Internal Revenue Service and Assistant General Counsel in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He joins the firm’s tax controversy practice and will be based between the Los Angeles and Washington DC offices.

He brings with him more than 25 years of experience in the tax space, working for both government institutions and in private practice. His work will primarily focus on pre-filing planning, administrative audits and appeals, and litigation in the United States Tax Court, federal refund forums and federal courts of appeal.

Specialist tax advisory firm Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills announced the elevation of one of its lawyers to the partnership.

Chris Aboud, who is based in the firm’s Sydney office, is a member of its real estate group and has a focus on advising on real estate, high net wealth and land tax issues.

He has been with the firm for more than 10 years, having previously had roles at both Deloitte and PwC.

Big Four firm Deloitte has added a partner to its tax practice in Dubai to serve as the leader of the firm’s Middle East Transfer Pricing practice.

Mohamed Serokh joins the group from fellow Big Four practice PwC, where he had been for more than 15 years and served in roles in Dubai, Switzerland and London.

The team he takes over includes more than 30 TP professionals located throughout the region, including in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar, Oman and Cyprus, among others.

Brazilian firm Martinelli Advogados announced the promotion of three of its team to senior partner in its office in São Paulo

Lyzannia Renner, Breno Cônsoli and Rodrigo Oliveira are all tax specialists, offering a range of different practices and experience within the space.

Renner has been with the firm for 10 years and has a particular focus on federal credit reimbursement.

Cônsoli has been with the firm for more than six years, having joined from Advogado Tributarista in 2015. His work is primarily focused on litigation and tax controversy matters.

Oliveira has been with the firm since 2008, when he joined the team as an intern.

International firm Mayer Brown announced the addition of a tax controversy partner to its practice in Chicago.

Jenny Austin joins the firm from Morgan Lewis & Bockius, where she had been for more than three and a half years. Prior to that she had held roles with Baker McKenzie and Monsanto.

Her work tax controversy and litigation including audits, administrative appeals and alternative dispute resolution forums. She has experience in matters covering life sciences, retail, healthcare, and technology companies.

Benelux firm Loyens & Loeff announced the addition of a partner to its international tax services group in Belgium.

Nicolas Lippens joins the firm rom Linklaters, where he had been for almost 20 years, serving in roles from associate through to partner since 2013.

He joins as the sixth partner of the firm’s tax practice, and brings with him particular experience working in the fields of corporate tax, European tax law, corporate restructurings and the tax aspects of investment vehicles. He also has a notable record in controversy work, having represented clients on several high-profile litigation matters with the Belgian tax authorities.

Brazilian tax firm CBLM Advogados has announced the addition of a partner to its São Paulo office.

Nereida Horta joins the firm from international tax network Andersen, where she had been for nine months. Prior to that, she had spent more than 19 years in various in-house roles with food production company Cargill.

She brings with her more than 30 years of experience in the market, working in-house, with major international firms and in government roles. Her work is focused on global and local tax planning, as well as consulting and compliance, across sectors such as agribusiness, food, finance, technology, internet, payment arrangements and start-ups.

Brazilian firm Dias Carneiro Advogados announced the addition of team of lawyers to its tax and customs practice in São Paulo

Partner Maurício Braga Chapinoti joins the firm from Vidigal Neto Advogados, where he had been for more than two years, and brings along counsel Rafael Balanin and associate Victória de Oliveira Dourado.

Chapinoti is focused on tax consulting and litigation matters, particularly working with clients in sectors including financial and capital, telecommunications, energy, real estate, and intellectual property.

International firm Mayer Brown announced the appointment of partner to its tax transactions and consulting practice based in New York.

Michelle Jewett joins the firm from Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, where she had been for more than four years. She had previously held roles with Morrison & Foerster and Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy.

Her work is focused primarily on working with private investment funds and real estate and real estate investment trusts, advising on a range of different matters including restructuring cross-border taxable and tax-free mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, and domestic and foreign private equity investment, among many others.

International firm Goodwin Procter announced the addition of a partner to its Munich tax practice.

Oded Schein brings with him more than 15 years of experience in German and international tax planning and provides tax-related advice in the context of cross-border private equity transactions.

Prior to joining the firm he had spent 13 years with fellow US firm Kirkland & Ellis.