Pigalle specializes in tax litigation and cross-border taxation and will be responsible for developing the firm's international tax practice. A manager in the tax group at Landwell should be following Pigalle over to PDGB as well as several clients.
PDGB approached Pigalle several months ago and he was attracted to the idea of helping build the international tax group almost from scratch. He said: "PDGB is not really known for its international tax work so I have to develop a worldwide strategy. Everything needs creating here and that's quite a challenge for me."
Pigalle confirmed that the group will be expanding and possibly seeking international alliances with other firms. He added: "We need to grow. PDGB is very well known for French income taxes and local taxes but its own clientele is growing and expanding outside France so it realized it needs international tax specialists, particularly because of the opportunities coming from problems within the big four."
One of Pigalle's reasons for seeking to leave Landwell was the auditor independence issue gripping professional services firms worldwide. The US has already issued strict regulations (the Sarbanes-Oxley Act) and Pigalle believes that similar regulations are sure to follow in France in the next few months. He is convinced that it will be difficult for Landwell to keep its association with PricewaterhouseCoopers and wanted to leave before it became a problem.
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