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Vault Law Resource Center

Tax

Overview

In larger firms, tax attorneys generally divide into one of two areas: transactional tax and tax controversy. Transactional tax attorneys counsel clients on tax issues that may arise in M&A and other transactions and advise on how to structure entities and transactions so as to lessen tax burdens. Tax controversy attorneys advise clients involved in audits and litigation involving tax issues. Tax attorneys often will earn an LL.M. in tax either immediately after law school or after a few years of practice. The work can often be deadline intensive, as tax lawyers are often called upon near the end of a transaction. Tax lawyers must keep up with complex and ever-changing laws and regulations at the federal and state levels that affect their work and generally do not have a tremendous amount of client interaction.

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Practice Area Q&A’s

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

Susanna Parker

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McDermott Will & Emery

Bradford E. LaBonte & Michael Hilkin

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Ropes & Gray

Kristen Winckler

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Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

Tijana J. Dvornic

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McDermott Will & Emery

Elizabeth Lu & Eric Carstens

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Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Isaac Wheeler

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"When it comes down to it, what we do is exercise our judgment about areas of the law where the answer is usually not perfectly clear. And that is an activity where the client benefits from multiple perspectives and open discussion, which ultimately leads to the best possible
outcome for them."

— Isaac Wheeler , Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

"There is nothing more satisfying than working through the intricacies of the tax rules to come up with a fresh and innovative way to accomplish a client’s economic and business objectives in
a more tax-efficient way than initially appeared possible."

— Tijana J. Dvornic , Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

"Tax practice seems to be becoming more and more specialized. Clients seek tax attorneys who have extensive experience in specific industries. Young attorneys preparing themselves for a tax practice must find the right balance between being a generalist and getting a broad-based
understanding of tax with a specialized focus area."

— Kristen Winckler , Ropes & Gray

"I like that tax planning is both technical and collaborative. It’s technical, so it’s intellectually satisfying, and there’s always something new to learn. It’s collaborative in that we work on teams with our clients to come up with solutions to address their tax challenges."

— Elizabeth Lu , McDermott Will & Emery

Advice from Vault Law

Practice Area Insights: Tax

Practice Area Insights: Tax

By Vault Law Editors

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