2020 Family Office Tax Roundtable

Kevin J. Feeley focuses his practice on the taxation of complex transactions, with particular emphasis on structuring and implementing partnership and limited liability company transactions, including joint ventures and private equity investments. In addition, Kevin has extensive experience in structuring mergers and acquisitions, tax-free reorganizations, recapitalizations and restructurings of financially troubled companies. He also has advised closely held companies, family offices, S corporations and cooperative organizations on tax planning issues and strategies.

Kevin advises sponsors of and investors in private equity funds, hedge funds and other alternative investment structures. His work for sponsors includes advising on the acquisitions and dispositions of portfolio companies, and structuring roll-over equity for sellers, partnership equity compensation arrangements for management, and blocker arrangements for tax-exempt and foreign investors. He also counsels a number of large pension funds and university endowments on the tax implications of alternative investments.

Kevin has authored a number of articles and is a frequent lecturer on federal tax topics, having spoken before a number of professional organizations and trade associations, including Tax Executives Institute (TEI) chapter meetings and the Chicago Tax Club. While in law school, he was executive editor of the Law Review. Kevin has also been an adjunct faculty member at Chicago Kent College of Law and DePaul University School of Law.

Gary C. Karch advises clients on the federal income tax aspects of partnership and limited liability company transactions, including acquisitions, investments, joint ventures and restructurings.

Gary is also a certified public accountant.

Patrick J. McCurry concentrates his practice on the corporate and tax aspects of complex business and investment transactions, with a particular focus on transactions involving single-family offices, private equity funds and other financial sponsors (on both buy and sell-side), emerging businesses, partnerships and strategic joint ventures, limited liability companies and closely held corporations.

Patrick has extensive experience in working with single-family offices in connection with the formation and/or restructuring of family offices and private trust companies, the creation of investment funds, the establishment of incentive equity programs for key employees and related income tax planning.  He also routinely works on complex tax planning for high-net-worth individual and families, tax structuring healthcare services transactions and tax controversy matters.

Patrick is Co-Leader of the Firm’s Closely Held and Passthroughs Affinity Group.

Ranked as “Band 1” by Chambers High Net Worth in its national Family Offices & Funds Restructuring category, clients praise Patrick for being “a lucid communicator, even of incredibly complex tax and legal concepts.” Other clients note that Patrick “brings a level of knowledge and expertise in family office and partnership taxation” and he “never brings up an issue without thinking about multiple potential solutions.”

While in law school, Patrick served as an extern for the Honorable Ronald A. Guzman, US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He also was a member of the Loyola University Chicago Law Journal.

Thomas (Tom) P. Ward advises high-net-worth individuals and business owners on the income tax, corporate and compliance aspects of complex business and investment transactions, with a focus on family office management companies, private investment funds and complex incentive equity programs.

Tom has extensive experience in establishing and working with family offices and investment entities, ranging from first-generation entrepreneurs to multi-generational families, with net worth from $40 million to many billions of dollars, including a number of individuals listed in the Forbes 400. Tom works closely with the entire advisor team to implement the optimal structure for a particular situation and has extensive experience working with private trust company, airplane, transfer tax and security law considerations.

Tom is a frequent speaker on trends impacting family offices and high-net-worth individuals.

Ranked as “Band 1” by Chambers High Net Worth in its national Family Offices & Funds Restructuring category, clients praise Tom for being “a very thoughtful and knowledgeable attorney that truly understands the needs of an SFO. Tom's approach is very thoughtful and always tries to find creative ways to accomplish his client's goals."

While in law school, he was an editor of the Michigan International Law Journal.

Gregory (Greg) M. Weigand advises publicly traded companies, closely held businesses, private equity and venture capital funds, real estate funds, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals on the tax aspects of complex domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, tender offers, financing transactions, real estate transactions, joint ventures, and entity formations. He also counsels international businesses that operate in the United States and those that expand their operations into the US, including on the acquisition and disposition of US-based businesses and other assets, such as real estate.

Greg is experienced in negotiating, drafting, and documenting transactions and advising on the tax aspects of equity purchase agreements; credit agreements; operating agreements; partnership agreements; offering memoranda; and registration statements, prospectuses, proxy statements, and other US Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Greg frequently serves as a speaker on US and international tax issues and authors articles on various tax matters.