International law firm McDermott Will & Emery will convene senior tax and employee benefits leaders at its inaugural Tax Symposium on April 24 in the Firm’s Chicago office. The symposium will be an in-depth discussion of the critical business and legal issues involved in optimizing opportunities and navigating the risks brought about by tax reform.

The 2017 tax reform legislation introduced the most sweeping changes to the tax code in a generation, with wide-ranging implications for both US and International companies. McDermott’s exclusive, full-day Tax Symposium will address how leaders of these companies can and should plan for success under the new reality of reform.

Programming will include panel discussions on these critical issues:

• A Holistic View of Business Tax Reform – The Major Changes and Their Impact
• Integrated Planning for GILTI, FDII, the BEAT and Repatriation
• State Tax After Reform
• New Considerations for Structuring M&A Transactions
• Ethical Considerations and Guidance

The symposium will also feature in-depth discussions of tax reform’s impact on the following areas:

• Intellectual Property: IP and Supply Chain Planning Post Tax Reform
  • This session will illustrate several of the current common IP and supply chain structures, and changes companies might consider to achieve a more beneficial tax structure in light of the new rules.
• Foreign Based Companies: Key Implications for Foreign Based Companies and Reaction of the European Union
  • This session will focus on designing cutting-edge planning strategies, taking into account potential responses by foreign governments.
• Benefit or Burden? Impact of Tax Reform on Compensation Structures and Popular Fringe Benefits
  • This session will focus on developing strategies in response to the changes in deductibility of executive compensation and employee fringe benefits.

Keynote and Featured Speakers
David Lewis, Vice President (Retired) of Global Taxes at Eli Lilly and Company will give the keynote address at the event. David is one of the luminaries of the in-house tax world, and is known as a leader in tax policy after spending significant time in Washington, DC pushing through some major tax legislation, including the reform in 2017.

Featured McDermott speakers include:

• Lowell Yoder, partner and global head of McDermott’s Tax Practice
• David Noren, partner and former legislation counsel to the Joint Committee on Taxation in the US Congress
• Jane May, partner and head of McDermott’s State & Local Tax Practice
• Andrew Liazos, partner and head of McDermott’s Executive Compensation Practice
• David Fuller, partner previously with the IRS National Office in the former Office of the Associate Chief Counsel – Employee Benefits and Exempt Organizations
• Sandra McGill, partner and head of McDermott’s Chicago US and International Tax Practice
• Timothy Shuman, partner and head of McDermott’s US and International Tax Practice
• Todd Welty, partner and head of McDermott’s Tax Controversy Practice

To register for the symposium or to schedule a consultation with a McDermott attorney onsite, contact our Business Development team.

For additional information please visit McDermott’s Tax Reform Resource Center, launched to help clients navigate the most impactful changes to the tax code in a generation. The center (www.mwe.com/taxreform) hosts in-depth video interviews with McDermott’s multidisciplinary team of lawyers along with interactive tools and actionable strategies to help prepare clients for important next steps.

McDermott Will & Emery is a premier international law firm with a diversified business practice. Numbering more than 1,000 lawyers, we have offices in Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Dallas, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Munich, New York, Orange County, Paris, Seoul, Silicon Valley and Washington, DC. Further extending our reach into Asia, we have a strategic alliance with MWE China Law Offices in Shanghai.

CHICAGO (April 3, 2018)—International law firm McDermott Will & Emery is launching a stand-alone Employment Practice with the addition of 10 new partners and one counsel. The group will be led by partner Michael Sheehan and will bolster McDermott’s capabilities by positioning the Firm as an industry leader with a focus on high-stakes employment litigation and overall protection of brand reputation through compliance.

Michael will serve as global head of the newly-formed Employment Practice after years of experience serving as Chair of the US Employment group at DLA Piper. A nationally recognized litigator, Michael has extensive courtroom experience, having tried dozens of cases to verdict across the United States. He has acted as lead counsel and successfully defended private and public companies against age, gender, race, retaliation, sexual harassment and trade secret/raiding cases. He has also litigated numerous large-scale wage and hour class actions in state and federal court. He and his team will join a deep McDermott bench including preeminent employment litigator Kerry Scanlon in Washington, DC, and first-chair labor lawyer Kristin Michaels in Chicago.

“We are excited to join forces with the Firm’s talented team of labor lawyers and litigators to solve the most important employment issues facing clients, day-in and day-out,” said Michael Sheehan. “We are ready to begin at full speed and address today’s most complex employment issues from conducting investigations and advising Boards on #MeToo to defending high-risk wage and hour class actions. We have the breadth and depth of experience to counsel on a variety of existential employment issues, and we look forward to bringing our resources to bear for clients on McDermott’s global platform.”

Michael will be based in McDermott’s Chicago office and will be joined by partner Rachel Cowen, who is known as an extraordinary employment litigator with a particular focus in pay equity and other systemic discrimination claims. Joining them in Chicago will be senior partner Marilyn Pearson and counsel Kevin Connelly, who both regularly advise and represent clients on a broad range of traditional labor matters.

The new Employment Practice will also have a strong West Coast presence with the arrival of partners Ron Holland and Ellen Bronchetti in San Francisco and San Diego respectively. Premier labor lawyers, Ron and Ellen are well-known for their prowess as class action litigators with extensive experience representing employers in a variety of labor and employment matters all across the country. They represent clients in a wide variety of industries including health care, aviation, trucking, hospitality, retail, manufacturing, environmental waste collection and gig economy employers. Ron will be joined in San Francisco by partners David Durham, Pankit Doshi and Christopher Foster. Pankit Doshi is the current President of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

McDermott’s enhanced West Coast employment capabilities will also extend to Southern California with the arrival of Maria Rodriguez and her team in Los Angeles, including partner Michelle Strowhiro. Maria was the Employment group, Western Regional Head from DLA’s Los Angeles office. Maria and the LA team have decades of experience in the entertainment, media, sports and technology sectors, including representing major Hollywood studios, television networks, production companies, sports agencies, minor and major league sports teams, as well as food service and transportation industry expertise. The team counsels domestic and foreign corporations with regard to employment law compliance and mergers and acquisitions, as well as defending high-stakes wage and hour class actions, and employment cases.

“This group is a meaningful addition to McDermott,” said Firm Chair, Ira Coleman. “Michael and his team will not only extend our employment offerings but also bolster our West Coast presence. We are incredibly excited about what this means for our Firm and for our clients—existing and new—who will benefit from an even deeper bench of talent here at McDermott.”

McDermott Will & Emery is a premier international law firm with a diversified business practice. Numbering more than 1,000 lawyers, we have offices in Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Dallas, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Munich, New York, Orange County, Paris, Seoul, Silicon Valley and Washington, DC. Further extending our reach into Asia, we have a strategic alliance with MWE China Law Offices in Shanghai.

Schulte Roth & Zabel (SRZ) is pleased to announce the election of Stephen M. Schauder and Elie Zolty as partners. The firm also announces the promotion of Ariel Aranda, Donna Lazarus and Clara Zylberg to special counsel. The promoted lawyers are all resident in the firm’s New York office. The promotions were effective Jan. 1, 2018.

“These leading lawyers have made great contributions to the firm and the industry,” said Alan S. Waldenberg, chair of the firm’s Executive Committee. “We are proud to recognize their achievements.”

PARTNERS

Stephen M. Schauder, a partner in the Structured Finance & Derivatives Group, focuses his practice on asset-backed securitizations and warehouse credit facilities. He has represented underwriters, issuers, lenders and borrowers across a variety of asset classes, including structured settlements, litigation advances, lottery receivables, personal annuities, timeshare loans, equipment leases and life settlements, among others. He also represents investors, lenders, hedge funds, private equity funds and finance companies in purchases and dispositions of portfolios of assets and financings secured by those portfolios. Mr. Schauder has been recognized by IFLR1000 as a “Rising Star” in the capital markets category, as well as by Legal Media Group’s Expert Guide to Rising Stars. He earned his J.D. from Boston University School of Law and his B.B.A., cum laude, from The George Washington University. 

Elie Zolty, a partner in the Tax Group, focuses his practice on the tax aspects of onshore and offshore investment funds, private equity partnerships, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and real estate joint ventures. He represents investment managers in connection with the formation of funds and their ongoing operations, as well as sales of their investment management businesses. He also represents real estate sponsors in connection with operations, restructurings and workouts. A published author, Mr. Zolty recently contributed to “United States Fundraising” in The Private Equity Review, published by Law Business Research, and he co-authored “PATH Act: Recently Enacted Legislation Modifies the FIRPTA and REIT Rules,” an SRZ Client Alert. Mr. Zolty earned his LL.M. in taxation from New York University School of Law, his J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School and his B.A., with distinction, from York University.

SPECIAL COUNSEL

Ariel Aranda, a special counsel in the Real Estate Group, focuses his practice on a variety of real estate transactions. He represents lenders and borrowers in connection with commercial mortgage and mezzanine financings, acquisitions and dispositions of commercial properties, negotiation of joint venture agreements, and workouts and restructurings. Mr. Aranda earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School and his B.A., cum laude, from Binghamton University.

Donna Lazarus, a special counsel in the Employment & Employee Benefits Group, practices in the areas of employment law and education law. She handles employment discrimination and labor relations matters and advises clients on hiring, managing and terminating employees in compliance with federal, state and local laws. Ms. Lazarus advises clients on harassment and discrimination matters and assists with drafting employment-related policies. She also works with a broad range of educational institutions, including independent schools, colleges, universities, professional training programs and education-related associations, advising them on a variety of legal matters, including board liability, student discipline, learning and other disabilities, employment matters, harassment and bullying, admissions, contracts and litigation issues. Ms. Lazarus was named a New York “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers magazine in 2016 and 2017. She earned her J.D. from New York University School of Law and her B.A., summa cum laude, from Binghamton University.

Clara Zylberg, a special counsel in the M&A and Securities Group, practices in the securities law and regulatory and compliance areas. She focuses her practice on alternative investment structures and related products, including private investments in public equity (PIPE) transactions, registered direct offerings, venture capital financings, exchange offers and special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), representing some of the largest private investment groups and investment banks in the United States and abroad. Ms. Zylberg also counsels clients in the regulatory areas of Sections 13 and 16, Rules 144 and 144A, Regulation S, insider trading, short selling and Regulation M/Rule 105. Ms. Zylberg earned her LL.M. from New York University School of Law and her LL.B. from Bar Ilan University.

Schulte lawyers have collaborated to update and expand Insider Trading Law and Compliance Answer Book 2018, a book published by Practising Law Institute. This easy-to-use, comprehensive treatise offers an explanation of both the basics and complexities of insider trading laws.

Written in a clear, succinct question-and-answer format, this new edition fully integrates recent litigation and regulatory changes and provides a step-by-step understanding of the legal requirements imposed upon all investors. Insider Trading Law and Compliance Answer Book 2018 walks readers through the elements of an insider trading claim, what is legitimate company research that can be freely acted upon, what is material, nonpublic information obtained in breach of a duty of trust or confidence that may not be acted upon or shared with others, when acting on a “tip” or “tipping” others can incur legal liability, and the framework of penalties when insider trading has been successfully proved.

Insider Trading Law and Compliance Answer Book 2018 serves as a reference for investors, corporate insiders, professional traders, investment advisers, broker-dealers and other participants in the securities industry, as well as for the lawyers who advise and represent them. In today’s financial markets, a claim of insider trading often hits the newspapers, and this timely and practical treatise is a concise road map to help readers safely navigate the major legal regulatory requirements related to insider trading.

Litigation partner Harry S. Davis served as editor and authored several chapters of the book. Additional chapter authors include litigation partners Eric Bensky, Charles J. Clark, Howard O. Godnick, William H. Gussman, Jr., Marcy Ressler Harris, Taleah E. Jennings, David K. Momborquette, Martin L. Perschetz, Howard Schiffman, Gary Stein, Michael E. Swartz, Robert J. Ward and Peter H. White, lawyer Betty Santangelo and special counsels Michael G. Cutini and Jeffrey F. Robertson; investment management and regulatory and compliance partners Marc E. Elovitz and Anna Maleva-Otto; mergers and acquisitions and securities partners Eleazer Klein and Marc Weingarten; business reorganization partner Adam C. Harris; and former Schulte lawyer Alan R. Glickman.

To order a copy of Insider Trading Law and Compliance Answer Book 2018.