Tax Planning

Overview

Strategic tax planning is an essential consideration in order to minimize taxes when structuring transactions. We advise clients on the federal, state, and international tax law implications of acquisitions, reorganizations, buy-outs, and spin-offs; intellectual property transfers and licenses; and real estate developments, joint ventures, dispositions, exchanges, and related transactions.

When appropriate, we recommend and seek advance rulings from state departments of revenue, the IRS, and other taxing authorities. We have extensive experience assisting borrowers, lenders, and other parties in utilizing new market tax credits, low-income housing tax credits, historic tax credits, and various tax credits used by the renewable energy industry.

 

We closely monitor changes in tax laws, and draw on our decades of experience in both tax planning and contested matters, to provide clients with creative, practical advice on the most tax-beneficial structures. Our attorneys have been at the leading edge in working with clients in Wisconsin and across the United States to develop and evaluate new tax laws at the policymaking stage; to understand and plan for changes; and to challenge certain laws in court. We also frequently write and speak on evolving tax law, helping educate accountants, attorneys, and others with respect to significant changes.

Our tax lawyers are key members of several of the firm’s industry-leading groups, including our well-known Venture Best® group, which advises emerging businesses and assists with venture capital; our renewable energy group; and our financial restructuring and workout group. This interdisciplinary approach has proven extremely effective in tax planning for clients in many different industries, ranging from renewable energy providers to hospitals, healthcare systems, and regional shopping centers.

Successful outcomes that we have achieved for clients in tax matters include:

  • Maximization of state and federal tax credits
  • Advice on tax-efficient acquisitions and maximizing tax-deferred transactions, including for clients within highly regulated industries such as insurance and banking
  • Advice on complex, multi-party like-kind exchanges (Internal Revenue Code Section 1031)
  • Counsel to partnerships and LLCs with respect to tax-efficient joint venture and acquisition structures, tiered structures, multiple classes of debt and equity, the “disguised sales” rules, and the granting of profits and compensatory interests
  • Employee stock ownership plans
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