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Law firm Plesner is recognised by other firms as the market leader in tax controversy, but it provides a full range of tax services. The firm's indirect tax practice is also identified as especially strong by other tax professionals. Tom Kári Kristjánsson ... [more]

Law firm Plesner is recognised by other firms as the market leader in tax controversy, but it provides a full range of tax services. The firm's indirect tax practice is also identified as especially strong by other tax professionals. Tom Kári Kristjánsson is well regarded by competitors for his VAT expertise and has built a strong reputation in indirect tax matters since he joined the firm two years ago. Practitioners are unanimous that Hans Severin Hansen, the head of Plesner's tax team, is the best tax litigator in the country. One of his peers said:"Quite simply he is the number one litigator in Denmark. It is hard to think of someone else who is even in the same league." In late 2010 Hansen was awarded the Christrup Prize, awarded every three years in recognition of outstanding performance in litigation, by a panel of Supreme and High Court judges and Law Society members. The practice has been especially active in disputes relating to beneficial ownership, an issue that has dominated the Danish tax market this year. They successfully represented FS Invest II against the tax authorities over withholding tax on a dividend paid by a Danish subsidiary to its ultimate holding company in Luxembourg. This was one of the most high profile cases in Denmark concerning the issue of beneficial ownership and was decided in favour of the taxpayer. The tax authorities appealed the decision and the case is awaiting a hearing before the Eastern High Court. The firm has also been active this year in financial services and M&A. They acted for Danish company AP Moller-Maersk Group in its purchase of a €172 million ($248 million) stake in DFDS and oversaw the sale of listed Danish company Maconomy to Deltek. Both of these deals required detailed attention to the structures of the companies involved to minimise tax liability arising from the transactions.