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The tax practice at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom is led by Philippe Derouin. He heads a team of three which focuses mainly on cross-border transactions and tax disputes work.This year the team has worked on a number of high-profile transactions ... [more]

The tax practice at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom is led by Philippe Derouin. He heads a team of three which focuses mainly on cross-border transactions and tax disputes work.

This year the team has worked on a number of high-profile transactions that have meant complex structuring, often involving France's new thin capitalisation rules. The group advised on the $1.2 billion acquisition of Compagnie européenne de prévoyance by JC Flowers in a deal worth. Dourain and Stéphane Héliot also advised Quicksilver on its $290 million bond refinancing.

The practice has experience in advising on tax disputes as far as the ECJ. This year the group advised on the impact of double tax treaties and EU law on disputes for a number of corporations. Other clients they have worked for this year include Société Générale and Crédit Agricole.

American law firm Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom has a well established tax practice in London under Tim Sanders, who also heads the European tax practice. The practice now numbers five partners and six other fee earners between its tax and tax controversy ... [more]

American law firm Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom has a well established tax practice in London under Tim Sanders, who also heads the European tax practice. The practice now numbers five partners and six other fee earners between its tax and tax controversy teams. The department's clients include financial sector companies such as Citigroup, commodities company Signet Group and investment funds such as Ziff Brothers Investments and Asset Management Finance Assurances. The firm's reputation in both the UK and the US ensures that it has a steady flow of transatlantic tax matters. A recent example was the sale of Pantheon Funds by Northwestern Mutual Life Assurance on which Sanders coordinated the tax aspects and involved cross-border tax issues.

The tax team also advised an energy company and an investment fund in a joint venture to purchase the majority of the African businesses of a multinational oil company. Skadden's team advised the companies involved on the financing of the purchase including the most favourable structures to deploy to ensure the most favourable tax treatment was obtained. As such transactions suggest, the firm has a very strong M&A practice and much of the tax department work is aligned to M&A projects of its corporate department. However, the firm is also capable in tax controversy. This year, James Anderson has been advising an American financial institution challenged by the US Internal Revenue Service on foreign tax credits the company received in relation to UK taxes paid in 2001 and 2002. Anderson and the lawyers involved are providing assistance to their American litigation colleagues on the technical tax aspects in the UK.