Led by Gregg Lemein, Baker & McKenzie's Chicago practice comprises 17 partners and 29 fee earners. While the practice is active in transfer pricing, tax litigation, and state and local tax, it is particularly strong in international corporate tax.The ...
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Led by Gregg Lemein, Baker & McKenzie's Chicago practice comprises 17 partners and 29 fee earners. While the practice is active in transfer pricing, tax litigation, and state and local tax, it is particularly strong in international corporate tax.
The firm is highly regarded by peers and clients alike. "US international tax is Baker & McKenzie's sweet spot; they are one of the top firms [in that area]," said one client. "Baker & McKenzie has a great tax controversy practice," one competitor said. "I have tremendous respect for Gregg Lemein's skills, especially in transfer pricing, but in international tax as well," said another. Clients praise Jeff Maydew as an excellent technician. "He's as good as the firm's senior partners in international tax," said one client. Rivals also express respect for Jim O'Brien for his skill in tax controversy and particularly his experience in transfer pricing disputes.
The firm acted as tax counsel to electronics retail chain Best Buy on the restructuring of its joint venture with Carphone Warehouse, the UK mobile telecommunications retailer, and is acting as trial counsel on behalf of Western Union, which is involved in a dispute with the IRS over a tax-free reorganisation that included a cost-sharing agreement. In 2003, Western Union, a subsidiary of First Data at the time, transferred foreign goodwill and going-concern value as part of a restructuring of its foreign-to-foreign money transfer business in a tax-free reorganisation. The company also entered into a cost-sharing arrangement with a foreign affiliate. The IRS denies that any material foreign goodwill and going-concern value was transferred and asserts the value of the compensable intangibles to be $3 billion.
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