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The comprehensive guide to the world's leading tax firms

Baker & McKenzie~ has traditionally focused on transfer pricing. With the appointment of two dedicated specialists, Stephen Breckenridge and Angela Davenport, the firm has established the largest transfer pricing department of any law firm in the country. ... [more]

Baker & McKenzie~ has traditionally focused on transfer pricing. With the appointment of two dedicated specialists, Stephen Breckenridge and Angela Davenport, the firm has established the largest transfer pricing department of any law firm in the country. Breckenridge led the firm's transfer pricing group between 2004 and 2007, but left to start up his own accounting practice.

Costa Koutsis and John Walker acted for Bangkok-based TCC Hotels Group in the purchase of several major hotel properties across Australia. This was complex work as it involved providing income tax, GST and stamp duty advice for the proposed acquisitions.

Baker & McKenzie has a China tax team of five partners and one special counsel. Experience in tax planning, M&A, transfer pricing and tax controversy has established the firm as one of the leading tax advisers in China.Richard Weisman has returned to ... [more]

Baker & McKenzie has a China tax team of five partners and one special counsel. Experience in tax planning, M&A, transfer pricing and tax controversy has established the firm as one of the leading tax advisers in China.

Richard Weisman has returned to China from the US practice to strengthen the transfer pricing department. He will be focused on China outbound work and the transfer pricing implications for US multinationals operating in China.

Jon Eichelberger and Glenn DeSouza advised a client on its tax restructuring in China, including income tax, VAT and customs duty implications in connection with the restructuring of the bonded manufacturing model adopted by its factories in China. The project also involved transfer pricing planning in respect of the intra-group transactions involved in the bonded manufacturing activities.

Brendan Kelly conducted tax and legal analysis for the establishment of a Cayman Islands offshore limited partner (LP) fund designed to aggregate investors and target stakes in Chinese operating entities. The project was described as "particularly challenging" in light of the new Enterprise Income Tax Law, and issues relating to whether the LP fund, the general partner, its investment committee or any other elements of the structure would be managed and controlled in China, and so tax resident there.

Baker & McKenzie maintains an experienced and well-established tax practice in Hong Kong, with the team consisting of five partners, one special counsel and 15 associates. The firm has continued to work in private practice and at major accounting firms ... [more]

Baker & McKenzie maintains an experienced and well-established tax practice in Hong Kong, with the team consisting of five partners, one special counsel and 15 associates. The firm has continued to work in private practice and at major accounting firms and banks.

Peers and clients recommend partner Michael Olesnicky for his prompt service and "appreciating the pressures that clients are under" and "standing out from the crowd". The firm's tax practice has grown over the past 12 months thanks to the appointment of two new partners, Steven Sieker and Richard Weisman, both of whom worked for the firm in Hong Kong before. Sieker joins from a Canadian law firm and specialises in corporate tax and litigation. Weisman transferred from the firm's New York office and will focus on international tax. Two further associates also joined.

Despite the downturn, partner Jacqueline Shek has been kept busy and has been involved in some of the firm's larger transactions. Shek acted for a Hong Kong property developer in its successful appeal against the commissioner of inland revenue's determination that the profits from the sale of all units in a premium residential building were taxable.

Olesnicky and Shek worked together in representing a Hong Kong company in a tax penalty hearing at the Board of Review. This ground-breaking case was the first case in Hong Kong to consider the applications of human rights issues in respect of the tax penalty provisions of the Inland Revenue Ordinance.

Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners (Baker & McKenzie) is a marketleader despite its small size when compared to the big-four accountancy firms. Despite only boasting seven tax lawyers, the firm has been involved in some large scale transactions in the ... [more]

Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners (Baker & McKenzie) is a marketleader despite its small size when compared to the big-four accountancy firms. Despite only boasting seven tax lawyers, the firm has been involved in some large scale transactions in the past year. The tax department, headed by Wimbanu Widyatmoko, represented a number of clients concerning fiscal adjustments made by the Indonesian Tax Authority. One of these clients was a large foreign bank that had corrections made on certain cost allocation issues.

The firm brought in Ria Muhariastuti to work in tax controversy. He will mostly be involved in VAT and corporate income tax disputes.

Baker & McKenzie is one of the leading full-service, independent tax practices in Japan with a group consisting of six partners, two counse and three associates. The firm regularly provides comprehensive domestic and international tax planning, structuring ... [more]

Baker & McKenzie is one of the leading full-service, independent tax practices in Japan with a group consisting of six partners, two counse and three associates. The firm regularly provides comprehensive domestic and international tax planning, structuring and controversy services.

The firm includes specialists in transfer pricing and corporate tax planning and structuring. In transfer pricing, Ken Okawara leads a team with extensive experience in handling planning, audits and disputes involving Japan, the US and other countries, relating to a broad range of industries. Lawyers in the tax planning and structuring practice provide comprehensive advice on direct and indirect tax matters relevant to investments and business operations in Japan, including structuring advice for M&A, inbound and outbound investments, real estate transactions, and financial product transactions. The tax litigation group is headed by Hideyuki Yamamoto and provides comprehensive representations in tax controversies including tax audits, domestic appeals and competent authority proceedings.

Both Yamamoto and Toshio Ishikawa represented Adobe Systems in the country's first ever successful transfer pricing case brought by the taxpayer.

In recent years, Baker & McKenzie, Wong & Leow's tax practice has consolidated its position as a law firm in Singapore that can provide efficient, comprehensive and commercial cross-border tax structuring advice. Edmund Leow is head of tax and is one ... [more]

In recent years, Baker & McKenzie, Wong & Leow's tax practice has consolidated its position as a law firm in Singapore that can provide efficient, comprehensive and commercial cross-border tax structuring advice. Edmund Leow is head of tax and is one of the most respected tax practitioners in Singapore. Leow represented a client in a $1.6 billion restructure in the past year. The client was a publicly traded corporation with a market capitalisation of $11.58 billion who required a restructure across 10 jurisdictions.

With more than 15 years of specialist tax compliance and advisory experience, Jack Wong regularly represents Singaporean and multinational corporations. He has extensive experience in dealing with the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) to resolve income tax and stamp duty disputes for his clients. He also assisted many clients in successfully securing favourable tax incentives from the Economic Development Board, the International Enterprise Singapore, Monetary Authority of Singapore and Maritime Port of Authority.

Baker & McKenzie is one of the leading law firms in Taiwan thanks to having a team of certified public accountants available at their disposal. The benefit of this is that the firm can handle all aspects of tax work. Dennis Lee has been commended by ... [more]

Baker & McKenzie is one of the leading law firms in Taiwan thanks to having a team of certified public accountants available at their disposal. The benefit of this is that the firm can handle all aspects of tax work. Dennis Lee has been commended by peers for his "vast tax experience". Lee was involved in the $200 million acquisition of a US company by Prime View International, a Taiwanese listed company. Lee handled the cross-border structure and successfully navigated complicated US M&A tax issues.

Partner Michael Wong utilises his experience from the US tax market to help clients handle transactions into and out of the US.