Dixon Hearder has joined Baker & McKenzie as a partner in the Firm’s Sydney tax practice. Mr. Hearder joins Baker & McKenzie from Corrs Chambers Westgarth, where he was a partner and Sydney Taxation Work Group Leader. He was also the State Pro Bono Partner for the Corrs Giving Back Program.

Mr. Hearder has extensive experience advising Australian and international clients across the range of Australian taxation laws. He has particular expertise in stamp duty and transfer pricing. Mr. Hearder holds Bachelors of Commerce and Law from the University of New South Wales, a Master of Laws from the University of Sydney, and is a Fellow of the Taxation Institute of Australia and has previously qualified as a chartered accountant.

Mr. Hearder joined Corrs Chambers Westgarth in Sydney as an associate in 1997. He worked with Clifford Chance in London from 2001 to 2003, before returning to Corrs Chambers Westgarth. Prior to joining Corrs Chambers Westgarth, he worked with KPMG in Sydney.

Commenting on Mr. Hearder’s election as a new partner, Chris Freeland, National Managing Partner at Baker & McKenzie, said, “We are delighted that Dixon has joined us to further enhance our Australian taxation capabilities and we are very pleased to welcome him to Baker & McKenzie. Dixon has extensive experience advising across the range of taxation matters affecting our Australian and international clients. Dixon’s arrival, together with that of Tim Sherman from Mallesons Stephen Jaques in late 2009, ensures that we continue to offer the seamless taxation advice our clients demand. We are also looking forward to Dixon sharing his experience in the pro bono area to assist with the many great programmes on which Baker & McKenzie lawyers advise.”

Dixon Hearder is the sixth partner to be elected at Baker & McKenzie in Australia this calendar year, following Andrew Chew (Construction), Bryony Binns (Employment), Christopher Hughes (Corporate), Peter Lucarelli (Disputes) and Chris Freeland (National Managing Partner).

Baker& McKenzie has added a team of experienced customs and tax lawyers led by partner Jasper Helder, senior associate Brian Mulier, associate Chiara Klaui and junior associate Goran Danilovi.

The team further strengthens Baker & McKenzie’s trade & customs and tax law capabilities in Amsterdam and globally, particularly in the areas of customs classification and valuation (including transfer pricing), tax and customs efficient supply chain structuring (including sourcing strategies and rules of origin) as well as EU export controls and sanctions.

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has announced that Andrey Shpak has been recruited to lead the Goltsblat BLP tax team in Moscow.The announcement of Andrey’s appointment coincides with the first anniversary of the launch of Goltsblat BLP, the first international Russian law firm. The new firm was created when renowned corporate lawyer Andrey Goltsblat and some of his colleagues left Pepeliaev, Goltsblat & Partners (PGP) to join BLP. Since leaving PGP, the Goltsblat BLP team has retained 90% of its former client base, and gained numerous new international mandates.

Andrey, a former PwC director and a specialist in advising both Russian and foreign companies on tax related issues, will lead the development of tax services at Goltsblat BLP to respond to increasing demand from clients. Following significant growth, the team now includes seven highly-qualified tax lawyers who provide tax consulting services to large-scale, complex projects across the firm.

Andrey, who joins Goltsblat BLP as a partner, started his career at PwC in 1995 and has worked across a number of sectors including FMCG, manufacturing, automotive, telecommunications and media. As a director in PwC’s M&A Tax Practice, he worked with Russian and foreign corporates on a variety of matters. For example, he recently advised on the acquisition of a leading pharmaceuticals distributor by a major private equity fund and on the acquisition of US assets by a leading Russian steel producer.

Within the UK, the BLP tax team has also grown considerably and is now the largest in the London legal market, following a number of major hires, including industry leader Michael Wistow in 2007 and more recently private client expert Murray North from Clifford Chance. The combined Goltsblat BLP / Berwin Leighton Paisner team now includes over 60 British and Russian tax lawyers based in Moscow and London. It offers the full range of tax services associated with financing, M&A transactions, real estate and funds operations and structuring. The team also has proven experience in representing clients’ interests before the various tax authorities.

Andrey Goltsblat, Managing Partner of Goltsblat BLP, said: “I am very pleased to welcome Andrey, who is one of the strongest tax lawyers in Russia, to our team. We are building the practice in response to a growing demand for tax services from our clients and in line with our aim to provide comprehensive legal support in all areas of law, both in Russia and globally.”

Andrey Shpak said: “I am delighted to be part of the dynamic Goltsblat BLP team and pleased to have an opportunity to work with such highly-qualified specialists in Moscow, London and other jurisdictions that are key to Russian clients. In addition to the global capabilities of the firm, I am excited about working across the other key specialisms such as real estate and corporate to provide our clients with tailored, commercially-focused advice.”

O’Melveny & Myers LLP has named partner Brad Okun, a recognized authority in the tax field, as head of the Firm’s Tax Practice, succeeding Robert Rizzi. Okun was formerly head of O’Melveny’s New York office.

O’Melveny is one of the few international law firms with US, UK, and Chinese tax capabilities and Okun will be tasked with further expanding the Firm’s footprint in the global marketplace. Okun’s practice focuses on providing tax analysis and advice in connection with corporate transactions, as well as counseling on the operation of complex tax laws. He has extensive experience in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporation restructuring, corporate finance, limited liability companies and partnerships, and cross-border investing. Among other client matters, he has worked on engagements for Apollo Management, CCMP Capital, Harrah’s Entertainment, and IAC/InterActiveCorp.

“Brad’s talent and leadership in the tax sector will help us build on the already substantial momentum that we have developed in the US and abroad,” said Arthur B. Culvahouse, Jr., Chair of O’Melveny & Myers. “His vast experience handling the myriad challenges companies face while operating under disparate and complex tax laws and advising on other high-level strategic matters will be of great benefit in growing our relationships with existing clients and attracting new assignments.”

DLA Piper has announced that two economists have joined its Amsterdam office as transfer pricing experts. Ágata Uceda and Frank Schwarte have joined the tax group as economists.Ágata joins DLA Piper from the Amsterdam office of KPMG where she worked for almost nine years, advising multinationals on the management, design and implementation of their transfer pricing policies. She has extensive experience in all aspects of transfer pricing planning, dispute resolution and compliance, and has managed a wide range of assignments covering economic, management and fiscal aspects of transfer pricing. Ágata’s has extensive experience advising pharmaceutical and chemicals companies, but has also undertaken projects for high-tech and software, food and general industrial multi-nationals. Earlier in her career, Ágata spent two years in industry working as a consultant at the World Trade Center in the US and subsequently at the Argentinean Ministry of Economy in Los Angeles.

Frank also joins from KPMG where he worked as part of Ágata’s team. He specialises in transfer pricing, preparing transfer pricing documentation, defending clients in transfer pricing tax audits, and advising on the transfer pricing aspects of valuations and business restructurings. Frank’s main area of expertise is financing transactions, including interest rate analyses, spread analyses for intermediate financial services companies, debt capacity analyses and guarantee fees.

Ágata and Frank join the global transfer pricing team within the Tax group, and will work closely with co-heads of the US Transfer Pricing team, Bernhard Von Thaden and Clarke Norton. Their arrival brings the total number of economists within DLA Piper’s Transfer Pricing team to ten.

Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP (Gowlings) has announced that senior tax partner Timothy S. Wach has joined Finance Canada for a 20-month assignment as Director of Legislative Development and Chief Legislative Counsel.

Effective immediately, Tim has assumed his new role, which will include chairing the interdepartmental committee responsible for reviewing proposed federal income tax legislation. He will also participate in the development of tax policy initiatives.

This 20-month assignment at Finance Canada is part of the Interchange Canada program, a skills exchange initiative that facilitates the transfer of expertise between the private and public sectors.

“Gowlings welcomes the opportunity to sponsor Tim on this assignment. As one of our senior tax partners, Tim will be missed by colleagues and clients alike. But Gowlings has built a very strong tax practice over the past several years and will continue to provide the very best tax advice to our clients in his absence,” explains Scott Jolliffe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Firm.

DLA Piper has stepped up its commitment to provide integrated, contentious and non-contentious tax advice in Italy with the appointment of a partner and two associates. Tax litigation specialist, Antonio Tomassini, will join the Tax practice in Milan as a partner, together with two associates.Antonio was partner and Head of Tax at Sciumé Zaccheo & Associati prior to joining DLA Piper.

He has an excellent reputation for handling tax litigation matters in Italy and has represented both national and international corporates and financial institutions on tax planning, compliance and litigation. Antonio has also advised on a range of international tax matters including transfer pricing, cost sharing policies, taxation treaties and tax havens. He joins DLA Piper with two associates also from Sciumé Zaccheo & Associati.

The arrival of Antonio and his team will add considerable strength to DLA Piper’s offering in Italy. In October last year partner Maricla Pennesi and five fee earners joined the Tax practice in Milan from Deloitte, expanding DLA Piper’s capabilities on the non-contentious side. Antonio’s appointment will complement the skills of the existing team, providing clients with a broader tax offering.

“We are committed to expanding our tax team in Italy and the arrival of Antonio and his team is crucial to our plans to build a strong, integrated Tax practice able to look after clients’ tax planning, and related contentious and non-contentious matters,” said Roderik Bouwman, EMEA Head of Tax at DLA Piper. “Our clients will increasingly face complex tax issues as tax authorities become more aggressive and with the team that we are establishing we will be able to meet these needs nationally and internationally.”

“I am delighted that Antonio is joining us. He has the skills and experience that we need to help us achieve our goal to build a tax team with a broader offering,” said Maricla Pennesi, Head of Tax for DLA Piper in Italy. “The arrival of Antonio and his team will be a huge asset, not just to clients in the Italian market but those supported by our colleagues around the world.”

Antonio has degrees in both law and economics from the University of Rome and is due to finish his PhD in tax law from Rome University at the end of 2009. Prior to working for Sciumé Zaccheo & Associati, Antonio was a tax advisor at Ernst & Young for six years and before that he was a tax officer with the Italian tax police.

Antonio officially joins DLA Piper on 30 June 2009.

Fraser Milner, the Canadian Law Firm, has hired David Spiro from Blake Cassels.

David practises corporate income and commodity tax litigation in the Tax Court of Canada, Federal Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Canada and the provincial superior courts. He has extensive experience in international tax disputes and tax treaty questions, tax avoidance issues and statutory interpretation. In addition to the litigation side of his practice, David devotes considerable time resolving controversies at the administrative level with federal and provincial tax authorities.

Original article is here

The future is bleak for perpetrators of federal tax fraud scams, according to Dallas-based plaintiff’s firm, Baron & Budd, P.C., which has announced the establishment of a co-counsel relationship with the former head of the Internal Revenue Service, Margaret Milner Richardson.

To see the original article please visit Tax Grotto

Hogan & Hartson LLP has announced that Olga Boltenko  has joined the firm’s London office as a tax counsel, focusing on UK, Russian, and international tax matters.

Boltenko has substantial experience providing a broad range of tax advice to companies on all stages of transactions, beginning with tax planning and structuring, through preventive tax measures via interactive communication with tax authorities, and finally, in the course of possible disputes with the tax authorities.

“Olga is an outstanding tax lawyer who provides insightful guidance on all tax aspects of investment funds, from establishing and structuring the fund, to debt finance, investments, and exit strategies,” said Garry Pegg, Managing Partner of the London office. “Her experience in preparing companies for IPOs and other fundraising initiatives are highly valuable skills for our firm and the clients we represent.”

Commenting on her move to Hogan & Hartson, Boltenko said: “I am very eager to begin working with my new colleagues at this firm and to offer tax guidance to its clients. This move provides me with the necessary resources along with a global platform to expand my practice.”

Boltenko joins Hogan & Hartson from Dewey & LeBoeuf, where she was a senior associate in the firm’s tax practice, handling international, Russian, and UK tax matters.

Boltenko has degrees from Wolfson College at Cambridge University, majoring in International Tax in 2004, and from the BPP Law School, where she received her degree in 2003. She also earned degrees from the College of Law in London in 2001 and from Saratov Law Academy in 1999. She is a qualified Russian Federation tax inspector and a qualified solicitor of England and Wales. A native of Russia, Boltenko is fluent in English and is a frequent contributor of articles and regularly speaks at conferences on tax issues.