Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Page 3
DLA Piper, Loeb & Loeb Expand Tax Practices in Los Angeles Offices
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Two law firms yesterday said they had expanded tax practices in their Los Angeles offices, with DLA Piper announcing the addition of former Ernst & Young principal Michael Patton, and Loeb & Loeb saying it had hired former O’Melveny and Myers counsel Chris Campbell.
Loeb & Loeb also announced that Ryan Austin, also formerly of O’Melveny and Myers, had joined its Tax Group as an associate.
Patton was a member of Ernst & Young’s International Tax Services Group in its National Tax Department. He focuses on international transfer pricing, DLA Piper said, and has assisted multinational corporations in a variety of industries with IRS or foreign tax authority transfer pricing and other tax disputes, as well as in planning major cross border transactions.
“Mike is a nationally recognized advisor in utilizing the Competent Authority and APA processes to achieve greater financial stability and cash flow certainty for multinational companies who are facing material transfer pricing issues,” David Colker, global chair of DLA Piper’s tax practice, said. “He is well-respected within the tax community, including the IRS, and will be a tremendous asset to clients who are negotiating agreements.”
Former IRS Counsel
Patton joined the California State Bar last month, but was an attorney in the IRS Chief Counsel’s office for 15 years before joining Ernst & Young, and was responsible for technical issues, regulations and litigation related to transfer pricing. He was also the lead U.S. Treasury negotiator in many matters with foreign governments and U.S. possessions for tax information exchange agreements.
He attended college and law school at the University of Maryland, and received an LL.M. in taxation from Georgetown University Law Center.
Campbell’s practice focuses on federal and state tax controversy representations and general state and local tax matters, Loeb & Loeb said, and he has experience handling audits, appeals and refund litigation in connection with income, sales and use, property, employment, business license and occupancy taxes. He was admitted to the State Bar in 2000 after attending Dartmouth College and the University of Michigan Law School.
“We have been looking to strategically grow our tax practice in the area of tax controversy and litigation and Chris brings substantial expertise in these areas,” John T. Frankenheimer, Loeb & Loeb’s co-chair, said.
Austin joined the State Bar in 2007, and attended college at the University of Utah and law school at the University of Michigan. He holds an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, and served an extern at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Tax Division in 2005.
Other News
In other news, DLA Piper yersterday also announced the addition of former White & Case attorney Patrick Hunnius as senior counsel in the firm’s litigation practice in Los Angeles.
Hunnius practices in securities and complex business litigation, and his experience includes defending clients in securities class actions and in shareholder derivative actions, the firm said. He also represents both individuals and issuers in Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Justice inquiries concerning Foreign Corrupt Practices compliance, restatements of SEC filings, alleged insider trading and alleged misstatements in public filings.
Earlier in his career, Hunnius was an SEC enforcement attorney and for several years was the supervisor in charge of the Pacific Regional Office’s Internet Branch. At the commission, he managed teams of attorneys who investigated and litigated a wide range of cases, including financial fraud, offering fraud, insider trading, market manipulation and alleged failures to supervise.
A graduate of college and law school at the University of Texas, he joined the State Bar in 1994.
“Patrick’s unique insight of the SEC’s strategic approach from a compliance and enforcement perspective will be invaluable to clients as the pace and intensity of government investigations continues to increase,” Perrie Weiner, international co-chair of the firm’s Securities Litigation practice, said. “We have experienced rapid continual growth in our securities and regulatory practice nationally, and are pleased to welcome him to the firm.”
Copyright 2010, Metropolitan News Company