Linklaters named tax team of the year at Legal Business awards

Linklaters has been named tax team of the year, at the Legal Business Awards 2007, for the firm’s innovative lead role in the GUS demerger, which created two FTSE 100 companies (Experian and Home Retail Group) listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Although Home Retail Group continued to be a UK resident group, Experian re-located to Ireland. Most of Experian’s revenues were based outside the UK and this fact, together with its future growth plans, prompted Experian to use the novel structure of an Irish tax resident and Jersey incorporated parent company, whilst retaining its FTSE 100 listing. It is believed that this is the first time in a demerger the two constituent parts have been tax resident in different jurisdictions.

Guy Brannan, global head of tax at Linklaters, who advised on the deal with tax associate Ian McMahon, collected the award at the ceremony in the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, on 8 February 2007.

Guy Brannan said:

“2006 saw Linklaters’ tax practice continue to advise on the most challenging and complex transactions. In many cases we were involved in innovative transactions where we were “first movers” in response to the rapidly changing tax environment. The wide variety of transactions that the tax practice has been involved in reinforces our continued market-leadership in many different areas.”