Morgan Lewis taps Bart Bassett from Fenwick & West
Morgan Lewis has announced the addition of Barton W.S. “Bart” Bassett—a well-known international tax attorney—to the firm’s Northern California offices, who will split his time between Palo Alto and San Francisco. Bart’s focus on international tax planning for U.S. and foreign multinationals will add significant depth to the firm’s tax capabilities in and around Silicon Valley, and will complement the tax controversy experience of Bill Colgin, another high-profile tax partner who recently joined Morgan Lewis from Fenwick & West. “It is exciting to re-join forces with Bart and continue the expansion of the firm’s thriving tax practice,” said Colgin.Bart’s arrival follows a series of recent acquisitions of high-ranking government officials by the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, including Mark Matthews, former IRS Deputy Commissioner, as well as Dan Hogans and Susan Brown of the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Tax Policy. “As the IRS continues to make international tax enforcement a priority, Bart—who has earned a reputation for advising major corporate clients on complex international tax issues—fits perfectly with our group’s vision of providing integrated controversy, policy and planning advice to our large multinational clients,” said Gary Wilcox, head of the firm’s Tax Practice and former IRS Deputy Chief Counsel.
Bart has 12 years of experience in international tax planning concerning both the “outbound” operations of U.S. multinationals and the “inbound” operations of foreign multinationals—which includes advice on structuring mergers and acquisitions, internal restructurings and operations, joint ventures, external and internal financings, transfers and licenses of intellectual property, and transfer pricing matters. He has represented clients in audits and appeals before the IRS.
“Bart will be a strong addition to a national practice that combines attorneys close to government officials and tax policy decisions on the East Coast, with growing consulting and controversy capabilities on the West Coast,” said Miriam Fisher, head of the firm’s tax controversy practice and a former Justice Department official.
Bart arrives at Morgan Lewis as the firm marks the fifth anniversary of its expansion into Northern California, which the firm celebrated in Menlo Park last week. “As we celebrate a successful melding of East Coast tradition and West Coast style, we are thrilled to welcome Bart to the firm’s Northern California team,” said Franklin Brockway “Brock” Gowdy, Managing Partner of Morgan Lewis’s San Francisco office.
About Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Morgan Lewis is an international law firm with more than 1,400 lawyers in 22 offices located in Beijing, Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Dallas, Frankfurt, Harrisburg, Houston, Irvine, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Palo Alto, Paris, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Princeton, San Francisco, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. For more information about Morgan Lewis, please visit www.morganlewis.com