Salans appoints new UK Head of Tax

Salans recently announced the appointment of lateral hire Michael McCormack to the firm. Michael joins as the new Head of UK Tax practice directly from Hammonds and brings expertise from DLA Piper and Ernst & Young. He forms a crucial part of Salans’ global tax practice group, comprising over 40 lawyers worldwide.Michael’s practice focuses on acquisitions and disposals, flotations, restructures and reorganisations alongside sector depth in real estate, financial services, automotive, energy and leisure and hospitality. Michael will complement the firm’s cross-border offering, assisting clients with the tax elements of their international transactions. With 84% of the firm’s top 250 client revenue generated from work spread across more than one office, the regions of CIS, CEE and China look to be particular areas of focus for McCormack.

Howard Cohen, Managing Partner of the London office, commented “Michael’s appointment ends an exacting search for the right tax expertise at a senior level to fit with our truly international offering.” He added, “With English law now in such demand in the markets where we are prominent, a specialist tax practice in the UK ensures that we continue to connect the emerging markets with key financial centres such as London.”

Michael added, “As clients now increasingly expect “one-stop” international legal services from their local lawyers, I am pleased to have moved to a firm where cross-border work is the norm more than the exception.”

The appointment comes on the back of the announcement of a new leadership team for the firm’s global tax practice – Sandra Hazan and Evgeny Timofeev.

Salans’ London office has major plans for continued expansion in terms of lawyer numbers and is actively recruiting at all levels and disciplines. Salans now has 173 partners worldwide as part of over 750 lawyers globally operating from 18 offices across 17 jurisdictions.