New Tax Partner at Sidley Austin
Sidley Austin LLP has announced that [private]Richard A. Leavy has joined the firm as a tax partner in the New York office, effective April 19, 2010. Leavy has a nationwide state and local tax practice addressing both transactional and controversy matters.
“Richard is a terrific addition to our tax practice and enhances the level of service we can offer our clients at a time when states, in particular, are seeking to increase tax revenues,” said Michael J. Schmidtberger, a member of the firm’s Management Committee and a global coordinator of Sidley’s investment funds, advisers and derivatives practice. “His practice complements the firm’s existing state and local tax practice and will be of enormous value to many of the firm’s institutional clients.”
Leavy’s areas of experience include transactional analysis and planning, structural planning and tax controversies, where he represents clients under audit, and before administrative review panels in formal and informal hearings.
Leavy has considerable experience working with banks and other financial institutions, including investment management firms, in all stages of planning, formation and operation. He also represents real estate owners and developers in planning property acquisitions, ownership and syndications, developments, recapitalizations and dispositions. In addition, he has represented mass market online, mail order and bricks-and-mortar retailers in connection with their day-to-day compliance and operations.
“Sidley is a natural fit for me,” commented Leavy. “The firm has an extensive and highly respected global tax practice and a sophisticated client base that will benefit from a broader state tax practice. I look forward to working alongside new colleagues, particularly Scott Heyman, who leads the firm’s state and local tax practice in Chicago.”
Leavy earned his L.L.M. from New York University School of Law and his J.D. from Rutgers School of Law. He also graduated with a B.A. degree from Rutgers University. Leavy served as judicial intern to The Honorable Leonard I. Garth, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Sidley’s tax practice has 50 lawyers who provide U.S., UK and German tax advice for a variety of complex transactions and financing techniques. Sidley offers federal, state and international tax services in a wide range of areas, including M&A, spinoffs, financial transactions, structured finance, private equity funds, hedge funds, joint ventures, mortgage and asset-backed securities, reorganizations, REITs and regulated investment companies, cross-border transactions, affordable housing, tax controversies, tax planning, legislative and regulatory developments, state and local income tax, sales and property taxes and unclaimed property. The firm’s state and local tax group involves transactional consulting, tax planning, tax legislation and regulation and representation of clients in tax controversies.[/private]
Sidley Austin LLP is one of the world’s largest full-service law firms, with approximately 1700 lawyers practicing in 17 U.S. and international cities, including Beijing, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. Every year since 2003, Sidley has been named to Legal Business’ Global Elite, its designation for the 18 firms “that define the pinnacle of the legal profession.” Sidley is recognized for service and responsiveness—BTI, a Boston-based research and consulting firm, has named Sidley as one of only two firms to have been in the top ten of the BTI Client Service rankings every year since the inception of those rankings in 2001, and was number one in three of those years.