Michael Patton Joins DLA Piper’s from EY’s National Tax Department
DLA Piper announced today that Michael F. Patton has joined the firm’s Tax practice as a partner in the Los Angeles office. Patton joins DLA Piper from Ernst & Young, where he was a Principal and a member of the International Tax Services Group in the National Tax Department.
Focusing on international transfer pricing, Patton 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. He was instrumental in obtaining the world’s first Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) and has assisted clients in negotiating over 100 APAs. He has also been active in dispute resolutions for clients in Examination, Appeals and through Competent Authority procedures.
“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,” said David Colker, global chair of DLA Piper’s Tax practice. “He is well-respected within the tax community, including the IRS, and will be a tremendous asset to clients who are negotiating agreements.”
“Mike comes from a tax service industry leader and brings with him tremendous knowledge and experience,” added Michael Meyer, managing partner of DLA Piper’s Los Angeles office. “He will be a valuable addition to our growing Tax practice on the West Coast.”
Prior to joining Ernst & Young, Patton was an attorney in the IRS Chief Counsel’s office for 15 years, where he was responsible for technical issues, regulations and litigation related to transfer pricing. He was also the lead US Treasury negotiator in many matters with foreign governments and US possessions for tax information exchange agreements.
“Mike is a highly regarded practitioner who has developed one of the most sophisticated tax practices in all of California,” said Michael Lebovitz, a partner in the Los Angeles Tax practice. “We are pleased to add an attorney of his caliber to the Los Angeles office.”
Patton received a B.A. and J.D., with honors, Order of the Coif, from the University of Maryland and an LL.M. in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center.