Diana Wollman resigns from IRS but instead of returning to Sullivan & Cromwell, joins Cleary Gottlieb

Cleary Gottlieb has announced that Diana L. Wollman, formerly the Director of International Strategy for the Internal Revenue Service ’s Large Business & International Division (LB&I), will join the firm’s tax practice as a partner in the New York office. Her practice will encompass advice on a broad range of federal and state tax issues, with a particular focus on tax controversy matters.

“Diana is a superb addition to our exceptionally skilled team of international tax lawyers,” said Cleary Gottlieb Managing Partner Mark Leddy. “She will enhance our existing tax controversy practice and also advise on a wide range of transactions, bringing to bear years of experience gained both in private practice and in the government.”

“Diana will complement very well the skills of our tax group, and add strength to our existing tax controversy practice,” noted Cleary Gottlieb tax partner Jim Peaslee. “Diana and our newly elected partner Meyer Fedida will play key roles in the continuing growth of our tax practice.”

At the IRS, Ms. Wollman was responsible for developing and managing the international strategic program for LB&I, the IRS division that audits multinational companies and individuals with international income. Her work included improving the way the IRS identifies and addresses major issues in audits of international businesses and manages and utilizes its institutional knowledge and data. She also represented the IRS in OECD working groups, including some of the working groups on BEPS (Base Erosion and Profit Shifting), the Forum on Harmful Tax Practices, and the Forum on Tax Administration.

Prior to joining the IRS, Ms. Wollman was a partner with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York, where she built a diverse practice that included federal and New York State tax controversies, complex cross-border transactions, fund and private equity work, and bankruptcy. Ms. Wollman is a former Chair of the Tax Section of the New York State Bar Association, and a former adjunct professor at Columbia Law School, where she taught courses on international taxation and ethical issues in tax practice. She has frequently lectured and published on a host of tax subjects.

Ms. Wollman said, “I am excited to be joining Cleary Gottlieb’s team of talented lawyers in the US and throughout the world and looking forward to working with them. I have always enjoyed my tax controversy work, whether representing taxpayers or working for the government. I also am very pleased with the opportunity Cleary Gottlieb gives me to combine tax controversy work with a transactional practice.”