1 new tax partner and 6 new tax counsel at Weil, Gotshal & Manges

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP announced today that it has elected 16 new partners, effective January 1, 2020. There is only 1 new tax partner: Aron Joy from the London office (see bio below).

The Firm also elected 115 counsel of whom 6 are tax lawyers:

Alex Farr, Dallas

Alexandre Groult, Paris

Benjamin Rapp, Munich

Erica Rees, London

Eric D. Remijan, New York

Gary Silber, New York

Aron Joy advises clients on all areas of UK and international corporate tax matters, including M&A, restructuring, structured finance and real estate transactions, with a particular specialism in funds taxation, both alternative and traditional, and investment management business structuring. Since 2004 Aron has advised private equity, infrastructure, real estate, hedge and authorised fund sponsors, as well as institutional, pension fund, charity and other investors.

Aron represents Weil as an active member of various Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA) working groups and the Stamp Taxes Practitioners Group.

Aron’s experience includes advising:

• A leading private equity house on the formation of its £300m credit fund investing in performing, semi-performing and non-performing European credit assets such as consumer and commercial loans and other credit lines, and residential and commercial mortgage backed securities among others, in particular in the UK, Spain, Portugal, Romania and Italy.
• A leading private equity house on the structuring and implementation of more than 25 transactions by its credit fund, including a EUR 550m CRD IV compliant investment with Banca IMI and Phoenix investment Partners in a portfolio of receivables comprising loans secured by salary advances granted to customers of an intermediary of the Monte dei Paschi di Siena group, and the restructuring of an investment in a GBP 170m portfolio of non-performing UK consumer loans to accommodate a co-investment by a major US pension plan investor.
• A major hedge fund manager on the launch of its first closed ended European special situations credit fund, targeting USD1.5bn, with a USD300m single investor side structure for a sovereign wealth fund investor.
• A boutique asset manager on the formation of a direct lending fund targeting USD100m and established to advance bridging loans and term loans to high net worth individuals, art dealers, galleries and corporate collectors of art in the UK, the US, Germany, Switzerland and Hong Kong.
• A major investment manager on the launch and ongoing deployment of capital by a closed ended corporate fund established to raise up to USD200 million in farmland and farming businesses throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Central America, including structuring a master holding structure and tax efficient sub-structures for the investments.
• A major investment manager on the establishment of Dutch trading platforms for financial transactions such as options, warrants and forward purchases in relation to various commodities such as Siberian coal, Australian gold, Colombian gold and Ecuadorian oil drilling rigs, including the establishment of a USD 10 billion Fund Linked Note Programme in connection with the financing of the underlying transactions.
• Various major asset manager clients on the structuring and implementation of incentivisation and deferred remuneration arrangements for partners.
• A major investment manager on its migration from the UK to Switzerland, dealing with tax issues in the UK, Guernsey and Switzerland, among other jurisdictions, both at the corporate and individual levels.
• Various institutional and other investment managers on numerous real estate transactions, including the £175m acquisition of c.50 UK trade parks held through a JPUT structure, the purchase of 14 Pier Walk, Greenwich Peninsula, the £230m acquisition of Moor House and CrossRail Box, the sale of leasehold interests in various London Underground owned properties and the re-gear of the Heals Building.
• A major investment bank on the creation and implementation of a £ multi-billion trade receivables financing platform spanning over 40 jurisdictions.
• A global leader in investment advisory services in relation to a successful VAT dispute with HMRC.
• A major hedge fund manager on the management of its ongoing relationship with HMRC in the context of multiple ongoing HMRC enquiries and with a view to achieving a low risk rating.
• A national government on enhancing the competitiveness of the funds and asset management sectors in its country.