Hunton & Williams LLP announces the continued expansion of its Los Angeles office with the addition of Ofer Lion as tax counsel. Lion, who represents nonprofits and tax-exempt organizations in tax, transactional, corporate, governance and fiduciary matters, joins the firm from Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp.
George C. Howell III, head of the firm’s tax practice, says, “Ofer has a well-rounded tax background allowing him to handle a range of tax issues for our clients, both in California and nationally. He is an excellent addition to the firm.”
Lion will also work closely with Douglas M. Mancino, co-head of the firm’s health care practice group and head of its tax-exempt organizations group, who adds, “Hunton & Williams has a substantial footprint in the tax-exempt organizations market, which includes two-thirds of the nonprofit hospitals in the United States. Ofer’s tax background working with regulatory and transactional issues provides a platform to expand services to our health care and other tax-exempt clients.”
A frequent author and speaker, Lion has been quoted on tax issues, including on NPR, by The Associated Press and in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times and Forbes, among others. He is actively involved with the ABA Tax Section and is the new co-chair of the UBIT section of its exempt organizations committee. He is also active in the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s exempt organizations practice group. Lion has taught “Tax-Exempt Organizations: Law and Practice” as an adjunct professor at the UCLA School of Law.
Mr. Brailsford advises financial institutions, multinational corporations and venture capital and debt funds on the taxation of their cross-border transactions, capital markets offerings, financing transactions and financial products.
Representative Matters
Acting for the issuer and the Nationwide Building Society in structuring the Silverstone Master Issuer PLC £32bn asset-backed note programme.
Acting for the issuer and (originally) Halifax Bank PLC (latterly) Lloyds Banking Group in structuring (among others) the Permanent £45bn asset-backed note series and the £12bn Pendeford asset-backed note series.
Acting for the issuer and Lloyds Banking group in structuring the £40bn Arkle asset-backed note issuance series.
Acting for the arranging banks in structuring the £2.5bn asset-backed note issuance by Telereal Securitisation plc.
Acting for the arranging banks in structuring the PPP financing and securitisation for Tube Lines (Finance) plc.
Acting for the arranging banks in structuring the securitisation-based refinancing of the Skynet 5 satellite project.
Acting for the Mitchells & Butlers Group in relation to the Mitchells & Butlers retail securitization.
Acting for the arranging banks in structuring the £5bn refinancing of Gatwick Airport via Gatwick Funding Limited.
Acting for the arranging banks in structuring various CMBS issuances by Canary Wharf Finance PLC and Canary Wharf Finance II Plc relating to the Canary Wharf estate.
Acting for the arranging banks in structuring the CMBS issuances by Tesco Finance 1,2,3 and 4.
Acting for the financing banks to the £3.6bn acquisition of Angel Trains by an equity consortium.
Acting for the acquiring entities in relation to the £2.1bn purchase of HSBC Rail.
Mr. Brailsford has also acted for a large number of high-profile UK, US and European financial institutions in relation to private financing transactions, some of which have required a high degree of structuring in order to achieve the desired outcome from a tax perspective.
Memberships
HM Revenue & Customs’ ‘IAS 39′ working group
Chairman, London Legal League
Honorary Solicitor to the AFA and Elected Vice-President of the AFA
Education
College of Law, Chester, 1987, Solicitors’ Final Examination, Honours (2nd Class)
University of Cambridge, 1986, M.A. (Law), Class 2:1
Bar Admissions
Solicitor, England and Wales
Hogan Lovells has announced this year’s partner and counsel promotions:
Richard Basuk: Tax – New York
Kiran Khetia: Tax – London
Zbigniew Marczyk: Tax – Warsaw
Stefan Schultes-Schnitzlein: Tax – Dusseldorf
Vitol Group, one of the world’s largest independent energy trading companies, has hired Jaap Zwitser as Tax Counsel.
Jaap joins from Loyens & Loeff, where he has worked since 2003, initially in Amsterdam and for the last 4 years in the Geneva office.
San Francisco, CA. International law firm Nixon Peabody LLP has announced the arrival of Tanya K. Tudor. Ms. Tudor joins the firm’s Global Tax practice as counsel in the San Francisco office.
Ms. Tudor advises clients on a wide range of federal and state tax issues. Most recently, she was employed as senior tax counsel at Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, which is owned by Allianz SE. Since 2007, while at Fireman’s Fund, Ms. Tudor worked extensively on domestic and cross-border transactions and issues. Prior to joining Fireman’s Fund, Ms. Tudor was a tax partner with the San Francisco office of Thelen, Reid & Priest LLP, where she regularly advised clients on partnership and corporate tax matters.
“Tax-related matters continue to evolve and pose not only challenges, but also opportunities for our clients who rely on knowledgeable counsel,” said Kenneth H. Silverberg, leader of Nixon Peabody’s Global Tax practice. “Across the firm, we have a strong tax team in place and Tanya’s experience will complement our existing capabilities.”
“When dealing with complexities of tax matters that are always present, there is always a need for practical, up-to-speed, and responsive counsel such as Tanya,” added Paul E. Schrier, managing partner of Nixon Peabody’s San Francisco office. “She will be a great asset to our San Francisco office and we are pleased to welcome her to our firm.”
Ms. Tudor earned her LL.M. in taxation from New York University School of Law and her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law, magna cum laude. She is a graduate of Valparaiso University, B.A., summa cum laude.
About Nixon Peabody LLP
Nixon Peabody LLP is recognized as a Global 100 law firm—one of the largest in the world—with approximately 700 attorneys collaborating across major practice areas in cities across the U.S. and in European and Asian commercial centers. What sets Nixon Peabody apart regardless of size is the firm’s exceptional relationships—among the partners and with their clients. Nixon Peabody attorneys work effectively across offices and practices because they know and like each other. They are widely respected for the depth of their industry knowledge and for being responsive, efficient, and easy to work with. Nixon Peabody’s experience and insight helps clients anticipate and capture opportunities, prepare for and manage risks, and forecast and overcome obstacles. Nixon Peabody is widely recognized for a deep commitment to diversity, as a “Best Law Firm,” as “A Best Place to Work,” and for outstanding pro bono service.
