Stradley Ronon announced today that investment management and corporate transactions tax lawyer Roger S. Wise has joined the firm as a partner in its Washington, D.C., office. He was most recently a partner at K&L Gates.
Wise counsels clients on tax issues affecting the investment management and financial services industries, as well as the federal income tax ramifications of business transactions. His experience includes structuring open-end and closed-end mutual funds, hedge funds, real estate funds (including REITs) and private equity funds, insurance products and financial transactions. Wise advises clients on qualification issues for registered investment companies (RICs) and on the tax consequences of swaps and other derivative instruments, information reporting requirements and penalties, and in-kind redemptions by ETFs.
In his corporate tax practice, Wise handles the tax aspects of transactions such as inbound and outbound investments, joint ventures, corporate restructuring and complex partnership transactions. He regularly handles private letter ruling requests with the IRS, works on contested matters at the IRS Audit and Appeals level and counsels clients on the tax consequences of settlements with private litigants and governmental entities.
“Roger’s experience aligns well with our client base and our expanding roster of legal talent, and we are excited to add someone of his caliber to our growing investment management group, corporate practice and Washington office,” said Stradley Ronon Chairman William R. Sasso. “A strategic, forward-thinking adviser like Roger can be critical to a business’s growth, and I am excited for our clients to leverage his skills and experience.”
“Stradley Ronon has long had a stellar reputation within the tax and investment management industries, and I am thrilled to be able to grow my practice at such a well-respected firm,” said Wise. “I was drawn to Stradley Ronon because of the sophistication of its work, combined with its collegial culture, close-knit partnership and strong leadership.”
Wise is Stradley Ronon’s third lateral partner hire since June, joining commercial litigation partner Mark Villanueva, formerly a partner at McCarter & English, and intellectual property partner Philip Foret, previously co-chair of Dilworth Paxson’s IP practice, as the firm’s newest partners.
Stradley Ronon’s tax practice group reaches into every sphere of international, federal, state and local taxation, working with tax laws that are numerous, complex and frequently changing. The group’s lawyers regularly undertake tax planning for C corporations, S corporations, partnerships, business trusts, limited liability companies, individuals, estates and trusts, tax-exempt organizations, and regulated businesses such as mutual funds and banks. The firm’s investment management tax practice group provides advice on a wide range of federal and state tax issues relating to domestic and offshore investment companies and other commingled investment vehicles, as well as financial products.
Stradley Ronon maintains one of the premier investment management practices in the United States, representing investment company clients with more than 1,000 separate funds and assets under management approaching $2 trillion, including several of the top 10 investment company complexes in the country by assets under management. The group represents retail and institutional investment companies marketing shares through every distribution channel, as well as managers, administrators and underwriters/distributors.
“Roger is a talented lawyer whose experience and knowledge make him an excellent addition to our tax practice,” said Stradley Ronon Tax Practice Group Chair Todd C. Vanett. “Our clients will benefit greatly from his passion for distilling complex and ever-evolving tax regulations into pragmatic, high-value business advice.”
“We are happy to welcome Roger to our growing investment management group,” said Stradley Ronon Investment Management Practice Group Chair Bruce G. Leto. “His broad knowledge of mutual fund and alternative investment tax law will strengthen our deep bench of ‘40 Act practitioners.”
Wise is the vice-chair of the American Bar Association, Tax Section, Committee on Investment Management and a member of the Investment Company Institute Tax Advisory Group, Managed Funds Association Tax Committee. He previously was an adjunct professor in the Georgetown University School of Law LL.M. program.
Wise received his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he was articles editor for the International Law Journal. He earned his B.A., magna cum laude, from Yale University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Source: www.stradley.com
