DLA Piper LLP (US)‘s transactional and asset management group advises fund sponsors, investment advisors, and investors focusing on both asset management businesses and complex financial instruments on the technical tax aspects securitization, fund formations, credit fund transactions, cryptocurrencies and NFTs, and products related to renewable energy. The team has specific expertise in dealing with the tax complexities of financial products relating to publishing rights and television royalties in the media and entertainment space. The team is headed by New York-based Gerald Rokoff who has extensive experience advising clients on identification and implementation of tax-efficient structures and has structured investments for clients active across a broad range of industry sectors including real estate, sports and entertainment, debt and equities, operating businesses, and alternative investments. Witold Jurewicz’s practice covers US and international taxation, focusing specifically on tax-efficient structures for non-US operations and investments, tax treaty planning, and US and international tax reporting and compliance. In Chicago, Aalok Virmani advises investment fund sponsors on federal income tax matters and Thomas Geraghty has specific expertise in variable and fixed-rate notes, collateralized debt obligations, and other capital market transactions. In Boston, John Wei advises on tax issues related to insurance company and product taxation, CLOs, and securitizations.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘I work with Jerry Rokoff (partner) and John Wei (associate) at DLA Piper. This is a very responsive team. They are up to date with market trends, they are quick to reply and will back their judgment if the matter is opinion able.’
‘We are very happy with our DLA team. They have consistently provided us with excellent, thorough, solutions-focused tax support in the private credit space. They are extremely knowledgeable and creative. They keep us updated on new developments and are very practical in providing advice. They have a very good understanding of our needs and their work very efficiently to scale the advice according to our needs.’
‘John Wei is exceptional. He is our go to person for anything tax related. He is very highly regarded and known in our organization and people value his opinion. He knows how to explain complicated tax matters according to his audience. He works very well with Gerald Rokoff and the rest of the DLA team and that is extremely important as we trust him as our go to person. Gerald Rokoff is our longest relationship at DLA and oversees our engagement. We appreciate that he is deeply connected within the industry and understands our organization. He knows how to right -size his advice and also to staff our account with the right people at DLA.’
‘The team was incredibly analytical and thoughtful and helped us build out a novel structure for profit split. Additionally, they wrote an excellent white paper on some of the tax programs we planned to utilize for investors who were previously unfamiliar with the programs.’
‘DLA's team is a market leader in securitization and the practical and timely advice they provide in invaluable. Their professionalism and thoughtful analysis are always appreciated as we manage our CLOs and the complex indentures and tax guidelines to which they are subject.’
‘Gerald Rokoff - Outstanding tax lawyer who is pragmatic, responsive and user friendly. John Reiss - he is an outstanding funds lawyer, and we use him regularly to advise on fund structuring. John Wei - great up and coming tax lawyer who gives fast, practical and straight-forward tax guidance in high stakes restructuring situations.'
‘The attorneys in this practice have very specialized knowledge, particularly with respect to financial instruments, on a scale that I have seen only one other professional in the country.'
‘The team is very responsive and is able to balance commercial needs with industry standards and a superior understanding of the legal subject matter. Jon Wei has been particularly valuable with to such commercial/technical balance, and he has a tremendous understanding of financial products and is able to speak about this topic in a way that, although related to very technical issues, is easy to digest, understand and re-explain.’
Key clients
- Sara Capital Partners
- HarbourView Equity Partners, LLC
- Hayfin Capital Management LLP
- Concord Music Group, Inc. [Alchemy/Concord Music]
- MC Credit Partners LP
- Nuveen, LLC
- L'Oreal Group
- Société Générale [SocGen]
- ArrowMark Partners
- Sound Point Capital Management, LP
- Jefferies Financial Group, Inc.
- Five Point Energy LLC
- Aligned Energy Holdings L.P.
- Sabey Data Center Properties
- Compass Datacenters, LLC
- Harrison Street Real Estate Capital LLC
- Campbell Global, LLC
- Hamilton Lane
- Mirae Asset Global Investment
- Partners Group AG
- Harbert Management Corporation
Work highlights
- Advised Campbell Global, LLC, with tax structuring advice on a timber fund focused on achieving a carbon negative outcome over the life of the fund.
- Advised Shenkman Capital Management, an investment management company focused on alternative credit solutions withUS$27 billion AUM, on tax aspects of its management of Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLOs) and provided tax opinions related to the restructuring of a number of debt obligations held by CLOs.
- Representing Concord Music and Alchemy Copyrights, LLC on a range of financing transactions.
Lawyers
Leading associates
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Leading lawyers
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Gerald Rokoff