Mixing technical legal know-how with practical advice

With three partners specialising in corporate, share schemes and real estate tax, this team mixes technical legal know-how with practical advice. Its nine lawyers are experienced in dealing with the day-to-day tax issues that arise on all sorts of transactions, from substantial shareholdings relief to employee-related securities; capital allowances to VAT; and transfer pricing to stamp duty land tax. They make sure that tax isn't a spanner in the works, complicating matters and holding up transactions.

Beyond the day-to-day, these experts have a strong record on complex structuring, advising NAI Fuller Peiser LLP and its partners on the merger of its property services business with Atisreal. They gave tax structuring advice to the management team on the £1.46 billion de-merger of Phones4U from the Caudwell Group. In conjunction with KPMG, corporate and property tax specialists advised European property developer Parkridge on a series of deals worth £1.03 billion.

The team provides an in-house tax consultancy service, supporting deals and projects across the firm. This includes share and asset sales and acquisitions, tax advice on the implementation of group reorganisations, real estate transactions and funds, licensing and royalty arrangements, loan and asset finance transactions, and outsourcing. Involved early in a transaction, they help steer clients away from potential tax-traps.

Wragge & Co's tax experts are also asked for their views on tax structuring advice given by other advisers. This 'responsive and commercial' (Chambers UK) team explains the commercial and practical implications of the proposed path.

For international work, the team handles the UK aspects and acts as the link between a client and a network of trusted local law firms. A formal association with German independent firm Graf von Westphalen offers direct access to its strong tax practice.

Immediately following each Budget the team provides a round up of the key points, contacting clients to let them know what the changes mean for their business. This information is straightforward and practical.

The team keeps its ear to the ground through associations and memberships of UK bodies. Kevin Lowe, Richard Freeman and Anne Fairpo are members of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. Lee Nuttall is on the taxes sub-committee of the British Property Federation, the Investment Property Forum and the VAT Practitioners Group. Kevin and Neil Pearson are authors of three chapters in Sweet & Maxwell's Private Equity Transactions and Anne Fairpo is an author of Tottel's Taxation of Intellectual Property and the taxation of intellectual property chapter of Tolley's Tax Planning.

For more about tax, contact kevin_lowe@wragge.com.