Anne Fairpo

I am a director in the Corporate group's Tax team, providing advice on corporate finance and real estate deals. I also work closely with the IP team, advising on taxation in relation to intellectual property issues.

Tel: +44 (0)20 7864 9554

Email: anne_fairpo@wragge.com

Best brains in …

The taxation of IP, including licensing, M&A and tax structuring, as well as international tax planning, general corporate tax structuring and transactional work. I also have particular expertise in advising US companies expanding into the EU.

Highlight of your career so far…

Certainly the deal that was the most fun to do involved the expansion of the subsidiary of a US company into Europe and Australia. I led and completed the structuring of the transaction, which involved some complex pieces of VAT work. There was a great chemistry among the members of the team, while the work dealt with a technically unusual area of VAT. I always enjoy transactions where information and precedents are not easy to come by, combined with the challenge of finding creative solutions.

Most challenging job you've ever done…

While many jobs are challenging for different reasons, the most technically complex piece of work I advised on involved a NYSE-listed company fund set up by a New York bank. Extremely technical in terms of the taxation issues, it centred on real black letter law. The added pressure was a 24-hour deadline to sort out all the issues.

What about outside the UK?

A lot of my work involves an international element, particularly since many of the sectors I specialise in (computer hardware and software, as well as telecoms) tend to be based in the US. International deals require careful handling – it's crucial to be aware of the balance between the law and the practicalities of how things are likely to be dealt with. My best example involved an internal reorganisation for a large, multi-national organisation. With forty jurisdictions and different IP issues in each of these, it required a complete handle on the issues at all times.

What's your definition of going the extra mile?

When one of my US clients came to London for the first time, he expressed severe reservations about the reputation of our nation's food. To put his mind at rest, and out of a patriotic inclination, I put together a list of all the decent restaurants the capital has to offer. This included some established haunts, as well as my personal, lesser-known favourites!

Best example of a creative legal solution?

Without giving away the secrets, my creative solutions are all about striking a balance. They tend to be creative enough to achieve what a client wants, but not so creative that they attract the attention of Inland Revenue!

When have you ever given a client a real competitive edge?

I start from the commercial perspective, and then work backwards from there to figure out how the tax law will fit. In this way, I am more able to deliver what the client would like to achieve. When advising a US subsidiary expanding into the UK, my advice had to consider the additional implications of the roll-out of the company's US technology in the UK. Compliance with VAT in the UK, and how to minimise this in order for the business to operate, presented a challenge. Skill in this area, combined with the ability to explain and resolve the issues, helped to deliver the right commercial position for the client to carry on its business.

What's your single greatest contribution to Wragge & Co's corporate responsibility?

I'm a new arrival at the firm but I hope to contribute in many ways. I run a lot of marathons for charity, with my current training efforts focused on the New York marathon. Pro bono work is a real passion of mine. For the last few years I have been undertaking voluntary tax advice to the lower paid and underprivileged for a charity called Tax Aid. I get a real sense of personal gratification from this type of work. People walk into my office really stressed about a particular problem and usually leave with a great sense of relief.