Jane Wells May > McDermott Will & Emery LLP > Chicago, United States > Lawyer Profile

McDermott Will & Emery LLP
444 WEST LAKE STREET
CHICAGO, IL 60606-0029
ILLINOIS
United States
Jane Wells May photo

Work Department

State & Local Tax

Position

Jane Wells May focuses her practice on state and local tax matters. She represents businesses in connection with tax controversies at the audit, administrative and judicial levels around the United States. Her clients include companies in manufacturing, retailing, pharmaceuticals, financial services, agribusiness, food and beverage, health care, energy, technology and insurance industries. Jane has served on the Firm’s Management and Compensation Committees, on the Executive Committee and as the global head of the Firm’s Tax Practice.

Jane has successfully litigated state and local tax matters raising a variety of statutory and constitutional issues. She has defended numerous internet sellers in several states against cases brought under state whistleblower statutes, including the Illinois False Claims Act, alleging fraudulent failures to collect and remit use tax. Jane also advises business clients on tax planning matters and represents athletes and entertainers in connection with employment contract issues.

Jane is a co-founder of Tax in the City: A Woman’s Tax Roundtable®, which consists of women tax professionals with an interest in discussing substantive tax issues in a collegial and confidential setting, and which meets regularly in Chicago and New York.

While in law school, Jane was senior articles editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review and a member of the Moot Court Board.

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Tax > US taxes: non-contentious

McDermott Will & Emery LLP’s transactional tax practice, with offices in Chicago, Boston, California, Washington DC, Dallas, and Miami, offers broad expertise to blue-chip clients, focusing on the tax aspects of corporate restructurings and M&A. Timothy Shuman in Washington DC, advising on domestic and cross-border acquisitions, dispositions, and restructurings, leads the global group alongside Jane Wells May in Chicago, who focuses on state and local tax issues. Miami-based Steven Hadjilogiou specializes in tax optimization, while Brian Jenn in Chicago represents companies on tax-driven restructurings, foreign tax credits, and global tax policies, among other issues. San Francisco’s Dominika Korytek offers expertise in federal tax planning, especially to clients in the tech sector. John Lutz in New York is strong in the financial sector, regularly representing banks in connection with a wide range of matters, including municipal derivatives and tax-exempt bond securitizations. Damon Lyon in Chicago is well known for handling tax issues in cross-border restructurings. Lowell Yoder, also in Chicago, continues to leverage his considerable experience in cross-border transactions. DC’s David Noren is excellent in matters concerning subpart F rules, bilateral income tax treaties, and transfer pricing issues. Manuel Rajunov in Dallas advises on M&A transactions, real estate investments, and structured finance transactions. Shawn O’Brien in Houston and Frank Jackson in New York joined the firm in October 2023 from Mayer Brown and Jones Day, respectively.

United States > Tax > US taxes: contentious

(Leading lawyers)

Jane Wells May – McDermott Will & Emery LLP

McDermott Will & Emery LLP fields a large team active nationwide in the full range of contentious tax issues, including audits, appeals, and litigation. Digital tax matters are a key area of expertise for the team, which acts on behalf of numerous prominent companies with interests in this sector. The group is led by Catherine Battin, a Chicago-based SALT expert with a strong record in tax disputes at all levels. Senior partner Jane Wells May, who is a former team lead, is also active in the Chicago office. Other key names include Charles Moll in San Francisco, who is a SALT specialist with experience litigating before the US Supreme Court, Stephen Kranz, who works from Washington DC and is particularly active on behalf of tech companies, and the Boston-based Richard Call. The team saw significant growth over 2023 with the additions of Shawn O’Brien, who joined the Houston office from Mayer Brown, Edward Froelich, new to the DC team from Morrison Foerster, and New York-based lawyer Michael Scarduzio, formerly of Jones Day.