Ms Rachel Cantor > Kirkland & Ellis LLP > Chicago, United States > Lawyer Profile
Kirkland & Ellis LLP Offices

333 West Wolf Point Plaza
Chicago, IL 60654
United States
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Ms Rachel Cantor

Position
Rachel’s practice focuses on the tax aspects of complex business transactions including domestic and cross-border mergers, acquisitions, and leveraged buyouts, as well as joint ventures, recapitalizations, and debt and equity restructurings. She has worked on numerous private equity, LBO, and merger and acquisition transactions ranging from several million dollars to several billion dollars for clients including: Madison Dearborn Partners, Audax Group, Wind Point Partners, Levine Leichtman and Accel KKR.
Career
Rachel currently serves as the Chair of the Planning Committee for the University of Chicago Federal Tax Conference. She was named to “Chicago’s Notable Women in Law” list by Crain’s Chicago Business in 2020 and one of The Best Lawyers in America for Tax Law from 2013–2020.
Education
University of Chicago Law School, J.D., with Honors; Comment Editor, University of Chicago Law Review; Yale University, B.S., Computer Science, cum laude.
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s non-contentious tax group advises on a broad range of high-value matters, including domestic and international M&A, buyouts, real estate investments, fund formations, restructurings, and bankruptcy reorganizations. Dean Shulman in New York, with considerable experience handling tax-free spin-offs, leveraged buyouts, IPOs, and fund formations, leads the team alongside Chicago’s Todd Maynes, who focuses on tax issues in debt restructurings as well as bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings. Chicago-based Rachel Cantor has a strong track record handling acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, recapitalizations, and debt and equity restructurings. David Wheat, operating from Dallas and Houston, offers expertise in M&A transactions and divestitures involving large public and private corporations and partnerships, while Vin Thorn in Boston is well known for advising on the tax aspects of private equity transactions. Los Angeles-based Anne Kim counts private equity funds, public and private companies, and publicly traded partnerships among her client roster. Mike Carew in Chicago is also a key contact, advising on the tax aspects of securities issuances, recapitalizations, joint ventures, and debt and equity restructurings, among other issues. New York’s Sara Zablotney focuses on the tax aspects of M&A, spin-offs, divestitures, and joint ventures. Chicago-based Gregory Gallagher‘s domestic practice covers M&A, spin-offs, IPOs, and debt restructuring, while Mark Schwed in New York is noted for his experience advising on SPAC IPOs, financings, and business combinations. New York-based Joseph Tootle advises on the tax aspects of REITs and real estate transactions, among others. In 2023, David Foster and Sam Kamyans joined the firm’s Washington DC office from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Allen & Overy LLP, respectively.
United States > Tax > International tax
Kirkland & Ellis LLP advises on tax planning in connection with domestic and foreign M&A, buyouts, fund formations, restructurings, bankruptcy reorganizations, financings, and executive compensation arrangements. Practice head Dean Shulman, who is based in New York, has significant experience advising on and structuring transactions, including partnership workouts and restructurings, like-kind exchanges, and transactions involving the formation and operation of partnerships. In Chicago, Rachel Cantor‘s practice is focused on the tax aspects of complex business transactions, with particular experience handling private equity, LBO, and merger and acquisition transactions. New York-based Sara Zablotney advises on the full spectrum of transactions, including M&A, divestitures, joint ventures, and spin-offs. In Chicago, Mike Carew has expertise in the tax aspects of M&A, buyouts, and private equity investing and Lee Morlock advises Fortune 500 and Global 500 companies on the structuring of cross-border operations. In New York, Mark Schwed supports public companies and private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies on their domestic and international acquisitions, investments, divestitures, joint ventures, financings, and restructurings. Restructuring transaction specialist Anthony Sexton and Polina Liberman are both based in Chicago, and Adam Kool, who handle the full breadth of business transactions, practices from New York. In 2023, the team welcomed the expertise of David Foster from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Sam Kamyans from Allen & Overy LLP, both based in Washington DC.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Media, technology and telecoms > Advertising and marketing: litigation
- Finance > Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings
- International trade and national security > CFIUS
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Government > Government relations
- Intellectual property > Copyright
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Energy > Energy litigation: oil and gas
- Energy > Energy transactions: electric power
- Energy > Energy transactions: oil and gas
- Environment > Environment: transactional
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- Tax > International tax
- Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+)
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage)
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: large deals ($500m+)
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Real estate > Real estate
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions
- Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters)
- Intellectual property > Trademarks: litigation
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
Firm Rankings
- Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings
- Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
- Antitrust > Cartel
- Energy > Energy regulation: electric power
- Antitrust > Merger control
- Investment fund formation and management > Mutual/registered/exchange-traded funds
- Media, technology and telecoms > Outsourcing
- Intellectual property > Patents: licensing
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (International Trade Commission)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: automotive/transport
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: consumer products (including tobacco)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: toxic tort
- Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- Energy > Renewable/alternative power
- Government > State attorneys general
- Finance > Structured finance: securitization
- Tax > US taxes: contentious
- Dispute resolution > E-discovery
- Environment > Environment: litigation
- Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation
- Insurance > Insurance: non-contentious
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: transactional
- Finance > Project finance
- Intellectual property > Trademarks: non-contentious (including prosecution, portfolio management and licensing)
- International trade and national security > Customs, export controls and economic sanctions
- Energy > Energy regulation: oil and gas
- Healthcare > Life sciences
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Finance > Commercial lending
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Shareholder activism