Mr Shawn O'Brien > McDermott Will & Emery LLP > Houston, United States > Lawyer Profile

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.

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. Shawn O’Brien in Houston and Frank Jackson in New York joined the firm in October 2023 from Mayer Brown and Jones Day, respectively. Manuel Rajunov has left the firm.