Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered

About this office:

Founded by former IRS commissioner Mortimer Caplin, Caplin & Drysdale has long been a premier tax law firm. It also maintains leading practices in the fields of tax-exempt organizations, creditors' rights and bankruptcy litigation, and political activity law. The firm's tax practice focuses on international planning for businesses and private clients, tax controversies of all kinds (civil and criminal), employee benefits, and trusts and estates. Caplin & Drysdale represents a full spectrum of tax-exempt organizations and counsels a diverse clientele in compliance with political activities law, government ethics rules, and lobbying registration and disclosure requirements. The firm's litigators have achieved prominence in asbestos-related bankruptcy cases, class actions for resolving mass tort liabilities, fraudulent conveyance suits, and other business controversies.

Voluntary Disclosure Clients: Caplin & Drysdale is currently handling approximately 40 voluntary disclosure matters on behalf of clients with undeclared accounts at UBS and other foreign financial institutions, with an estimated gross account value, as of this writing, well in excess of $100,000,000. These cases have come from all over the United States and at least five foreign countries.

Liechtenstein: The firm offered advice to the Principality of Liechtenstein regarding U.S. domestic taxation laws, U.S. tax treaties, U.S. tax policy and the formation of its policy for negotiation of the U.S.-Liechtenstein Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA).

NAACP: Caplin & Drysdale successfully guided the organization through a confrontational and highly visible IRS examination for alleged political campaign activity arising out of the 2004 election. Employing creative procedural and technical arguments, the review was brought to an extraordinary close without the NAACP providing any access to its books and records and without any change to the organization's tax status.

Official Committee of Asbestos Personal Injury Claimants of W. R. Grace & Co.: W.R. Grace entered bankruptcy in an effort to limit its liability for asbestos claims. As committee counsel, Caplin & Drysdale played a key role in litigating and settling a large fraudulent transfer case and opposed the debtor in a claims estimation trial. Ultimately, W.R. Grace agreed to provide approximately $3 billion for an asbestos settlement trust, and the parties' efforts now focus on confirming a reorganization plan.

John McCain Presidential Campaign: The firm served as General Counsel to Senator John McCain's primary and general election presidential campaigns and guided it through the complexities of federal and state campaign and finance laws, including litigation, ballot access, and corporate law issues.

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.: The firm counsels JPMC on issues of federal, state, and local political law. This includes providing general prospective advice regarding campaign finance and government ethics rules policed by federal, state, and local government ethics agencies, conducting training sessions on the new federal lobbying disclosure rules, and advising on the creation and execution of compliance policies to guide its employees and executives before specific issues arise.

Anheuser-Busch: Caplin & Drysdale has advised Anheuser-Busch on a broad range of executive compensation and fringe benefit issues.

Private Client Matter: Caplin & Drysdale attorneys assisted a U.S. client in connection with the receipt of a large inheritance from his deceased non-resident alien father. Issues included navigating the passive foreign investment company rules, analyzing foreign trust and related compliance issues, and engaging in traditional domestic estate planning.

Federal Tax Practice, Exempt Organizations Law, Civil and Criminal Litigation, Corporations, Securities, International and Administrative Practice, Estate Planning, Political Activity Law, Employee Benefits.

Congress Can Better Voter Registration
Trevor Potter, Marc Elias, October 12, 2009, previously published by Roll Call on September 14, 2009
As Congress reconvenes, it faces a daunting portfolio of critical issues to attend to with 2009 drawing to a close. The headlines will be dominated by partisan maneuvering on the big-ticket items of health care, the financial system and energy. But Congress can and should in a bipartisan manner...

Jousting With the Tax Man: ADR Minitrial Can Unlock Gridlock
John C. Klotsche, October 12, 2009, previously published by TaxNotes on September 28, 2009
John Klotsche served as senior adviser to the IRS commissioner from 2003 to 2006 and as senior international adviser from 2007 to 2008. He is currently a partner with Caplin & Drysdale in Washington. This is the third in the "Jousting" series. The first was "Jousting With the...

Money Business: Constitutional Opinions
Stacy Q. Cline, October 12, 2009, previously published by The American Spectator on September 11, 2009
Government can give, and it can also take away. With $3.55 trillion in annual federal spending, $2.5 trillion in regulatory compliance costs, and federal tax burdens of more than $2.9 trillion, every corporation has something to gain or lose in modern elections. After the Citizens United argument...

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