Joseph Bender is a partner in the Tax, Benefits & Compensation Department of Edwards Wildman. Joe advises his corporate clients on a wide array of federal, state, local, and international tax issues. He represents a number of national and international clients in the tax aspects of private equity investments, investments by pension funds and other exempt investors, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate restructuring. His practice frequently focuses on maximizing tax benefits among the parties. Joe also represents a number of taxpayers in defending themselves against federal, state and local revenue taxing authorities.
Notable Experience
· Represents a multi-billion dollar pension fund on numerous leveraged and unleveraged real estate investments, including investments in tax credit transactions.
· Has represented numerous investors and developers in tax credit investments.
· Works with a number of private equity and hedge funds to counsel them in tax advantaged acquisitions and dispositions of portfolio investments.
· Represented taxpayers before the Illinois Department of Revenue in multi-million dollar sales and use tax assessments.
· Counseled multiple taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service on issues varying from non-filling to undisclosed foreign bank accounts.
· Represented Star I, Inc., a multi-tiered holding and operating company involved in a number of operating and investment businesses. At issue was a tax-motivated complex corporate restructuring, which had a value of more than $250 million.
· Represented the syndicator in a tax credit and façade investment of LaSalle Bank Theatre worth approximately $40 million. Tax issues included both Rehabilitation Tax Credits as well as façade charitable donations.
· Represented Summit Square, the owners of a 200 unit independent and assisted living facility, in a number of issues arising from corporate restructuring, debt workouts, and issues relations to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Other Distinctions
· Joe has received a peer rating of AV by Martindale-Hubbell.
Recent Speaking Engagements and Publications
· Author, "New Anti-Terror Guidelines: What U.S. tax-exempts should be doing right now," The Non Profit Times, February 1, 2007.
· Co-Author, "When is the Whole Worth More Than the Parts? The Use of Discounts in Valuing Corporate Distributions of Appreciated Property," Passthrough Entities, January-February 2003.
· Co-Author, Federal Income Tax Considerations, IICLE, 2002.
· Co-Author, "The Tax Man Cometh? Not Always! How to Reduce Taxes on Your E-Business," The Internet Journal, November 2000 (with Mark Teitelbaum).
· Author, "What Step Transactions? The Expanding Scope of F Reorganizations," Journal of Taxation, November 2000.
· Co-Author, "Peracchi and Making Something Out of Nothing, or Does Debt Have a Zero Basis to Its Maker and Further Ruminations on the Substances and Form of Transactions," Taxes Magazine, March 1999 (with Richard M. Lipton).
· Speaker, Chicago Bar Association seminars and other CPE and CLE seminars on various topics, including taxation of electronic commerce, mergers and acquisitions and tax credits.
News & Publications
March 21, 2011, New Illinois Sales Tax Nexus Issues
Besides Edwards Wildman
Joe is an avid sports fan. He likes both playing and watching a number of sports, in particular professional football. Joe's hobbies include wine tasting, amateur boxing, travel and cycling.
Memberships
· Adjunct Tax Faculty, University of Illinois-Chicago