Ever-expanding disputes powerhouse Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has turned to Clifford Chance for tax investigations and disputes head Liesl Fichardt.
Fichardt specialises in advising clients on complex tax investigations, large tax enquiries as well as negotiations with tax authorities. She has considerable court and tribunal experience which includes conducting cases in the Tax Tribunal, the courts of appeal and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Before joining Clifford Chance in 2013, Fichardt headed up Berwin Leighton Paisner’s tax disputes practice and was previously a partner at US firm Dorsey & Whitney.
Quinn’s London co-managing partner Richard East told Legal Business: ‘The thinking’s pretty simple. This is an area that’s throwing out an increasing number of high value disputes – that includes disputes both in country (with HMRC) – but also international tax disputes. Liesl is working on cases where a particular country’s tax authorities have become very aggressive with international investors. That leads to work both within that foreign country, but also gives rise to the prospect of international
arbitrations and investment treaty arbitrations. Her practice therefore also has a very neat fit with our international arbitrators.’
Quinn has made several strategic hires to its London office in the past 18 months, most recently with Addleshaw Goddard partner and fraud specialist Mark Hastings. The US firm also strengthened its competition disputes bench capabilities with DLA Piper’s UK competition head Kate Vernon, brought on Herbert Smith Freehills’ James Bremen as its chair of the construction practice and hired Clyde & Co litigator Paul Friedman as part of a bid to expand its Israel practice.
In Paris Allen & Overy’s global co-head of arbitration Michael Young also joined last year, alongside the hire of Herbert Smith Freehills’ Paris disputes chief Isabelle Michou.
However the firm lost litigation partner Martin Davies to Latham & Watkins. Davies joined Quinn in late 2010 from Olswang where he headed up its litigation practice. He is the first lateral hire to leave the London office in around nine years.
madeleine.farman@legalease.co.uk
