Stuart Finkelstein, head of the firm's New York Tax Group, represents clients on a wide range of tax matters, with particular emphasis on mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, including spin-offs, debt and equity offerings, corporate and partnership restructurings, and joint ventures. He also provides tax guidance regarding executive compensation and tax controversy matters.
Mr. Finkelstein has been involved in a number of significant transactions in the financial services industry. For example, he has represented:
- Citigroup Inc. in a number of acquisitions and divestitures, including its acquisition of Grupo Cuscatlán and Bank of Overseas Chinese (Taiwan); the sale of its life insurance and annuities businesses to MetLife, Inc. and its asset management business to Legg Mason, Inc.; the sales of Citigroup Global Services Limited to Tata Consultancy Services Limited (India) and of Citi Technology Services, Ltd. to Wipro Limited; the initial public offering and tax-free spin-off of Travelers Property Casualty Corp.; the initial public offering of its subsidiary, Primerica, Inc.; the sale of Student Loan Corporation to Discover Financial Services and SLM Corporation (Sallie Mae); and the issuance of more than $200 billion in debt and equity offerings over the past 10 years;
- NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. in several transactions, including its acquisitions of Instinet Group, Inc. and Direct Reporting Corporation; its repurchase of approximately $500 million of common stock from Bourse Dubai Limited; and various debt and equity offerings;
- Knight Capital Group in its acquisitions of Direct Trading Institutional, Inc., Donaldson & Co., Incorporated, EdgeTrade Inc., Hotspot FX, Inc. and ValuBond, Inc., and its restructuring of its investment in Deephaven Capital Management LLC;
- Janus Capital Group, Inc. in several debt financings; its acquisition of a controlling interest in Perkins, Wolf, McDonnell and Company, LLC; and various matters relating to INTECH Investment Management LLC;
- Wilmington Trust Corporation in its acquisition by M&T Bank Corporation; and
- BankUnited, Inc. in its proposed acquisition of Herald National Bank.
Mr. Finkelstein regularly is consulted on tax matters related to corporate restructurings. He has represented a number of clients in connection with restructurings involving tax-free spin-offs, including Autoliv AB; Citigroup Inc.; Culligan Water Technologies, Inc.; Gaylord Entertainment Company; Janus Capital Group, Inc.; J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.; and Samsonite Corporation. He also represented Loews Corporation in its split-off of Lorillard, Inc. Mr. Finkelstein also counsels clients on matters relating to financially troubled businesses, both in and out of bankruptcy proceedings, and he has provided tax advice in the bankruptcy reorganizations of A.H. Robins Company, Inc.; Crowthers McCall Pattern, Inc.; E-II Holdings, Inc.; First City Bancorporation of Texas, Inc.; Fleming Companies, Inc.; GenTek Inc.; Globix Corporation; The Grand Union Company; Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc., Nortel Networks; Owens Corning; and Source Interlink Companies, Inc.
Mr. Finkelstein also has advised clients in the telecommunications industry, including Centennial Communications Corp.; Hughes Telematics, Inc.; Nokia Siemens Networks; SkyTerra Communications, Inc.; and WildBlue Communications, Inc. He has represented various private equity funds in a variety of transactions, including Apollo Advisors, L.P., Norwest Equity Partners and Thomas H. Lee Company.
Mr. Finkelstein actively participates in various aspects of the firm's administration and has served on a number of firm committees, including the Policy Committee, the firm's governing body.
Mr. Finkelstein serves on the boards of a number of not-for-profit organizations including Bridges to Community, Inc., Hearts of Gold, Inc. and the Legal Aid Society's Low Income Taxpayer Clinic.
Mr. Finkelstein repeatedly has been named among the nation's top tax practitioners by
Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business,
Legal 500,
Tax Directors Handbook,
Who's Who in American Law,
Who's Who in America,
Who's Who in the East and Turnarounds and Workouts' list of Top Bankruptcy Tax Specialists in the Nation's Major Law Firms. He has spoken around the country and published several articles on various corporate tax planning matters.