Todd Maynes, is a tax partner in Kirkland's Chicago office. Todd is former chairman of the Planning Committee for the University of Chicago Federal Tax Conference and is former chairman of the Chicago-Kent College of Law Federal Tax Institute. He teaches bankruptcy taxation at Northwestern University School of Law and lectures regularly at the University of Michigan Law School. He is chairman of the Kirkland & Ellis Benefits Committee, co-chairman of the Firm's Finance Committee, administrator for the Firm's retirement plans, and Tax Matters Partner for the Firm.
He has been named in Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business since 2004. Todd has been the lead tax advisor in numerous major bankruptcies and restructurings, including United Airlines, Conseco, Calpine, Charter Communications, Visteon, and WR Grace. Chambers USA said that Todd has a "spectacular" reputation in the bankruptcy tax area, and is "easy to work with and fair-minded."
Among his prominent court victories are his victories for United Airlines in the United States Tax Court and in the United States Court of Claims, both of which dealt with the tax treatment of per diem payments made by airlines to flight crews, and his victory in the United States Tax Court on behalf of General Motors to determine the tax treatment of low interest-rate loans offered by car manufacturers through their financing subsidiaries.
Todd has been involved extensively in the representation of airlines, and has represented each of United, American, Northwest, Southwest and Delta. He was the principal tax attorney for United Airlines during its bankruptcy, and was special tax counsel to each of Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines in their bankruptcies. Todd was the lead attorney representing members of the airline industry in obtaining a favorable ruling from the IRS on the tax treatment of service fees, such as baggage fees, cancellation fees, change fees, and related service offerings.