Deloitte's loss is K&L Gates' gain

Deloitte's loss is K&L Gates' gain

By getting on board Michell Weiss and his team, K&L Gates establishes an edge over others in the field of international tax practices at its Chicago office

Global law firm K&L Gates LLP has consolidated its international tax practices with Mitchell Weiss and Balazs Danko joining the firm's Chicago office as partners.

Counsel Josh Fieldstone has also joined the firm along with Weiss and Denko.

All three of them were previously associated with Deloitte Tax LLP. While Weiss was managing director and Danko a senior manager in the international tax practice, Fieldstone worked in the same firm as an international tax manager.

Weiss has rich experience of over two decades of international tax experience, advising domestic and foreign multinationals on the tax aspects of a variety of cross-border matters, including international expansions, dispositions, reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions, and financings.

Weiss, an adjunct professor in the LLM Tax Program at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, also has experience counseling on the tax matters surrounding IP migrations, cash reparations, foreign tax credit planning, and income tax treaty issues, among others. Besides, he is an accomplished writer and has published numerous international tax articles and books, and is also a frequent speaker at tax conferences.

Danko counsels public and private companies on international tax matters such as cross-border mergers and acquisitions, internal restructurings, tax-efficient financings, and post-acquisition integration transactions.

Denko also has vast experience in designing and implementing tax-efficient cross-border acquisition and disposition structures for private equity clients.

"We are very excited to have Mitch and his team join our group. They bring a sophisticated skill set focused on multi-national clients, and will be a strong complement to our existing cross-border practices," Adam Tejeda, a New York partner and a leader of the firm's tax practice, said.

K&L Gates has added nearly 60 partners since January 2020. Weiss and Danko follow the addition of three other partners to the firm's Chicago office in the past year, including banking and finance partner Marisa Murillo, intellectual property partners Patrick Richards and James Shimota.

"We are thrilled that Mitchell, Balazs, and Josh have joined our Chicago office," said Michael Martinez, managing partner of K&L Gates' Chicago office.

"Their collective experience greatly enhances our international tax practice, and their addition builds upon the number of talented lawyers we have welcomed in Chicago this past year," Michael Martinez added.