Baker & McKenzie Adds Compensation and Benefits Tax Attorney Anne Batter
Firm News
21 May 2012
Washington, DC, USA, May 21, 2012 – Anne G. Batter has rejoined Baker & McKenzie as a partner in Washington, DC, adding 25 years of experience in the taxation of executive compensation and benefits to the Firm’s highly regarded Tax Practice.
Ms. Batter has extensive experience in planning executive compensation and fringe benefits arrangements, assisting clients in executing their plans, and successfully defending her clients' positions both before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and in court. She also handles excise tax matters, particularly those involving the air transportation excise tax. Earlier in her career, she was an attorney in the Income Tax & Accounting Division of the IRS’s Office of Chief Counsel and an Attorney-Advisor with the US Tax Court. From 2000-2008, she was an attorney at Baker & McKenzie. Most recently, she was the vice chair of Miller & Chevalier’s employee benefits practice.
“Anne’s unique combination of tax and compensation and benefits experience will be a great asset to clients,” said Elizabeth Espin Stern, Managing Partner of the Firm’s Washington, DC office. “We are delighted that she has rejoined Baker & McKenzie to enrich our premier tax and compensation, labor and employment capabilities.”
Recognized by Legal 500 as a leading lawyer in the United States for complex executive compensation matters, Ms. Batter’s practice focuses on the federal and state taxation of compensation and benefits with an emphasis on the deductibility of, reporting and withholding on, and excise taxation of all forms of compensation other than qualified retirement plans. She regularly handles matters addressing areas such as: deferred compensation, equity compensation, workforce wide bonuses, section 162(m) qualified performance-based compensation, corporate aircraft and black cars, spousal travel, entertainment facilities, employment and severance arrangements, settlement payments, health and welfare benefits, employee loans, education assistance, employee discounts, employee hardship and charitable giving programs, gifts and prizes, and working condition and de minimis fringe benefits. She assists clients in designing such programs, as well as defending their treatment before the IRS and the Courts.
In the controversy context, Ms. Batter has significant experience with the unique procedural rules applicable to withholding taxes. Ms. Batter also counsels clients on special deduction, excise tax, and FICA issues that arise with such plans in the corporate acquisition and disposition context. In addition, she works with clients on excise tax issues, particularly those involving the air transportation excise tax.
“Anne is an exceptional addition to the practice,” said Len Terr, Chair of the North American Tax Practice Group. “Anne is a star among the handful of attorneys in the country who have deep knowledge and experience with the information reporting of compensation, income and social security taxes, as well as tax deduction and excise tax issues. I know clients will value her insight.”
“Baker & McKenzie’s market-leading global platform is a great fit for my practice, and I’m excited to offer clients the Firm’s impressive corporate, securities, employment, immigration, and qualified retirement plan capabilities as well,” said Ms. Batter.
Ms. Batter is the latest in a series of prominent hires for the Tax and Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Practices. Partner Josh Odintz, a former Senior Advisor for Tax Reform to the Assistant Secretary at the US Department of the Treasury, recently joined the Firm’s Washington, DC office. Mary Bennett, the former head of the Tax Treaty, Transfer Pricing & Financial Transactions Division of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Centre for Tax Policy & Administration (CTPA), recently returned to the Firm’s DC office, and Caroline Silberztein, head of the CTPA’s Transfer Pricing Unit, also recently joined the Paris office. The practice also recently welcomed Partner Patricia Rexford to the Firm’s Chicago office, Partner Juliana Cangussu Dantas to the Amsterdam office, and Partners John Owen and Jacques Bernier to the Toronto office. In addition, the San Francisco office welcomed well-recognized ERISA litigator James Baker in February, and the DC office added IP litigator Robert Parker to the Firm on May 1.
Ms. Batter received her JD from Harvard Law School in 1985, and received her BA in Political Science from the University of Maryland in 1982, summa cum laude. She is licensed to practice law in Washington, DC, and is a member of the American Bar Association’s Section of Taxation and DC Bar’s Taxation Section.
About Baker & McKenzie’s Tax Practice
Baker & McKenzie's global tax group is one of the most highly rated and recommended amongst law firms worldwide. With a worldwide team of more than 750 tax practitioners, economists and financial analysts in 41 countries, Baker & McKenzie’s Global Tax Practice provides a strong network of tax professionals offering innovative tax planning advice to multinational corporations, helping businesses design, implement and defend tax strategies for international operations and transactions. International Tax Review’s (ITR) World Tax 2012 directory ranked the Firm’s tax practice in 34 jurisdictions, a significantly higher number of locations than other law firms, and in 2011, ITR’s Leading Tax Planning Practice survey ranked the Firm as “Top Tier” in 13 countries, including the US. ITR's 2012 Leading Tax Transactional Practice Survey ranked the Firm's tax practice in 22 jurisdictions, including “Top Tier” recognition in 10 countries, including the US. Chambers Global 2012 ranked our tax practice in 18 jurisdictions and recognized 48 individual lawyers.