Veteran Tax Lawyer John Owen Joins Baker & McKenzie in Toronto
Firm News
10 January 2012
Toronto, Canada, January 10, 2012 – Highly regarded tax lawyer John R. Owen has joined Baker & McKenzie’s Tax Practice as a partner in Toronto, adding more than 25 years of experience in handling a range of transactional and litigation tax matters.
Consistently recognized by Chambers Global as one of the leading corporate tax lawyers in Canada, Mr. Owen advises public and private corporations on a wide range of Canadian income tax issues, including those relating to inbound and outbound tax structuring, insolvency related restructuring, mergers and acquisitions and tax reserves, provisions and opinions. Mr. Owen also advises clients faced with audits by and disputes with federal and provincial tax authorities, and has appeared before the Tax Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada
“John is an exceptional tax lawyer and a terrific addition to our practice,” said Len Terr, Chair of the North American Tax Practice Group. “John extends our capabilities for clients in Canada at exactly the perfect time when we are seeing a dramatic resurgence of local and cross-border transactional activity.”
“John is recognized as a top tax lawyer in the Toronto market and we’re pleased he is joining the Firm,” said Jim Holloway, Managing Partner of the Firm’s Toronto Office. “As Canadian companies grow and expand, and as global companies increasingly invest in Canadian enterprises, we see our tax practice as a critical component to providing high-value services to clients in this market. We thus plan to continue to invest in this important practice.”
“I’m excited to join Baker & McKenzie,” said Mr. Owen. “The Firm’s tax practice is routinely cited as one of the top practices in the world, and the Firm’s impressive capabilities in Canada and its leading global platform are a great fit for my practice.”
Mr. Owen is the latest in a series of prominent hires to join the Firm’s Tax Practice. Tax litigator Patricia Rexford and Joshua Odintz, the former Senior Advisor for Tax Reform to the Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, joined the Firm in December. In addition, 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, along with Caroline Silberztein, head of the CTPA’s Transfer Pricing Unit. The practice also recently welcomed Partners Eric Westerburgen and Christophe Clément to its Amsterdam offices.
In Toronto, Jacques Bernier joined the Tax Practice in 2011, along with securities and mining lawyer Howard Burshtein. In December 2010, well regarded IP lawyer Bill Richardson also joined the office.
About John Owen
Mr. Owen obtained his undergraduate degree (BES) from the University of Waterloo and is a 1984 graduate of the University of Toronto law school. In 1997, he obtained an LLM (tax) from Osgoode Hall Law School. He is a member of the Toronto and British Columbia bars.
In addition to being recognized in Chambers Global, Mr. Owen is regularly cited in Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and Best Lawyers in Canada. A regular writer on tax matters, he has published articles in the Canadian Tax Journal, the Canadian Bar Review and the Canadian Business Law Journal. He also speaks at provincial and national professional conferences. Mr. Owen is a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation, International Fiscal Association, Canadian Bar Association and Ontario Bar Association.
Mr. Owen joins the Firm from Bennett Jones, where he was co-chair of that firm’s tax and estates department. Earlier in his career, he practiced at Thorsteinssons LLP and Blaney McMurtry LLP.