Rodney W. Read
Biography
Rodney Read is a member of the Firm's Wealth Management, Private Capital, and Tax Practice Groups.
Rodney is a domestic and international tax, estate planning, and tax-exempt (charitable) organizations lawyer with vast experience working with high net worth families, closely held businesses, family offices, and charitable organizations from the US and overseas.
Practice Focus
Rodney’s practice focuses on wealth management, pre-immigration planning, pre-exit planning, international estate planning, tax regularization, individual audits, and international tax. He regularly assists clients with the structuring and administration of trusts, the formation of tax efficient structures for investment in the United States, US tax and reporting issues of beneficiaries of foreign trusts, foreign trust companies US reporting obligations, use of insurance products, formation of tax-exempt (charitable) entities and non-charitable purpose trusts, and US expatriation with advice regarding the US exit tax. He also guides clients through the various US tax disclosure programs, assists with regularizing US tax and reporting obligations, and advises financial institutions, trust companies, multi-national companies and insurance companies regarding FATCA compliance.
Representative Legal Matters
- Represented major publicly traded US company with the establishment of a non-charitable purpose trust structure.
- Represented family office negotiate a pre-filing agreement with over a billion dollar tax exposure.
- Represented European-based investment banker in a major offshore criminal tax investigation.
- Represented European-based insurance company and its owner negotiate a deferred prosecution agreement regarding a major offshore criminal tax investigation.
- Represented non-US entrepreneurs establishing US business ties with their treaty based US income tax and estate tax planning.
- Represented major publicly traded US multinational company with respect to its corporate philanthropy via various US private charitable foundations.
- Represented European-based investment bank in a major offshore criminal tax investigation.
- Represented European privately held multinational consumer products company with US charitable foundation operations.
- Represented multiple generations of US based family owning multinational manufacturing company on estate and philanthropic planning that includes charitable foundations and social welfare organizations.
- Represented various charitable foundations with international ties for the purpose of establishing public charity branches in the US.
- Represented close to 100 individuals through various US tax voluntary disclosure programs.
- Represented the heirs of a pharmaceutical manufacturing company in a significant family trust matter.
- Represented family with significant New York real estate holdings on estate and succession planning.
- Represented Costa Rican family with significant business and investment holdings in the US and Latin America with trust, succession and charitable planning.
- Represented individual with tax efficient divestment of joint venture with major US oil company.
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Texas State Bar Association - Member
- Real Estate Probate and Trust Law Section - Member
- Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners - Member
- Houston Estate and Financial Forum - Member
Admissions
- Texas~United States (2008)
Education
- New York University School of Law (LL.M.) (2009)
- University of Houston Law Center (J.D.) (2008)
- Lamar University (B.B.A) (2001)
Languages
- English
Previous Offices
- Zurich
Baker & McKenzie LLP is a member of Baker & McKenzie International.