Tax

Practice Areas

Munger, Tolles & Olson has a vibrant and diverse tax practice. Our tax lawyers are nationally recognized experts in their fields who routinely speak at major tax institutes, publish articles, teach as adjunct professors at top-tier law schools, and serve in leadership roles in local, state, and national bar associations. MTO’s tax practice focuses on structuring complex business transactions, executive compensation and employee benefits, estate planning, and operations for exempt organizations. We also regularly handle tax litigation, drawing on the skills of both our tax experts and our general litigators. Each of our tax lawyers, from the most junior to the most senior, routinely practices across a range of these areas, ensuring that we are equipped to advise our clients and colleagues on multiple fronts.

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Spotlight

Berkshire’s Tax-Free Split-Off
In a tax-free split-off completed in October 2008, Berkshire Hathaway exchanged substantially all of its shares in White Mountains Insurance Group for the stock of a White Mountains subsidiary holding two insurance companies and $708 million in cash. MTO represented Berkshire in 2001 when it made its original investment in White Mountains, and this time MTO was there to help Berkshire exit its investment as well.  As MTO tax lawyers guided Berkshire through the intricate requirements of a tax-free split-off, they also worked closely with their corporate colleagues to ensure that Berkshire’s business goals remained the central focus.