Maisto e Associati

Senior Partner: Professor Guglielmo Maisto

Number of partners: 13

Number of lawyers: 50 (excluding partners)

Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish

Firm Overview:

Established in 1991 by lawyers with many years of experience in the field, Maisto e Associati is an independent Italian law firm specialised in tax law. Over the years, the firm has grown consistently in size and reputation and now has 59 professionals, including 12 partners and 3 of counsel, with consolidated experience in managing complex, sensitive - domestic and multijurisdictional - cases. Most of the firm’s professionals participate in advisory bodies and study groups, are frequent speakers at congresses and contribute to publications and to the most prestigious Italian and foreign tax journals, thus maintaining a cutting-edge knowledge of the most advanced tax issues. Several firm professionals have substantial experience in international taxation issues, having worked in the Netherlands, Switzerland, the USA and the UK.

Main Areas of Practice:

• Tax for M&A & Corporate Restructuring
• Corporate & Group Taxation
• Taxation of Financial Instruments
• Real Estate Taxation
• Tax Planning for High Net Worth Individuals
• International & EU Tax Law
• Transfer Pricing
• Tax Litigation
• Employee Remuneration

VAT Tax for M&A & Corporate Restructuring: The firm is retained to structure complex domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions for both strategic and private equity investors, joint ventures, leveraged buyouts and other company reorganisations.

Corporate & Group Taxation: The firm advises on corporate income tax issues, including issues connected with the adoption of IAS and IFRS, and on group taxation matters, including the design of holding structures and the optimisation of the tax regime of dividends, interest and royalties among group entities.

Taxation of Financial Instruments: The firm advises on securitisations, domestic and international financing, debt restructuring, leasing transactions and project finance. Areas of expertise include also the taxation of equity and debt instruments, stock options, derivatives and innovative financial products. The firm further advises on the structuring of hedge funds, mutual investment funds and private equity funds and of their investments.

Real Estate Taxation: The firm advises major national and international real estate operators and investors on all aspects of real estate taxation, from acquisition to disposal. The firm is particularly active on the structuring of, and giving advice to, real estate funds. This practice also includes assistance to enterprises in respect of major industrial sites, commercial developments and business restructuring involving immovable property.

Tax Planning for High Net Worth Individuals: The firm has developed unique expertise in giving tax and legal consultancy to private clients and structuring their wealth. The firm advises on the tax optimisation of estate planning, transfers of businesses, lifetime asset transfers and ownership structures, having developed wide-spanning expertise on trusts, foundations, financial and insurance products. Advice is also given upon the transfer of residence to or from Italy.

International & EU Tax: The firm advises on the tax structuring of inbound and outbound investments. The firm tackles EU taxation issues and keeps clients up to date on new developments and their implications.

Transfer Pricing: The firm advises major multinational groups on transfer pricing policies and assists clients with the negotiation and conclusion of Advance Pricing Agreements with the Italian Tax Authorities. The firm also assists major multinational groups in drafting appropriate transfer pricing documentation (both masterfile and country specific documentation).

Tax Litigation: The firm handles complex tax litigation, involving transfer pricing and international and domestic tax matters. The firm also provides assistance in the context of pre-litigation settlement procedures and of bilateral or multilateral mutual agreement procedures between the Italian and foreign tax authorities.

Employee Remuneration: The firm advises on the most tax-effective benefit schemes for employees, including executives and expatriates, and on cross-border loan and secondment of personnel.

VAT: The firm has a team dedicated to tackle VAT issues, both in domestic and cross-border transactions.

Clients: The clientele is represented mainly by national and international financial institutions, venture capital, private equity and real estate players, large corporations and multinationals operating in a variety of industries — such as banking, manufacturing, sports media and entertainment, pharmaceutical, real estate, shipping and air transportation, IT, telecommunications and consulting — as well as high-net-worth individuals and international wealthy families.

International Work: A significant proportion of the firm’s work has an international dimension. Maisto e Associati represents financial institutions and industrial companies in the largest transactions in the field of M&A, banking and finance and capital markets, including public securitisations and financing transactions.