Greenberg Traurig, LLP_4PP_Tax

CHAMBERS & PARTNERS
LEGAL PUBLISHERS
USA
2007
The Client’s Guide
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
is ranked in Chambers USA 2007 as follows:
NATIONAL
TAX
Tax: Corporate
Leading Firms
Band 3
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
The Firm: High-profile clients agree that the sheer
depth of Greenberg Traurig’s tax department sets it
apart. “Not many firms can lay claim to having international,
federal, state and local tax covered,” one
client remarked, “but this firm nails them all.” Clients
value the vast resources and technical expertise of
this international powerhouse, and highlight the
CORPORATE
attorneys’ “industry-specific knowledge.” According to
one source, “the team is both book smart and userfriendly;
a unique combination in this area.” International
tax is a key focus, with lawyers also proficient
in negotiating and structuring real estate joint
ventures. Joel Maser is the key contact at the firm.
WEALTH MANAGEMENT
Wealth Management
Leading Firms
Band 1
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Wealth Management: Eastern Region
Leading Individuals
Band 2
Zeydel Diana Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Band 3
Elias John Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Forster Jonathan Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
The Firm: This “exceptionally strong” national firm
rises to the top tier this year due to its growth and
increased visibility in the marketplace. The 25-attorney
wealth management team advises on personal
asset administration, the preparation of wills, multigenerational
wealth transfer planning, and estate and
tax planning. The firm represents high net worth
individuals, privately held businesses and familyowned
offices across the country with a core of its
clients in Florida. Clients note that the lawyers “have
excellent talent and communicate well with each other.”
The Lawyers: New to the tables this year is Diana
Zeydel . Peers have high regard for her and comment
that “she is one of the best estate planners in Florida.”
She advises wealthy families and individuals on estate
planning and estate-related disputes in addition to
her experience in tax litigation and business succession
planning. John Elias is based in the New Jersey
office and is considered by interviewees to be a
“cutting-edge” planner. His practice is divided
between traditional estate tax and succession planning,
estate transfers and tax litigation. McLeanbased
Jonathan Forster represents clients nationally.
He focuses on business planning for privately held
companies and family offices, as well as business
succession planning and tax planning.
www.ChambersandPartners.com
All quotes in the text are from interviews with clients and competitors

GREENBERG TRAURIG, LLP
www.ChambersandPartners.com
REITS
REITs
Leading Firms
Band 3
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Leading Individuals
Band 3
Fryer Judith Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Band 4
Burton Richard Greenberg Traurig, LLP
FLORIDA
TAX
Tax
Leading Firms
Band 1
Greenberg Traurig, LLP Miami
Leading Individuals
Band 1
Maser Joel Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Band 4
Hintze Russell Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Schindler Ozzie Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Stiver Charles Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Up-and-coming individuals
Entin Seth Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Tax: Employee Benefits
Leading Individuals
Band 1
Lapidus Steve Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Tax: Estate Planning
Leading Individuals
Band 3
Zeydel Diana Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
The Firm: Onlookers agree: “This firm’s REIT
department has grown by leaps and bounds over the
last few years and has expanded in a number of areas.”
Clients endorse the resources, international reach
and depth of corporate and real estate talent on offer
at this firm and point to its ability to handle formation,
investment and operational issues. The firm has
experience advising public and private REITs,
including advice on IPOs and M&A, although its
niche in representing publicly traded nonlisted
REITs is what sets it apart. A firm of this size also
offers REIT clients the benefits of its experience in
related areas such as securities and insurance, with
clients wholeheartedly endorsing its full-service
capabilities. Headline deals this year include acting
for CNL Retirement Properties in its sale for $5.2
billion, and advising CNL Hotels & Resorts in its $2
billion acquisition of KSL Recreation, one of the
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
The Firm: The tax group of this colossal law firm is
“continuously at the forefront of taxation developments
in Florida,” and has well-documented international,
federal, state and local credentials. Over
100 attorneys are on offer throughout its numerous
offices in Florida, but it is not just the size and
resources of the group that clients admire. Many
place a huge value on the attorneys’ “creative, userfriendly
and responsive advice” and “the business
acumen that seems to run through the firm.” International
taxation is one of the group’s recognized areas
of excellence, with its advice on the acquisition of
foreign entities and the structuring of foreign enterprises
and international joint ventures coming in for
specific client praise. Other highly recommended
areas include executive compensation, employee
benefits and estate planning. The cross-fertilization
of practice groups and general “pulling together of
resources” are additional reasons why clients enjoy
the success they do with this firm.
The Lawyers: Steve Lapidus is the chair of the Miami
tax and executive compensation and employee benefits
groups. He is “a reserved and highly effective tax
attorney, especially with respect to executive compensation
strategies and Section 409A compliance.” Joel Maser
is a totemic figure in the tax group and a “highly
respected and personable” transactional tax lawyer. His
practice encompasses federal, state and local taxation
and domestic and foreign tax planning, and he is
largest resort owner-operators in the country. As well
as the deal values, both of these transactions involved
novel concepts and complex issues and illustrate
what clients have called “a unique understanding of
the industry and the ability to handle document-intensive
projects.”
The Lawyers: Judith Fryer is cochair of the REIT
practice with Jennifer Weiss. “Extremely active and
visible in the industry,” she is commended for her
involvement in some significant REIT mergers and
her knowledge of the “inner workings” of publicly
traded nonlisted REITs. As ex-general tax counsel at
Host Marriott, Richard Burton brings to the table
“a valuable insight into the objectives of his clients.”
Clients/Work Highlights: CNL Retirement Properties;
CNL Hotels & Resorts; SL Green Realty;
Kimco Realty; Archstone-Smith and Vornado Realty
Trust.
recognized for his work negotiating and structuring
real estate joint ventures and for his niche experience
representing automotive dealerships. An example of
the younger talent in the group, respected transactional
tax lawyer Russell Hintze is fully conversant in general
business tax planning, including corporate tax and tax
planning for mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures.
Ozzie Schindler is a key contact for international tax
in the Miami office and is considered by clients to be a
corporate and private tax planning expert, especially
noted for his experience in terms of M&A and the
structuring of US investments. Charles Stiver is a longstanding
member of this tax group and a regular
feature on heavy-duty M&A transactions and general
corporate income tax. Both foreign and domestic
clients view Seth Entin as a talented younger attorney
in the tax group and point to his proficiency in federal
income tax and international experience as his practice
strengths. As well as private practice, he is also an
adjunct professor of tax at the University of Miami and
“one of those attorneys who will be the future of tax in the
south of Florida.” Diana Zeydel is a younger attorney
with a national estate planning profile and is thoroughly
endorsed by high net worth clients for the
“individual attention she gives to each situation.”
Clients/Work Highlights: Related Group of
Florida; Swire Properties; INVESCO and CNL
Retirement Properties.
www.ChambersandPartners.com
All quotes in the text are from interviews with clients and competitors

www.ChambersandPartners.com
GREENBERG TRAURIG, LLP
Leaders
BURTON, Richard A
Greenberg Traurig, LLP, McLean
703 749 1324
burtonr@gtlaw.com
Recommended in REITs
Practice Areas: Real estate investment
trusts (REITs), tax.
Prof. Memberships: Former Co-Chair,
NAREIT Government Relations and Tax
Committee; Member, Real Estate Roundtable
Tax Policy Committee.
Publications: Author, The Constitutionality
of an Apportioned Value Added Tax,
Tax Notes, Tax Analyst, Vol. 49, No. 1,
October 1990; Author, Retroactivity and
Internal Inconsistency - How Far
Extended, Tax Notes, Tax Analyst, Vol. 49,
No. 8, P. 901, November 1990.
Personal: LLM, Boston University School
of Law; JD, University of Utah College of
Law; BA, University of Utah.
ELIAS, John M
Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Florham Park
973 360 2354
eliasj@gtlaw.com
Recommended in Wealth Management
Practice Areas: Wealth management,
trusts and estates; tax.
Prof. Memberships: Madison, New Jersey
Borough Council, 2004-present; Madison,
New Jersey Area YMCA Board of Directors,
1997-2003; Museum of Early Trades
and Crafts, Madison, New Jersey, Board of
Directors, 1994-present; Clergy Partnership
on Domestic Violence, Madison, NJ, Board
of Directors, 1996-2002; Chair, 2000-02.
Career: Listed, New Jersey Super Lawyer,
2005 and 2006.
Publications: Author,‘Protecting Assets of
Elder Clients with Living Trusts’, New
Jersey Business, 11/04.
Personal: LLM, Taxation, New York
University School of Law, 1989; JD, The
Catholic University of America Columbus
School of Law, 1980; AB, cum laude,
Boston College, 1977.
ENTIN, Seth J
Greenberg Traurig, LLP , Miami
305 579 0500
entins@gtlaw.com
Recommended in Tax
Practice Areas: Tax.
Prof. Memberships: Adjunct Professor of
Taxation, University of Miami School of
Law, 2005-07; Chair, Outbound Tax
Committee, Florida Bar Tax Section,
2005-07; Board of Directors, Commerce
& Professions Division, Greater Miami
Jewish Federation; Member, Professional
Advisory Committee, Foundation of
Jewish Philanthropies.
Career: Listed,‘The Best Lawyers in
America, 2007’.
Publications: Author,‘IRS to Expand Tax
Exemption for Interest Income Earned by
Foreign Investors,’Derivatives,August 2006.
Personal: JD, summa cum laude, University
of Miami School of Law; MPA, Barry
University; MBA, Barry University; BTL,
Talmudic University; Passed CPA Exam.
FORSTER, Jonathan M
Greenberg Traurig, LLP, McLean
703 903 7504
forsterj@gtlaw.com
Recommended in Wealth Management
Practice Areas: Wealth management, tax,
corporate and securities.
Prof. Memberships: Special Task Force
ABA, Committee for Developing Ethics
Rules; Chairman, National Capital Business
Ethics Award; Board Member, Northern
Virginia Life Underwriters
Associations; Board Member, Suburban
Maryland Life Underwriters
Association;Board Member, District of
Columbia Life Underwriters Association.
Career: Featured, Worth Magazine’s ‘The
Top 100 Attorneys’, December 2006;
Winner, Washington Business Journal’s
Top Washington Lawyers in the field of
tax, trusts & estates, September 2006;
Recipient, Montgomery County, Maryland
Leadership Award for Establishing
Public/Private Business Partnerships.
Personal: JD, George Mason University
School of Law, 1989; BS, Finance, University
of Maryland, 1986.
FRYER, Judith D
Greenberg Traurig, LLP, New York
212 801 9330
fryerj@gtlaw.com
Recommended in REITs
Practice Areas: REITs, corporate and
securities.
Prof. Memberships: Chair, 1,700 member
Women Rainmakers Group of the American
Bar Association, (1996-99); Co-Chair,
Women’s Executive Circle; Board Member,
Women’s Forum Board Member, UJA
Federation of New York; former Chair,
Subcommittee on Partnership and REIT
Products of the State Regulation of Securities
Committee of the ABA.
Career: Listed, Who’s Who in America;
Fellow, American Bar Foundation (1/3 of
1% of lawyers in each state), named ‘New
York Super Lawyer’, 2006; featured,
Alumni Profile of the Month, Hofstra
University School of Law, April 2006.
Personal: JD, Hofstra University School
of Law, 1975; Recent Developments
Editor, Law Review; BS, Washington
University in St. Louis, 1972.
HINTZE, Russell P
Greenberg Traurig, LLP , Orlando
407 420 1000
hintzer@gtlaw.com
Recommended in Tax
Practice Areas: Tax; corporate and securities;
real estate.
Prof. Memberships: Member, Orange
County Bar Association; Former Treasurer
and Board Member, Lake Brantley
Youth Football Association, Inc.
Career: Listed,‘Super Lawyer,’ Florida
Super Lawyers magazine, 2006; Listed,
‘Chambers & Partners USA Guide’, 2006;
Listed, 2004 ‘Legal Elite’, Florida Trend
Magazine; Board Certified Tax Lawyer,
Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization
and Education.
Publications: Frequent lecturer to CPA’s
and attorneys on federal income tax issues.
Personal: LLM, University of Florida
Levin College of Law, 1988; JD, cum
laude, Stetson University College of Law,
1987; BS, with honors, Chemistry,
University of Florida, 1984.
LAPIDUS, Steve
Greenberg Traurig, LLP , Miami
305 579 0509
lapiduss@gtlaw.com
Recommended in Tax
Practice Areas: Tax, trusts and estates;
executive compensation and employee
benefits ERISA.
Career: Listed,‘Top Lawyer,’ South
Florida Legal Guide, 2005; Listed, The
Best Lawyers in America; Listed, Chambers
& Partners USA Guide, 2004-07.
Personal: LLM, New York University
School of Law, 1977; JD, cum laude, New
York University School of Law, 1973; BS,
Wharton School of the University of
Pennsylvania, 1969.
MASER, Joel
Greenberg Traurig, LLP , Orlando
407 418 2389
maserj@gtlaw.com
Recommended in Tax
Practice Areas: Tax; automotive dealerships;
Mergers & Acquisitions.
Prof. Memberships: Active Member,
Executive Council, The Florida Bar Tax
Section and has served as Chairperson of
several committees within the Tax
Section; Member, Tax Section’s Long
Range Planning Committee and is serving
as the Tax Section’s workshop director.
Career: Recognized as one of the ‘Legal
Elite’ in Florida by Florida Trend magazine,
2006; Listed, Best Lawyers in America,
2005-07; Listed, Chambers & Partners
USA Guide, 2003-07.
Personal: JD, magna cum laude, University
of Miami School of Law, 1984; BS,
with honors, University of Florida, 1981.
SCHINDLER, Ozzie
Greenberg Traurig, LLP , Miami
305 579 0762
schindlero@gtlaw.com
Recommended in Tax
Practice Areas: International tax.
Prof. Memberships: Assistant Director,
Florida Bar Tax Section, International;
Chair of International Fiscal Association,
Taxation of Multinationals Group, Palm
Beach Chapter; Co-Chair, Florida Bar /
FICPA International Tax Conference.
Career: Listed,‘Super Lawyer,’ Florida
Super Lawyers Magazine; Listed, Best
Lawyers in America, 2006-07; Listed,
Chambers & Partners USA Guide, 2004-
07; Recipient, American Jurisprudence
Awards for International Business Transactions
and Family Law.
Publications: Co-author,‘US Corporations
Doing Business Abroad’, editions 2003-05;
Co-author, BNA Portfolio: Passive Foreign
Investment Companies, 2005.
Personal: LLM, New York University
School of Law; JD, University of Florida;
BS, University of Florida.
STIVER, Charles
Greenberg Traurig, LLP , Miami
305 579 0760
stiverc@gtlaw.com
Recommended in Tax
Practice Areas: Tax; structured finance
and derivatives; real estate investment
trusts.
Career: Ranked No. 3 tax lawyer in the
US in ‘The Nation’s Top Lawyers,’ United
States Lawyer Rankings, 2006; Listed,
‘Super Lawyer,’ Florida Super Lawyers
Magazine, 2006; Listed, Best Lawyers in
America, 2005-07; Listed, Chambers &
Partners USA Guide, 2005-07.
Personal: LLM, New York University
School of Law, 1975; JD, Stanford Law
School, 1974; BA, Stanford University,
1971.
ZEYDEL, Diana S C
Greenberg Traurig, LLP , Miami
305 579 0500
zeydeld@gtlaw.com
Recommended in Tax, Wealth
Management
Practice Areas: Tax; Trusts & Estates;
Wealth Management.
Prof. Memberships: Member, American
College of Trusts and Estates Counsel;
Member, American Bar Association;
Member, The Florida Bar’s Executive
Counsel; Member, Miami City Ballet’s
Community Development Board.
Career: Listed,‘Super Lawyer,’ Florida
Super Lawyers Magazine, 2006.
Publications: Author,‘Deemed Allocations
of GST Exemption to Lifetime
Transfers,’ 34 Estate Planning 3, (March
2007); Panelist,‘Advanced Estate Planning
Update,’ ALI-ABA, (Winter 2007).
Personal: LLM, New York University
School of Law, 1993; JD, Yale Law School,
1986; BA, summa cum laude, Yale
University, 1982.
www.ChambersandPartners.com
All quotes in the text are from interviews with clients and competitors