Tax and Estate Experience

• Defended in the United States Tax Court a several hundred million dollar self-dealing IRS tax assessment against one of the executors of the estate of the deceased artist, Mark Rothko; the ultimate settlement resulted in no taxes paid by the estate
• Obtained court reformation of a $200 million testamentary trust and negotiated with the IRS to achieve desired estate tax objectives
• Settled on behalf of a widow, litigation brought by her against her deceased husband's estate on the ground that she did not have independent counsel at the time she consented to her husband's will which deprived her of her share of a multimillion dollar estate
• Negotiated a settlement on behalf of a trust beneficiary of a multi-hundred million trust based in the Midwest; the trust was the majority owner of a publicly owned communications and media company headquartered in the south and the dispute was among family members

Employment Experience

• Negotiated the termination of an employment agreement, including severance payment and voiding a non competition agreement, on behalf of the CEO of a national investment banking firm, which firm had been acquired by a major bank
• Negotiated the termination of employment of the head of mergers & acquisitions of an international investment banking firm
• Voided a multi-million dollar long-term written employment contract of the president of a publishing and entertainment company in a two-month trial