Lowenstein Sandler is pleased to announce that Melissa L. Wiley has joined the firm as a partner in its Tax group. Based in Lowenstein’s Washington, D.C. office, Wiley will closely collaborate with members of the firm’s rapidly growing Private Client Services practice, which includes Wiley’s former colleagues, partners Beth Shapiro Kaufman and Megan E. Wernke, and associates Meghan M. Federman and Molefi McIntosh, who all recently joined from Caplin & Drysdale.
Wiley has over 20 years of experience in tax controversy and litigation on a wide range of civil tax matters at the federal and state level, including before the U.S. Tax Court, Court of Federal Claims, and various federal district courts. A respected authority on tax disputes, she represents clients at all levels of administrative controversy with the IRS, including audits and cases before the IRS Office of Appeals. Wiley also counsels on penalty and international information reporting matters, as well as on voluntary disclosures of prior tax noncompliance.
“Melissa’s excellence in the area of tax controversies further augments the value we bring to individuals, family offices, and foundations seeking sophisticated and interdisciplinary planning advice, “ says firm Chair and Managing Partner Gary M. Wingens.
Wiley will work closely with Lowenstein’s Private Client Services group, led by National Chair Kaufman and comprised of over 30 lawyers from Lowenstein’s Trusts & Estates, Tax, Family Office, Investment Management, Private Equity/M&A, Debt Finance, Venture Capital, and Real Estate practices. The group provides dedicated stewardship and personalized strategic advice to high net-worth individuals, family offices, private foundations, and family-owned businesses, with a particular focus on sophisticated domestic and international estate planning matters and tax issues. Its services include estate planning, and domestic and international taxation, as well as counsel on direct equity and private credit investments by family-owned entities and charitable foundations; corporate transactions; and disputes.
“The value of baby boomers’ estates, especially real estate, private equity, and securities, continues to soar, and generations X, Y, and Z must face many complex issues involving taxation and wealth transfer. Our Tax group, with the welcome addition of Melissa Wiley and in close collaboration with our Private Client Services group, is poised to help these generations navigate the wide range of challenges raised by what The New York Times calls ‘the greatest wealth transfer in history,’” says Brian A. Silikovitz, Chair of the firm’s Tax practice.
An actuary by training, Wiley has practiced at a Big Four accounting firm, first as an Assistant General Counsel and later as a Senior Manager in the firm’s National Tax department; in addition to the Tax practice of an AmLaw 20 global law firm and as a partner at Caplin & Drysdale. Wiley is active in numerous professional organizations such as the AICPA and the ABA Tax Section, where she is currently a member of the Nominating and Appointments to the Tax Court Committees. She is also the chair of the DC Bar Tax Audits & Litigation Committee and the Regent for the Federal Circuit for the American College of Tax Counsel. For more than a decade, Wiley has served on the board and provided pro bono services to children and caretakers in custody and abuse/neglect matters through the Children’s Law Center. She received her J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center and her B.S. summa cum laude from The College of Insurance (bka St. John's University).
About Lowenstein Sandler LLP
Lowenstein Sandler LLP is a national law firm with over 350 lawyers based in New York, Palo Alto, New Jersey, Utah, and Washington, D.C. The firm represents leaders in virtually every sector of the global economy, with particular emphasis on investment funds, life sciences, and technology. Recognized for its entrepreneurial spirit and high standard of client service, the firm is committed to the interests of its clients, colleagues and communities.
