Matthew A. Rosen
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
212-735-3000, www.skadden.com
Among Skadden’s deep bench of tax lawyers, Rosen is known for his lightning-quick judgment. He represented America West Airlines in its $16 billion merger with U.S. Airways Group and advised Clear Channel Communications on the spin-off of its Clear Channel Entertainment.

Kenneth H. Heitner
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
212-310-8000, www.weil.com
Co-head of Weil’s tax department, Heitner is known for his well-reasoned guidance on mergers and acquisitions. He represented General Electric in the $11.6 billion sale of its plastics division to Saudi Basic Industries; other clients include Viacom and Lehman Brothers.

Andrew N. Berg
Debevoise & Plimpton
212-909-6000, www.debevoise.com
A leading expert in the taxation of partnerships, such as real estate investment partnerships, Berg caters to clients like Broadway Partners, which just sold a fund of real estate assets from New York to Palm Beach for about $1 billion. Berg’s broad-based practice also includes the private equity firms Kelso & Company and Carmel Partners. Tax lawyers like Berg can command fees approaching $1,000 an hour; firms get a premium for successful deals.

Andrew S. Mason
Sullivan & Cromwell
212-558-4000, www.sullcrom.com
S&C has a vast tax department. Mason, a whiz on the taxation of partnerships, is the key client contact at the firm for Goldman Sachs’ tax work. He worked on Goldman’s 1999 I.P.O. and has handled Goldman’s Whitehall Street Fund real estate investments, among them Rockefeller Center.

Peter H. Blessing
Shearman & Sterling
212-848-4000, www.shearman.com
Known for stellar work in international deals, Blessing represented DaimlerChrysler in its $7.4 billion sale to the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, and Saudi Basic Industries in its $11.6 billion purchase of General Electric’s plastics division. He’s currently representing the Thompson Corporation in its $17.6 billion bid for Reuters.

Michael L. Schler
Cravath, Swaine & Moore
212-474-1000, www.cravath.com
Known for coming up with creative solutions, Schler is modest about his accomplishments and “genius” moniker. He advised Sprint in its $36 billion merger with Nextel Communications, and handled the later spinoff of the landline business. He represents MTV Networks in a deal with Real Networks to create the website Rhapsody America.

Jodi J. Schwartz
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
212-403-1000, www.wachtell.com
Wachtell’s tax practice is known for its tax advice in some of the most high-profile mergers and acquisitions. Schwartz has handled many of the firm’s high-profile deals, including ConocoPhillips’ $36.5 billion deal to buy Burlington Resources. Clients include Apollo Management and Texas Pacific Group.

James M. Peaslee
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
212-225-2000, www.clearygottlieb.com
Peaslee is an expert in financial products and structured finance, and the author of a 1988 text on the pooling of mortgages, Federal Income Taxation of Mortgage Backed Securities, which became the bible for the creation of these hybrid securities. His clients include Goldman Sachs and Citigroup as underwriters for Fannie Mae.

Steven C. Todrys
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
212-455-2000, www.simpsonthacher.com
Regarded by clients and colleagues alike as a gentleman and “very nice guy,” Todrys is one of the chief contacts for Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Silver Lake Partners, both big names in Simpson’s roster of private equity clients. He represented DoubleClick in its $3.1 billion sale to Google and Wachovia in its $6.8 billion deal to buy A.G. Edwards.

Dana L. Trier
Davis Polk & Wardwell
212-450-4000, www.davispolk.com
In an age of specialization, Trier has a diverse tax practice. He offers advice on financing instruments tied to company stock but also works on deferred-compensation deals. His clients include Citi, Credit Suisse, Merrill Lynch, and the hedge funds Citadel and Magnetar. He is representing Citi and Morgan Stanley in K.K.R.’s planned public offering

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