Top 100 U.S. law firm Akerman LLP is pleased to announce that it has expanded its Tax Practice Group with the addition of partner Lauren Ferrante in Chicago. Ferrante represents clients in state and local tax (SALT) controversies and planning matters. Ferrante joins the firm from PwC in Chicago, where she acted as the Senior Manager for the State and Local Tax department.

“Lauren brings a wealth of tax knowledge from a transactional and disputes perspective,” said Peter Larsen, Chair of Akerman’s Tax Practice Group. “The creative solutions she will provide to clients in the tax arena at the local, state and multistate level is a welcome addition to our existing SALT team.”

Ferrante focuses her practice on state and local taxation. She represents clients at all stages of state and local controversy disputes at the audit, administrative and judicial levels. In particular, Ferrante has extensive experience defending clients against qui tam (False Claims Act) claims filed in the state tax arena. Ferrante also assists clients with planning, transactional, and compliance matters with respect to various state and local taxes, including income and franchise, sales and use, gross receipts and other miscellaneous taxes. She is a frequent writer and speaker on SALT issues and former chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s State and Local Tax Committee.

Ferrante is the fifth lawyer to join Akerman’s Chicago office since January and the second partner to join the national Tax Practice Group within the same period. Most recently, the Chicago office welcomed bankruptcy and reorganization partner Paul Musser, who focuses his practice helping lenders to maximize their recovery through out-of-court workouts and in-court proceedings. The Tax Practice Group most recently attracted partner David Slenn in Naples, Fla., where he focuses his practice on tax, estate and business planning, with an emphasis on risk management and captive insurance companies.