Amit Kalra has joined Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP as a partner in the Energy, Infrastructure and Project Finance team and the Tax, Employee Benefits, and Trusts and Estates practice group, based in the firm’s Chicago office. Kalra joins from Winston & Strawn LLP in Chicago where he was chair of the firm’s Tax department.
Kalra’s arrival follows other recent additions to the firm’s Chicago office. Last month, an Energy group consisting of partners Katherine “Katie” Gillespie, Laurette Petersen, Andrew “Andy” Ratts and special counsel Katarzyna “Kathy” Levecke joined from Winston & Strawn, and Litigation partner Bill Kane joined from Baker Hostetler in February. Partner Christine Hourcade-Hoefliger also joined with the Energy group from Winston & Strawn and is based in the firm’s San Francisco office.
“Amit is a first-rate tax attorney,” said Robert S. Beall, managing partner of Sheppard Mullin. “His extensive experience in tax controversy and partnership taxation, particularly in the Energy sector adds depth and breadth to our existing Energy, Infrastructure and Project Finance team and Tax practice.”
Lawrence C. Eppley, Sheppard Mullin’s Chicago managing partner added, “Amit is a talented and high performing tax attorney, as well as an exceptional fit for our office and the firm. We are thrilled that he is joining us in Chicago.”
Kalra concentrates his practice on tax controversy and partnership taxation, with an emphasis on partnerships and pass-through entities that own and operate assets entitled to significant federal income tax benefits. Kalra is frequently involved in the structuring and formation of partnerships that own and operate alternative energy resources. He is also actively involved in the emerging market for financing other alternative energy resources, including ethanol, biodiesel, biomass, solar, and fuel cell facilities.
Kalra also has extensive experience representing clients before the IRS Appeals Office on numerous issues of federal income taxation, including the defense of purported tax shelters and their related penalties, the characterization of true lease transactions, the tax consequences of complex debt workouts, and the treatment of sophisticated financial products.
“I am thrilled to join Sheppard Mullin and continue practicing with Katie, Laurette, Andy, Kathy and Christine. I have been impressed by the firm’s strategic vision and commitment to the continued growth of its already well-established Energy team and Tax group,” added Kalra.
Kalra received a J.D., with honors, from the University of Chicago Law School in 1997 and a B.S. from Washington University in 1994.
Sheppard Mullin has nearly 30 attorneys based in its Chicago office. The firm’s Energy, Infrastructure and Project Finance team includes more than 40 attorneys, and the Tax, Employee Benefits, and Trusts and Estates practice group includes more than 30 attorneys firmwide.
Source: www.sheppardmullin.com
