Paul, Weiss Adds Leading Tax and Finance Partners in New York

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP announced today that Brian Krause and David Tarr are joining the firm as partners in the New York office. Mr. Krause will be a partner in the Tax Department; Mr. Tarr will be a partner in the Corporate Department and the Finance Practice Group.

Mr. Krause is a versatile and experienced tax lawyer who advises on complex U.S. and international tax matters, with a particular focus on cross-border public transactions and restructurings. Mr. Tarr has advised private equity sponsors, corporate borrowers and lenders in a variety of secured and unsecured transactions, with an emphasis on leveraged and acquisition finance.

“We are thrilled to welcome Brian and David, who are each recognized as outstanding in their respective practices, to our partnership,” said Paul, Weiss Chairman Brad S. Karp. “Both share our commitment to excellence and to collaborating across practice areas to deliver for our clients, and they will be superb additions to our firm.”

“With their experience on some of the market’s most complex transactions, Brian and David will contribute greatly to our clients and to our transactional teams,” said Scott A. Barshay, chair of the firm’s Corporate Department. “Brian has guided some of the world’s best-known public companies through complex tax-related issues connected with their most important strategic transactions and restructurings, while David has a stellar track record of helping leading private equity firms and corporate borrowers in their most significant acquisitions.”

“This is an exciting opportunity to help grow the firm’s already outstanding transactional practice, and guide the firm’s clients through the tax implications of their most mission-critical transactions,” said Mr. Krause. “I am excited to join the firm and its market-leading tax team.”

“I am excited to get to work alongside my new colleagues at Paul, Weiss at a time when the firm is leading on some of the most exciting and significant deals and restructuring transactions in the market,” said Mr. Tarr.

Mr. Krause is a broadly experienced domestic and international tax lawyer who advises clients on a range of U.S. and international tax matters, with a particular focus on cross-border transactions. He advises on the tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, post-acquisition integration transactions, internal restructurings, and the establishment of private equity fund and hedge fund structures. Mr. Krause also provides tax advice in connection with the restructurings of financially distressed corporations and partnerships, distressed companies both in and out of bankruptcy court, and in matters involving master limited partnerships.

Among his recent achievements, Mr. Krause advised Pfizer Inc. on the tax aspects of its consumer health care joint venture with GlaxoSmithKline that created the world’s largest maker of over-the-counter products; Exxon Mobil Corporation in its joint venture with Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC), Gulf Coast Growth Ventures; Worldpay, Inc. in its $43 billion merger with FIS; and Frontier Communications Corp. in its $10.54 billion acquisition of the wireline operations from Verizon Communications Corp. Mr. Krause has also advised clients on tax issues related to their restructurings, including Atlas Resource Partners, L.P. in its prepackaged bankruptcy; Triangle USA Petroleum Corp. in its chapter 11 reorganization; and CIT Group Inc. in its prepackaged bankruptcy. He has also advised on tax matters related to master limited partnerships.

Mr. Krause is recognized as a leading tax lawyer in New York by Chambers USA, was named a 2020 “Rising Star in Tax” by Law360, and was named among Euromoney LMG’s tax “Rising Stars Americas 2020”. After advising Vantiv on its $12 billion acquisition of Worldpay, Mr. Krause was part of the team awarded The American Lawyer and Legalweek’s 2018 “Transatlantic Tax Team of the Year” and International Tax Review’s “Americas Tax Awards 2018: Americas Technology” and “Telecommunications Tax Deal of the Year.”

Mr. Krause is co-chair of the Committee on Bankruptcy and Losses and a member of the Executive Committee of the Tax Section of the New York State Bar Association, and is also a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

Mr. Krause is deeply committed to pro bono work. He has been named several times as the recipient of the Legal Aid Society’s Pro Bono Publico award for his work with LAS’s Low Income Tax Clinic. He earned his J.D. at Rutgers University School of Law and his Tax LL.M. at New York University School of Law.

Mr. Tarr has extensive experience representing corporate borrowers, private equity sponsors and lenders in a variety of sophisticated secured and unsecured debt financing transactions. His recent private equity sponsor experience includes representing Insight Partners in numerous matters, including acquisitions of Veeam, Diligent and Recorded Future; portfolio company Episerver’s recent acquisition of Optimizely; and an investment in PDI. He has also represented The Sterling Group in multiple acquisitions and recapitalizations, including its purchases of Tangent Technologies and Bad Boy Mowers.

Mr. Tarr’s public and private company leveraged finance and restructuring experience has included advising Franchise Group in multiple financings, including for its acquisitions of Vitamin Shoppe and Pet Supplies Plus; Hudson’s Bay Company in multiple financings, including in connection with its recent take-private transaction; and HealthEquity, Inc. on several financing matters, including for its acquisition of WageWorks.

Mr. Tarr earned his A.B. from Dartmouth College and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, from which he graduated cum laude.