Richard Upton is a tax lawyer with a broad and sophisticated practice. Together with members of the corporate group, Mr. Upton is involved in structuring, negotiating and documenting complex business transactions, including the restructuring of private companies in connection with initial public offerings, drafting multinational joint ventures, and counseling on tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions. In the exempt organization area, Mr. Upton counsels clients on tax‑exempt bond financings, unrelated business income tax issues and planning, various investment and excise tax issues, as well as tax compliance. Mr. Upton regularly advises on real estate financings, partnership/limited liability company agreements, "like‑kind" exchanges and state and local real estate transfer tax matters.
In addition, working with lawyers in the trusts and estates group, Mr. Upton advises on the income tax aspects of trusts and estates, as well as tax aspects of investments and planning for individuals. Mr. Upton also works with members of the employee benefit and executive compensation group on tax aspects of employee benefits, including equity‑based compensation arrangements and deferred compensation. Further, Mr. Upton, together with other members of the tax department, actively defends clients in tax controversies involving federal, state and local taxes.
Mr. Upton publishes tax articles on a regular basis and lectures on tax matters, both within the firm and to outside audiences.