Chicago, IL, February 21, 2006 – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – Baker & McKenzie today announced that three senior-level economists have joined its Global Transfer Pricing Practice and Economics Group in the U.S. Joining Baker & McKenzie Consulting LLC are Brian A. Cromwell, Ph.D, as a Principal Economist in the Palo Alto office; Phil Carmichael as a Director in the New York office; and Michelle Martinez as a Director in the Chicago office. The Firm also recently announced the addition of senior-level transfer pricing specialists and economists in Asia (Singapore) and Europe (London).
Cromwell, Carmichael and Martinez join the nearly 50 practitioners in the Firm’s well-established Economics Group in the U.S. and the Firm’s other offices worldwide. They will team with tax advisors and economists in the Firm’s Global Tax Practice to provide comprehensive economic and valuation services in connection with transfer pricing planning, documentation and controversy resolution and other international tax planning matters involving similar economic issues.
“These practitioners bring sophisticated economic skills to our Global Transfer Pricing Practice and will further enhance the ability of our already outstanding Economics Group to support our clients in their global transfer pricing planning, documentation, and defense,” said John Peterson, Chair of Baker & McKenzie’s Global Tax Practice Group. “Integrating our extensive global tax planning and controversy defense expertise with our ever-growing team of economists and financial analysts allows our Global Tax Practice to provide a complete suite of tax and economics services to our clients throughout the world.”
“As a result of burgeoning client demand our U.S. Economics Group has reached critical mass in little more than two years,” added Duane Webber, Chair of Baker & McKenzie’s North American Tax Practice Group. “With senior economists in each of our four largest offices in the U.S., the group is well-positioned for further growth as our core international tax practice and cadre of transfer pricing specialists continue to expand in the U.S. and other jurisdictions that are of greatest importance to our clients.”
Brian Cromwell (Principal Economist, Palo Alto) was most recently a principal with the Ballentine Barbera Group and prior to that, a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers in San Jose. He has more than 20 years of experience in providing economic analysis in both the private and public sectors, with a particular focus on transfer pricing matters involving Advance Pricing Agreements, audit defense, intangible property valuations, and global transfer pricing strategies. Cromwell received a Ph.D in Economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a B.A. in Economics from Swarthmore College.
Phil Carmichael (Director, Economics Group, New York) joins from KPMG’s economic and valuation services practice in New York, where he served as a managing director and led economist teams in delivering transfer pricing planning, documentation, audit support and other tax-related valuation services. He has over 12 years of experience in transfer pricing, including several years in Washington, DC and on the West Coast serving technology and software companies. Carmichael earned an MBA in 1989 from Georgetown University and a B.A. in Economics in 1984 from the University of Notre Dame.
Michelle Martinez (Director, Economics Group, Chicago) also joins from KPMG, where she served as managing director in Chicago responsible for major transfer pricing projects involving large U.S., European and Asian multinational clients. She has been actively engaged in assisting clients with transfer pricing projects relating to tangible, intangible and services transactions in the context of documentation, planning and audit support. Martinez earned an M.S.Econ. in 1996 from the University College Dublin, Ireland and a B.A. in International Studies in 1994 from DePaul University, Chicago.
In addition to Baker & McKenzie’s significant economics capability in the Netherlands, Germany, Mexico, and elsewhere, the Firm recently announced that Richard Fletcher, a chartered accountant, joined the London Corporate Tax team as Head of UK Transfer Pricing. He previously served as a director at LECG, a consulting firm, and was with Arthur Andersen for 16 years. Also, in October 2005, U.S.-trained Senior Economist Chris Newman joined Baker & McKenzie in Singapore. He previously served as an associate director of Ernst & Young in Singapore, where he provided economics support with respect to transfer pricing matters throughout the Asia Pacific region.
Baker & McKenzie Consulting LLC, as a subsidiary of Baker & McKenzie LLP, provides tax advisory and economics services but does not provide legal advice or services.
