Robin Rathmell
+1 646 327 9424
Robin Rathmell
Partner | Kobre & Kim
OFFICE
JURISDICTION
Washington DC
New York
British Virgin Islands
England and Wales
TOP 3 AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Asset Protection
Dispute Resolution
Asset holding structures
CROSS-BORDER CLIENT EXPERIENCE IN
What has been the highlight of your practice over the past 12 months?
Working on high-profile civil and criminal asset forfeiture and related trusts matters, as well as commercial and insolvency litigation around the world, often involving parallel actions brought by both U.S. and non-U.S. government agencies.
What advice would you give rising stars/new lawyers in the private client world?
Don’t be a lawyer, be a problem-solver.
What is your favourite quote?
"If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein
What do you think will be the biggest three challenges in your practice for the next 12 months?
1. Travel! It’s essential to meet certain clients face to face – not just if they have sensitive business to discuss, but also to build or maintain a human relationship. We’re not out of the COVID woods yet and Zoom meetings are starting to feel very old.
2. Travel Part 2! I think as the world opens up again people will travel far and wide and “rebound” from their locked-down 2020. Catching our high net worth clients wherever they are seeking sun or snow will be exhausting but necessary.
3. Travel Part 3! The world will open at different paces – concepts such as vaccine passports will affect who can travel where, and the inevitable (and tragic) unequal distribution of vaccines means that high net worth individuals based in non-first world countries may be more constrained than their competitors and may be harder to reach for their lawyers.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Stop analyzing the client’s problem as a black letter law question. It is a commercial and/or relationship problem that needs to be addressed holistically. Clients want someone that understands this and can explain a solution to them based on the outcome they want to achieve, not on the (undoubtedly brilliant) lawyering that is going to get them there.
What are three top tips for dealing with your clients remotely?
1. Be as available and responsive as possible. Show them that you are still fully engaged. Reply to texts/ emails faster than ever before, even if it’s just to let them know you got their message and are working on it.
2. Video wherever possible. It is nowhere near as good as in person but much better than a conference call or email. Make an effort for your Zoom- if they are joining by video, don’t just dial in. Try not to take calls when driving or otherwise distracted. You wouldn’t be driving during an in-person meeting so don’t do it now.
3. Obviously your health, safety, and legal obligations come first, but if you can travel to see them, do. They really appreciate the effort during these times.
Leigh-Alexandra Basha
+1 202 756 8338
Leigh-Alexandra Basha
Partner | McDermott Will & Emery
JURISDICTIONS QUALIFIED IN
Washington, DC
Maryland
Virginia
What has been the highlight of your practice over the past 12 months?
My recent highlight was attending the oral arguments for North Carolina Department of Revenue v. Kimberley Rice Kaestner 1992 Family Trust, 588 U.S. __ (June 21, 2019) at the United States Supreme Court. While the case addressed a narrow issue of whether North Carolina violated the 14th Amendment’s Due Process Clause by taxing trust income that had not been distributed to NC beneficiaries solely on the basis that those beneficiaries lived in NC, the fascinating aspect was hearing the justices’ questions counsel for both sides and observing their interactions among themselves. For example, when Justice Ginsberg asked a question, another justice stopped in the middle of his line of questioning to defer to Justice Ginsberg who has seniority on the Court. Some justices asked questions that made it clear they understood how trusts work while others seemed less familiar with trusts. While Justice Thomas never asked a question, he did have side conversations with Justice Breyer. I think every U.S. lawyer should sit through oral arguments at the SCOTUS to have a better understanding of how the process works and better understand the justices who make decisions that affect us all.
What advice would you give rising stars/new lawyers in the private client world?
Be responsive to clients, advisors, other professionals, and staff alike. Listen to your clients, hear what they have to say, and learn from them.
What is your favourite quote?
“If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way” (Napoleon Hill).
Rashad Wareh
Rashad Wareh
Partner | Kozusko Harris Duncan
JURISDICTIONS QUALIFIED IN
United States (NY, VA, D.C.)
TOP AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Cross-border tax and estate planning
Family governance
Tax
How did you get into private client?
Having the good fortune of joining a long-standing private client practice over 23 years ago.
Charles Lubar
Charles Lubar
Counsel | McDermott Will & Emery
JURISDICTIONS QUALIFIED IN
United States (MD, DC) (Inactive)
England and Wales
TOP AREAS OF EXPERTISE
International personal tax and estate planning
International asset holding structures
Philanthropy and charitable giving, including dual resident charities
What has been the highlight of your practice over the past 12 months?
Servicing multinational families with respect to their tax and personal issues.
How did you get into private client?
I’m trained as an orthodox tax lawyer – I was with the Chief Tax Advisor of Internal Revenue. My earliest practice in London followed that line, which meant that it was corporate plus individual, with a piece of estate planning. I’ve done a lot of corporate work over the years, as I was trained to do. In the years I stayed in London, there were fewer and fewer US trained tax lawyers that could do personal work. I gravitated towards that as I was well wired with exposure to multi-jurisdictional families. It turned out this area of the law was badly serviced and many individuals had cross border tax issues, both in the US and UK. This allowed me to build a practice without thinking about it, through getting the exposure.
What advice would you give rising stars/new lawyers in the private client world?
Embed yourself into the community that you serve, through charities, local and international legal associations, university alumni groups and civic groups and keep abreast of changes in the tax law.
What is your favourite quote?
“So long as Horatio Alger means anything to the American people, Karl Marx will be just another German philosopher.”
Do you have any outside interests or hobbies?
I used to be a competitive golfer – I played golf for Yale. My lowest handicap was 2, when I tried to qualify for the US Open. I played competitively until I got out of law school. I also enjoy running, the gym. I ran a rock and roll band in Yale and I entertained McDermott’s with our group- singing and playing guitar.
When the restaurants reopen, where would you like to go?
We support Jeremy King and Chris Corbin in their collection of restaurants – The Wolseley, The Delaunay. In our local area, we like Lucio’s in South Kensington.
Scott Bowman
Scott Bowman
Partner | McDermott Will & Emery
JURISDICTIONS QUALIFIED IN
United States (CA, CT, DC, FL, NY, MD, VA)
TOP AREAS OF EXPERTISE
International tax
Estate planning
What has been the highlight of your practice over the past 12 months?
Working with families during challenging times of COVID and learning how to connect with them virtually.
How did you get into private client?
Interested in the practice area.
Do you have any outside interests or hobbies?
Spending time with my family; travelling (pre-COVID!); running and hiking.
When the restaurants reopen, where would you like to go?
Anywhere we can eat outside!