SRZ Announces Election of New Partner and Promotion of Associates to Special Counsel

SRZ is pleased to announce the election of Noah D. Beck as partner. The firm also announces the promotion of Max Garfield, Kara A. Kuchar, Jennifer M. Opheim, Jacob Preiserowicz and Adriana Schwartz to special counsel. The promotions were effective January 1, 2015.

Mr. Beck, Mr. Garfield, Ms. Kuchar, Ms. Opheim and Ms. Schwartz are resident in the firm’s New York office and Mr. Preiserowicz is in the Washington, D.C. office.

“These leading lawyers are well-deserving of this recognition,” said Alan S. Waldenberg, chair of the firm’s Executive Committee and chair of the Tax Group. “We are proud of their accomplishments and expect them to continue to make great contributions to our clients and the firm.”

PARTNER

Noah D. Beck , a partner in the Tax Group, focuses his practice on tax aspects of domestic and cross-border mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, spin-offs, restructurings and workouts, and private equity fund formation issues. He has advised on complex transactions including the recent public acquisition of Safeway Inc. by Albertsons Companies and a consortium led by Cerberus Capital Management LP. He is the co-author of “The Demise of CoCos and the Tax Consequences of Exchanging Convertible Debt,” Practising Law Institute, Corporate Tax Practice Series. A member of the Tax Section of the New York State Bar Association, Mr. Beck is recognized as a leading lawyer by The Legal 500 United States and as a Rising Star by New York Super Lawyers. He earned an LL.M. and a J.D., cum laude, from the New York University School of Law, where he was a Robert McKay Scholar and a staff editor for the Annual Survey of American Law. He holds a B.A., cum laude, from Duke University.

SRZ is a preeminent law firm for mergers & acquisitions, investment funds and real estate, and the Tax Group provides an essential role in all of these practices. As part of SRZ’s M&A practice, the Tax Group is integrally involved in tax-free reorganizations, acquisitions and dispositions of companies, leveraged buy-outs, carve-outs and other forms of strategic acquisitions and dispositions. In association with the investment funds practice, the Tax Group provides essential advice on establishing funds, as part of their ongoing investment program and in relation to acquisitions and dispositions involving fund managers. In connection with the real estate practice, the Tax Group structures all forms of real estate acquisitions, dispositions and financings, including complex joint ventures. The Tax Group is also involved in a wide variety of international transactions including distressed debt and equity investments in Western Europe and Asia.

Chambers and The Legal 500, in their annual lists of the nation’s leading lawyers and practices, consistently recognize SRZ’s Tax Group as among the best, and The Tax Director’s Handbook, the guide to the world’s premier tax law firms, names SRZ to its list of leading tax law firms in the U.S. The publication also placed the firm on its Law Firm Tax 100 list of the world’s top law firms by number of tax lawyers.

SPECIAL COUNSEL

Max Garfield, a special counsel in the Employment & Employee Benefits Group, focuses his practice on representing employers in all areas of employment law. He litigates disputes involving employment agreements, restrictive covenants, employment discrimination and harassment, contract claims, common law tort claims, executive compensation and ERISA claims in federal and state court, in arbitrations and before administrative agencies. Mr. Garfield also advises employers on day-to-day employment issues and represents clients in connection with government investigations. He received his J.D. from Columbia Law School and his A.B., magna cum laude, from Brown University.

Kara A. Kuchar, a special counsel in the Bank Regulatory Group, concentrates her practice on payment systems, money transmission, virtual currencies, financial services law, regulatory compliance related to mergers & acquisitions, bank regulation and general regulatory compliance. She represents and advises leading payment companies, money transmitters, virtual currency companies, banks and private equity firms in transactional and regulatory matters associated with payments products and services, including remittance transfers, stored value products and Internet- and mobile-based payment products and services. Ms. Kuchar received her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law and her B.A., with honors, from Trinity College.

Jennifer M. Opheim, a special counsel in the Litigation Group, has a diverse practice focusing on complex commercial litigation, bankruptcy-related litigation, and regulatory investigations and counseling. She has represented clients in state and federal courts and before regulatory bodies. Ms. Opheim has also counseled clients on anti-money laundering and anti-corruption rules and regulations. She earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School and her B.A., summa cum laude, from Hillsdale College.

Jacob Preiserowicz, a special counsel in the Investment Management Group, focuses his practice on counseling commodity pool operators, commodity trading advisors, other commodity professionals and private investment fund managers on operational, regulatory and compliance matters. He regularly advises hedge and private equity fund managers with respect to futures and swaps trading, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s exemptions, registration and reporting requirements, and compliance with the requirements of the National Futures Association. Mr. Preiserowicz earned his J.D. and M.B.A., cum laude, from Fordham University and his B.A., cum laude, from Brooklyn College.

Adriana Schwartz, a special counsel in the Securities & Capital Markets Group,practices in the securities law and regulatory and compliance areas. She represents some of the largest private investment groups and investment banks in the U.S. and abroad in private investments in public and private companies, including PIPEs, registered direct offerings, convertible 144A offerings, reverse-mergers, equity lines, SPACs and Regulation S offerings. Ms. Schwartz counsels clients in the regulatory areas of Sections 13 and 16, Rule 144, insider trading, short selling and Regulation M/Rule 105. She earned her J.D., cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School and her B.A., cum laude, from the University of Rochester.