Liebman, Howard

Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Languages

• English
• French

Lawyer Overview

Howard Liebman focuses on international tax and corporate structuring, coordinating both the corporate and tax sides of transnational M&A, joint ventures, and restructurings. He heads the Firm's Tax Practice in Brussels.

Howard recently represented Platinum Equity in its pan-European acquisition of the Geesink Norba Group from Oshkosh Corporation as well as the purchase of the 3B-Fibreglass manufacturing business from Owens Corning. He has handled many pan-European tax and corporate structuring and M&A projects for IT companies such as IBM, Fujitsu Consulting, and NextiraOne Europe; U.S. tax reorganizations for UCB and Solvay (two major, Belgium-based chemical/pharma groups) and AP Moller-Maersk; and pan-Latin American structuring and restructuring for various other multinationals.

Howard chairs the Legal & Taxation Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Belgium, which takes the lead in lobbying for U.S. industry in Belgium and the EU. He is coauthor of the BNA Portfolio (No. 999 - 2nd) on "Doing Business in the European Union" and has chaired and spoken at Congresses of the International Fiscal Association in Stockholm, Eilat, and Amsterdam. He is also the Belgian correspondent of Tax Management International Forum and frequently publishes articles on international taxation in both U.S. and European journals.

Areas of Practice

• Tax
• Intellectual Property
• Outsourcing
• International/Cross-Border Planning & Transactions
• Mergers & Acquisitions/Tax
• Construction
• State and Local Tax Counseling
• Transfer Pricing

Representative Cases

• BancTec involved in joint venture with Thomson Group and eventual buy-out , (2009)
• Cable & Wireless restructures worldwide operations , (2009)
• Carlson Companies structures joint venture with Accor/Wagons-Lits , (2009)
• Carreker Corporation establishes joint venture for banking industry offshore outsourcing
• Club Med involved in employee loan-out business , (2009)
• Fage receives Rule 144A offering of $110 in senior debt on U.S. market , (2009)
• Field Group acquires businesses in Belgium and The Netherlands , (2009)
• France Telecom (Orange) acquires Unanimis Holdings
• Fujitsu Consulting involved in reorganization and spinoff , (2009)
• General Electric Capital Corporation acquires Avis Europe fleet leasing operations , (2009)
• Hanson Group disposes of Belgian affiliate in management buyout , (2009)
• Honeywell involved in U.S. joint venture in Soviet Union , (2009)
• IMI involved in various private share transactions , (2009)
• Johnson & Johnson announces $438 million acquisition of Omrix Biopharmaceuticals , (2009)
• Marlin Equity Partners acquires business units from Requisite Technology , (2009)
• McDonald's involved in international tax matters and the structuring of its operations , (2009)
• Mentor Graphics disposes of its Belgian affiliate as part of buy-out , (2009)
• NextiraOne Europe involved in equipment and software distribution agreements , (2009)
• NRG Energy involved in joint venture , (2009)
• Orthovita undertakes its initial public offering , (2009)
• Platinum Equity acquires Geesink Norba Group , (2009)
• Platinum Equity acquires Owens Corning fiberglass plants , (2009)
• Platinum Equity sells NextiraOne Europe , (2009)
• Renault involved in tax issues in Belgium as well as reorganization of Mack Trucks Division in U.S. , (2009)
• Royal Olympic Cruise Lines involved in dual public offering of stock , (2009)
• Saint Gobain involved in European tax case , (2009)
• Solvay involved in tax-free spin-off of its pharmaceutical and chemical businesses
• Storage Technology restructured into five European jurisdictions , (2009)
• Toyota forms joint venture with PSA Peugeot Citroën
• UCB develops intercompany transfer pricing policies and agreements for chemical and pharmaceutical businesses , (2009)
• Virgin Express NV/SA merges with SN Brussels Airlines , (2009)
• Western Atlas International acquires Halliburton Geophysical Business , (2009)
• Western Atlas International involved in joint venture , (2009)

West Practice Categories

Copyrights, Corporate Taxation, Estate & Gift Taxation, Excise Taxes, Income Taxation, Intellectual Property Law, International Intellectual Property, International Law, International Taxation, International Taxation, International Transactions, Mergers, Acquisitions & Divestitures, Patents, Payroll Taxes, Property (Ad Valorem) Taxes, Sales & Use Taxes, State, Local & Municipal Law, Taxation Law, Technology Licensing, Trade Dress, Trade Secrets, Trademarks

Bar Admissions

• Belgium
• District of Columbia

Education

• Colgate University
• Harvard University

Published Works

• Belgian Qualified Stock Option Plans Can Be Extended by Five Years—But Only by Electing before July 31st, 2009
• Life and Practice Overseas, Careers in Tax Law, Perspectives on the Tax Profession and What it Holds for You, American Bar Association Section of Taxation, 2009
• Jones Day's Howard Liebman on Brussels' Growing Importance in Pan-European Deals, 2008
• Basic Tax Planning for Private Equity Funds and Hedge Funds, Tax Management International Forum, BNA International, 2007
• International Mergers and Acquisitions: A Forum for Discussion, coauthor, Tax Analysts: Tax Notes International, Volume 47, Number 11, 2007
• Belgian Chapter of the Special Report Private Equity: A Technical Review, BNA International, 2007
• Additional Adjustments to be Made in the Wake of a Transfer Pricing Adjustment, Tax Management International Forum, 2006
• Corporate Governance, Les 25 marchés émergents du droit, 2006
• VAT Treatment of Composite Supplies, International VAT Monitor, 2006
• Business Operations in the European Union, 999-2nd T.M., BNA Foreign Income Portfolio, 2005
• Belgium Introduces Deduction for Risk Capital, Eurowatch, 2005
• Tax Reporting Units and Permitted Consolidation Under Belgian Income Tax Law, Tax Management International Forum, 2005
• Belgium: A Gateway For Investment In Europe, 2005
• International Tax Planning: Belgium Is Taking Steps to Enhance Its Attractiveness, 2005
• Discriminatory Treatment of Dividends in the European Union: Is the End Near? Tax Notes International, 2005
• Cross-Border Merger and Societas Europeae: Light at the End of the Tunnel?, Intertax, 2005
• Taxation of Global Operations Conducted Through a Tax Haven Subsidiary, Tax Management International Forum, 2004
• Providing Access to Intangible Property: Alternatives and the Taxation Thereof, Tax Management International Forum, 2004
• Recent Developments Regarding E.C. Tax Directives: An Alternative to Treaties in Europe, BNA International, 2004
• The EU Arbitration Convention - An overview of the Current Situation, Jones Day State Tax Return, 2004
• VAT On E-Commerce, Jones Day State Tax Return, 2004
• An Introduction to our Special Edition, Jones Day State Tax Return, 2004
• Recent Developments Regarding EC Tax Directives (An Alternative to Treaties in Europe), Jones Day State Tax Return, 2004
• Tax Planning for Debt Restructuring in Belgium, Tax Management International Forum, 2003
• Tax Planning for Cyclical or Other Temporary Losses: Belgium, Tax Management International Forum, 2003
• An Introduction to Our Special Edition, Jones Day State Tax Return, 2003
• Inbound Investments in Securities Backed by Debt Obligations and Receivables: Belgium, Tax Management International Forum, 2002
• Tax Consequences of Engaging in a Sale-Repurchase Transaction Using Host Country Securities: Belgium, Tax Management International Forum, 2002
• Group Taxation in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, 2002
• The EU Code of Conduct vs. The Prohibition against "State Aid", Proceedings of the Universidade Nova International Tax Conference, 2002

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Phones

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