International law firm McDermott Will & Emery is pleased to welcome Alexander M. Lee and Alejandro Ruiz to the Firm’s Tax Practice Group. Mr. Lee will be based in Los Angeles and Mr. Ruiz will be based in Silicon Valley; together they will bolster McDermott’s transactional tax capabilities on the West Coast and across the Firm’s global platform.

Mr. Lee was the immediate past head of Paul Hastings’ Los Angeles transactional tax practice.  He has broad experience advising corporates ranging from the largest multinationals to emerging technology companies on the tax aspects of their international as well as M&A transactions.  Mr. Lee’s practice focuses on mergers, acquisitions, capital markets, lending and finance; with an emphasis on the health industry and Asian international corporate transactions.

Mr. Ruiz is joining from an international law firm where he advised various entities on the tax aspects of complex domestic and cross-border transactions including mergers and acquisitions, buyouts, recapitalizations, securities offerings, debt and equity restructurings, joint ventures, and investment fund formations. Mr. Ruiz also has in-depth experience representing a number of private equity funds on tax aspects of their transactions.

“Mr. Lee and Mr. Ruiz are a great addition to our growing West Coast tax practice,” said Lowell D. Yoder, global head of McDermott’s Tax Practice Group. “They represent McDermott’s next generation of tax talent as we strategically enhance our talent pool to meet increased client demand for corporate tax services.”

“We look forward to the tax advice that Mr. Lee and Mr. Ruiz will provide for our growing private equity and M&A practices and our increased deal work,” added Harris Siskind, global head of McDermott’s Transactions Practice Group. “Tax structuring and analysis are always of paramount importance in our most complex transactions and we are enthusiastic about the expansion of our capabilities in this critical area.”

Mr. Lee and Mr. Ruiz bolster the Firm’s West Coast capabilities both in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley. “We are excited to welcome such talented laterals to the ranks of those who have recently joined our West Coast offices over the past several months,” said Bill Gaede, partner-in-charge of McDermott’s Silicon Valley office.  Eric Gordon, partner-in-charge of McDermott’s LA office added, “The particular skillsets of these laterals cement the cross-disciplinary cooperation between our tax and transactions practices, to better serve our clients here on the West Coast and internationally.”

Mr. Lee is a highly regarded practitioner in the area of domestic and international taxation, and has been recognized by various publications including Chambers USA, Chambers Global, The Legal 500 U.S., The Legal 500 International and has been recognized for many years by Super Lawyers magazine. He received his LL. M. from New York University School of Law, his JD from University of California at Los Angeles School of Law and his BA from University of California Santa Barbara.

Mr. Ruiz has been listed multiple times by Super Lawyers magazine as a Northern California “Rising Star.” He received his JD from Harvard Law School and his BA with high distinction from Indiana University.