Taxation
At the time of our founding nearly 50 years ago, Godfrey & Kahn concentrated primarily on tax laws, and taxation remains an important part of the firm's practice.

The Tax Practice Group provides advice and assistance to clients on a variety of federal, state, local and international tax matters. The group structures transactions on a tax-efficient basis, and counsels clients on tax planning opportunities and offers counsel in a variety of other areas. Our corporate clients range from large publicly traded companies to entrepreneurial start-up businesses. In addition, the group represents clients before governmental agencies and courts in both federal and state tax controversies and has worked with clients on shaping tax legislation at the state and federal levels.

We have strong academic backgrounds and extensive experience in taxation. The group's members are active in the state and local tax bars, serve on various tax committees for other professional organizations, author tax treatises and scholarly articles, frequently speak at seminars and have taught tax courses at the University of Wisconsin Law School. We work closely with the firm's other teams in a coordinated effort to explore planning opportunities and structure transactions in a tax-favorable manner.

Employee Benefits
Employee benefits are a vital component of most employers' compensation packages. However, in recent years, the costs of many employers' plans have spiraled, and their administrative complexity has reached frustrating levels. The laws that govern benefit plans can confuse even the most diligent and careful employer. As a result, it is essential that employers receive quality legal advice to understand and take advantage of the applicable benefits laws while minimizing the legal risks.

Godfrey & Kahn's Employee Benefits Practice Group counsels public and private employers, tax-exempt entities, financial institutions and benefit plan service providers in all aspects of retirement and welfare benefits laws, including the Internal Revenue Code, ERISA, COBRA and HIPAA. Our clients range from Fortune 500 companies to small professional employers. We have extensive experience in managing sophisticated benefit plan issues that arise out of day-to-day plan administration, and we devote a significant portion of our practice to issues that arise during the course of mergers and acquisitions.

Our focus is to provide value to our clients with efficient, creative and forward-thinking advice. Additionally, we view ourselves as problem-solvers and have worked with the IRS and U.S. Department of Labor on behalf of many benefit plans to reduce, and even eliminate, penalties that plan sponsors otherwise would have paid due to plan errors.