International law firm Withers has appointed eight new partners across the firm’s international offices, while at the same time the firm, which has its oldest roots in the UK, has elected a US citizen as global chairman for the first time.

Withers Bergman - the name of the firm in the US - announced late yesterday that Ivan Sacks was named as chairman, effective 1 July; he succeeds Anthony Indaimo, who is stepping down after having served the maximum two terms allowed under the firm's rules. Prior to this week, Sacks was the US regional senior partner and managing director of the firm’s New York office. He is a private client lawyer and trusted advisor to international and domestic families of significant wealth.

Sacks joined Withers as a partner in 2003. Since that time, he has led the development of the firm’s Latin American practice. Both in the US and in an international context, he counsels leading families and entrepreneurs on the structuring of their closely held business interests, family offices and charitable foundations, the design and administration of trusts and estates, and comprehensive risk management, governance and succession planning.  He also frequently advises banks and trust companies on fiduciary matters.

Mr. Sacks is admitted to the bar of the State of New York and the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Meanwhile, the firm named a number of new partners; with these appointments the law firm has 112 partners dealing with areas such as corporate finance, legal risk management, financial services regulatory and wealth structuring. 

In the Asian offices, Stacey Devoy has made a partner for the family law team in Hong Kong; in Singapore, Fernando Gandioli made partner for the tax and estate planning team, while Philip Munro was appointed to the funds, investment and business tax team.

In the US, Chi-Yu Liang is now a partner for the tax and estate planning team, New York, while Shannon Smith Retzke has been appointed to the tax team in New Haven.

Lastly, Kate Landells is now a partner for the family law team in London, while her colleagues Stephen Richards and Ceri Vokes have been appointed to the contentious trusts and succession team, and the funds, investment, trust and tax team, respectively.

In other news, several lawyers from the law firm took the opportunity to critique recent international tax and regulatory moves during the June Group of Eight meeting in Northern Ireland.

According to Sophie Dworetzsky, a tax partner at Withers, concerns for legitimate tax planning are increasing “after authorities have presented tax evasion (which is clearly illegal) and tax avoidance (which means working within the rules to minimise tax liabilities) together, thereby smudging the divide between the two”.