Overview
(December 14, 2020, Washington, DC) — Steptoe & Johnson LLP is pleased to announce that Matt Frank, an internationally recognized and respected authority on transfer pricing, has joined the firm's Tax Group as a partner. Matt brings to the firm more than 30 years of transfer pricing, tax controversy, and litigation experience, including nine years as the transfer pricing leader of a Fortune 10 company, five years as a senior transfer pricing official with the IRS, and many years as an advisor in private practice and as a Department of Justice litigator. For the last 20+ years, Matt has had a particular focus on advance pricing agreements (APAs), competent authority matters, and transfer pricing risk management.
Matt joins Steptoe most recently from a Big 4 firm, where, as a principal, he focused on transfer pricing dispute resolution. Prior to that, Matt spent nine years (2008-2017) as senior tax counsel, transfer pricing, at General Electric Company (GE), where he was the global leader for GE’s transfer pricing exams, controversies, and public policy matters. At GE, Matt worked on transfer pricing exams, competent authority proceedings, APAs, and litigation in the United States and in many countries across the globe.
Matt joined GE in 2008 from the IRS where he served nearly five years (2003-2008) as director of the US Advance Pricing Agreement program in the Office of Chief Counsel, making him the longest serving director in the history of the program. At the IRS, Matt supervised 32 lawyers and economists across multiple offices, worked with multinational corporations to resolve cross-border disputes, and led the APA program to become more efficient. Matt was awarded the Chief Counsel Special Act award for his work as the APA program director in responding to US Senate Finance Committee’s inquiries.
Previously, Matt spent more than a decade in private practice focusing on tax controversy, which included litigation, and international tax matters, such as transfer pricing, foreign tax credit, and cross-border financial issues. He began his government service as an assistant US attorney in the criminal division of the Los Angeles federal prosecutor's office.
"Matt brings a well-deserved reputation as one of the country's foremost authorities on transfer pricing, and his deep practical knowledge and experience in APA and competent authority matters will be invaluable to firm clients," said Phil West, chair of Steptoe. "His arrival will enhance the firm's preeminent international tax practice, particularly with regard to international tax controversy matters."
Steptoe's Tax Group advises global businesses and high-net-worth individuals across all industries on their most important and complex international tax matters. The group includes former senior government officials from Treasury, the IRS, the Justice Department, and congressional tax-writing committees. Steptoe's highly regarded Tax Group has earned top rankings and recommendations from the legal directories Chambers USA and The Legal 500, among other publications.
Matt commented: "I'm honored to join Steptoe. It's a great firm. I've worked with Steptoe lawyers over the years and I've always been impressed by the group's practical experience in international tax, and tax controversy and litigation, and by their commitment to client service and excellence. I'm also looking forward to returning to litigation which I've always enjoyed. Steptoe's deep tax litigation experience will be a perfect fit for my transfer pricing practice."
Matt has taught international tax law as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the University of Michigan Law School.
He earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan and his B.A. from Swarthmore College.
About Steptoe
In more than 100 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.