The Brief:
Dentons has appointed Pierre Chao as a tax partner in Brisbane.
The former ATO official joins from HWL Ebsworth, where he was special counsel.
Dentons has turned to a former ATO insider to boost its national tax practice, appointing Pierre Chao as a partner in Brisbane.
Chao joins from HWL Ebsworth, where he was special counsel. Before entering private practice, he spent 10 years at the Australian Taxation Office, rising to assistant director.
He advises across federal tax law, including income tax, CGT, GST and international tax, and brings deep experience in ATO reviews, objections and litigation.
His practice isn’t limited to tax. He also works across commercial contracting, dispute resolution, funds management, and wills and estates.
His experience includes advising:
major property developers on tax structuring and ATO disputes
corporate groups on CGT rollovers, small business CGT concessions and tax consolidation
foreign entities on international tax treaties, withholding tax and CGT concessions
He’s got a strong cross-border angle too. Fluent in Mandarin, Chao regularly acts for clients from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The move adds to a busy year for tax hires, following DLA Piper poaching transfer pricing partner Craig Silverwood from MinterEllison and G+T launching a tax controversy practice with EY’s Dioni Perera.
Source: Dentons