Jasper Howard

Jasper Howard assists clients in structuring and executing transactions in a tax-efficient manner. Clients turn to him for their most important transactions that present difficult tax issues. His broad experience in analyzing complex transactions and providing creative, workable solutions that meet his client's tax and business objectives makes him a go-to source for tax advice on significant transactions.

For more than 25 years, Jasper has advised on tax aspects of a broad range of transactions, including tax-free spin-offs and restructurings of multibillion-dollar companies. He frequently advises on mergers and acquisitions of both public companies and closely held businesses in taxable and tax-free transactions, including multistep tax-free reorganizations; domestic and international joint ventures; the structuring of inbound and outbound investments; and other cross-border transactions. He also works extensively with clients in structuring and implementing internal reorganizations, especially in the international context, to integrate acquired businesses and realign multijurisdictional organizational structures.

Jasper is often called upon to help clients obtain private letter rulings (PLRs) from the IRS and achieve favorable results in IRS audits. He has obtained PLRs on an array of issues, including tax-free spin-offs and reorganizations, Section 382 issues, and consolidated federal income tax return matters, a topic he has worked on extensively and written about professionally.

From 1995 to 1998, Jasper served as special counsel to the IRS chief counsel, where he participated in the development and formulation of regulations and other administrative guidance involving corporate, partnership, and international tax matters.

He is an adjunct professor in the LL.M. (taxation) program of Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches Corporate Income Tax Law II, which focuses on tax-free reorganizations and spin-offs. He is a frequent speaker at tax conferences.