John Barrie
Bryan Cave LLP

John P. Barrie is a partner at Bryan Cave LLP, where his practice focuses solely in the areas of federal and state tax controversy and transactional matters. His transactional practice includes representing public and private businesses in taxable and tax-free mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, spin-offs, divestitures and restructurings, as well as representing clients before the IRS National Office in connection with ruling requests and technical advice.

Mr. Barrie is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, California, Missouri and New York, and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, U.S. Tax Court, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and the U.S. District Courts for the District of Columbia and the Southern District of New York.

Mr. Barrie earned his B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1969. He earned his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings in 1972 and a LL.M. from New York University in 1973.

Michael Hirschfeld
Dechert LLP

Michael Hirschfeld is a partner in the New York office of Dechert LLP. He gives taxation advice in connection with corporate, international, partnership, real estate, workouts, and leasing matters. He is recognized as a leading tax lawyer both nationally and internationally in publications including The Best Lawyers in America, Who’s Who in America, The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers, and The International Who’s Who of Corporate Tax Lawyers.

Mr. Hirschfeld is chair of the Federal Taxation of Real Estate Committee of the American Bar Association’s Real Property Section as well as the co-chair of the Katrina Task Force of the Association’s Tax Section. He has previously served as the Tax Section’s vice chair for committee operations, council director for its international committees, chair of its government submissions and real estate committees and chair of its 9/11 task force.

Mr. Hirschfeld is also a member of the American College of Tax Counsel, the Committee on Business Entities of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and The Tax Review. Mr. Hirschfeld is on the board of editors for Business Entities, The Journal of Taxation and Investments, Mergers and Acquisitions (The Monthly Tax Journal), and The Journal of International Taxation.

Mr. Hirschfeld earned his B.E.E. in 1972 from City College of New York, summa cum laude. In 1975, he earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and in 1980, his LL.M. in taxation from New York University School of Law.

Michael Schler
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP

Michael L. Schler is a tax partner in the New York City law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. He practices in the areas of mergers & acquisitions, corporate tax, consolidated returns, financial products, and asset-backed securitization. He joined the firm in 1974 and was elected a partner in 1982.

Mr. Schler has long been active in the New York State Bar Association Tax Section. He was chair from 1994 to 1995, and has been a member of the Executive Committee since 1985. Mr. Schler is a trustee and vice president of the American Tax Policy Institute. He is also the chair of the New York Tax Forum. He is a member of the American College of Tax Counsel. He has been a consultant to the American Law Institute Federal Income Tax Project on Integration of the Individual and Corporate Income Taxes, and to the Institute’s Project on Taxation of Private Business Enterprises. Mr. Schler is the author of numerous published articles, including recent articles on consolidated returns, spin-offs, section 1032, and the dividend exclusion.

Prior to joining Cravath, Mr. Schler was a clerk for the Honorable Max Rosenn of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with an A.B. in 1970, and earned his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1973. He also earned an LL.M. in taxation from New York University in 1979.