The key objective in effective corporate tax planning is to identify the main factors in the organisation's structure that dictate the opportunities for tax efficiencies. Once identified, Osborne Clarke's corporate tax team devises and implements tailored national or international tax strategies for the business or the transaction in question. These strategies - which are focused on transactional planning, structuring and financing - produce substantial tax savings and legal efficiencies for our clients. Our advice is technically excellent, commercial, user-friendly and tailored to meet clients' exact requirements.

Key to our success, on transactional matters, is the close working relationship between the members of the tax group and the firm's transactional teams. This ensures that tax issues are raised and solved by specialists at the early stage of any transaction, when it matters most in structuring the deal.

Osborne Clarke's international network means we can provide seamless national and international tax advice, across a number of legal jurisdictions. The corporate tax team has a strongly international focus, dealing with the affairs of multinational companies, partnerships, joint ventures and entrepreneurs, with interests inside and outside the UK. We provide specialist advice on UK tax planning where there is a foreign element involved and act as a single point of contact in co-ordinating foreign legal advice where it is necessary.

Our ability to devise tailored national and international tax strategies and our awareness of corporate best practice is further strengthened by our active membership of professional bodies such as the International Fiscal Association (one of our partners is a UK committee member of the IFA)and the British Venture Capital Association.

The expertise of our corporate tax partners is recognised by the Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 directories. The former commented in the 2005 edition that "Clients were quick to applaud this team of "City quality lawyers based in Bristol" with feedback highlighting technical and commercial strength in corporate matters, international transactions and property tax."

Additionally, one of our partners writes the Electronic Commerce chapter of Tolley's Tax Planning.

• providing lead tax advice to 3i plc on a liquidation demerger and subsequent company disposals in relation to one of its investee groups
• providing UK tax advice and co-ordinating US and Polish tax advice on a €235 million bond issue by a UK subsidiary of Polish company
• providing lead tax structing advice on a complex £100m venture capital backed acquisition including tax structuring

Michael  Bell
t +44 (0)117 917 4312
michael.bell@osborneclarke.com