Global: The Year Ahead | Global Disputes Forecast 2023 Webinar Series

María Antonia Azpeitia heads the Firm’s Tax Litigation and VAT practice groups in Madrid. She is ranked as a leading practitioner in her field by Chambers Europe, and is highly regarded for her work on VAT matters. She is a regular lecturer in tax seminars and conferences, and contributor to economic newspapers and other specialized publications.

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Celeste is a Principal in our Dispute Resolution and Employment Practice Groups. Her practice encompasses corporate and commercial dispute resolution, compliance and investigations. She has significant experience acting for global clients in cross-border disputes and advising clients on compliance and regulatory issues in the context of cross-border investigations. Celeste also has a particular focus in employment, particularly contentious employment work and employee investigations, and currently heads Baker McKenzie's Asia Pacific Employment & Compensation Practice. Celeste has been recognised as a 'Litigation Star' in the Labor and Employment space by Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific, 2021 and has been ranked Band 1 in Employment in Singapore by Chambers Asia-Pacific since 2019 to date. She is recognised as "highly regarded in Singapore for her employment law advice, handling unfair dismissal claims and retrenchments"; a "source praises her 'very responsive and practical advice'" and that "Celeste is a brilliant lawyer and is able to provide effective advice to clients in a timely manner." Celeste is also ranked as a Leading Individual in Labour and employment in Singapore by Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2022 and noted as "a litigator with a strong record in employment disputes" and in the foreign firms section as "a dispute resolution specialist with an extensive record in contentious employment matters".

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Ashish is a Local Principal in Singapore's Dispute Resolution Practice Group. He is qualified to practice law in England & Wales, India, New York and Singapore. In July 2018, Ashish received the “Under-40 Rising Star” award at the annual India law awards ceremony in New Delhi. Recent clients commentary in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific states that "Ashish is 'very familiar with India law matters', 'offers commercially sensible advice and is a delight to work with', and 'grasps complex points quickly and is very persuasive' (2019) and describes Ashish as "truly impressive", "very incisive and a go-to lawyer in Singapore", who offers "advice that is sensible and commercially viable" (2018).

George Clarke is a partner in the Firm's North America Tax Practice Group in Washington, DC and chair of the Firm's North American Tax Dispute Resolution Group. His practice focuses on tax litigation and he is nationally-known for his work in civil and criminal tax matters. George has authored several articles on tax law and is a contributor to various blogs and publications. He is consistently recognized by Legal 500 as a leading adviser in tax controversy. George also lends his talent to pro bono matters and has successfully represented non-enemy combatants unlawfully detained by the US in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and is lead counsel in a case to force the President to retain materials under the Presidential Records Act. He is a certified public accountant (inactive). Before becoming a lawyer, he served in the US Marine Corps.

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Jannan Crozier is a partner in Baker & McKenzie's Corporate Group based in London and the Firms Global M&A Chair. Jannan practices in Corporate Law and advises clients in relation to cross-border mergers and acquisitions and negotiated carve out transactions.
Jannan joined Baker & McKenzie's London office as a trainee solicitor in 2003, qualifying as a solicitor in the Corporate Group in 2005 and being promoted to partner in 2015.
The Legal 500 lists Jannan as a "Next Generation Partner" within M&A: upper mid-market and premium deals, GPB 500 million and ".. is especially experienced in cross-border M&A, and complex carve-outs."

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Elisabeth Dehareng joined Baker McKenzie's Brussels office in 2003 and is a partner since 2014 in the Information Technology & Communications and Intellectual Practice Groups. She was admitted to the Brussels bar in 2003. She is a member of the EMEA IP Tech Steering Committee. Elisabeth is regularly mentioned in publications such as Legal 500 and Chambers.

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Krissy Katzenstein is a partner in the Employment & Compensation Practice Group in Baker McKenzie’s New York office. Krissy represents employers in a wide range of employment disputes, with a focus on class and collective actions involving systemic discrimination as well as federal and state agency investigations of systemic discrimination and harassment claims. Krissy was named a “Rising Star” in Employment Law by Law360 in 2019.

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Chiara Giorgia Monga is counsel in the Tax practice group of Baker McKenzie Italy. She is experienced in international taxation and transfer pricing, with a 15-year experience developed in the tax practice of a renowned big four. Chiara has been a lecturer in many transfer pricing seminars and conferences, and she has participated in drafting the transfer pricing sections of tax publications dedicated to the fashion and food and beverage sector.

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With 33 years of experience, Jorge has been voted as the Latin America Tax Litigation and Disputes Practice Leader of the Year (2020) by the International Tax Review. He has been nominated to appear in the Guide to the World's Leading Transfer Pricing Advisers. He has been ranked as one of the leading tax practitioners in Mexico by Chambers & Partners every year since 2011, and as of 2018 he has been ranked in two different practice areas. He has been ranked by Legal 500 and by World Tax as one of the top tax disputes attorneys in Mexico and praised by well-known international publications for his transfer pricing and corporate reorganization work alongside his very strong practice in tax rulings, treaties and litigation. As of October 2014, he has been chairing the Global Tax Dispute Resolution Group of Baker McKenzie. Formerly, he has acted as chair of the Latin American Tax Practice Group and member of the Global Tax Steering Committee of Baker McKenzie, as well as member of the Global Transfer Pricing Subgroup of Baker McKenzie and chair of the Latin American Value-Added Tax Practice Group and member of the Global Value-Added Tax Steering Committee of Baker McKenzie. As of October 2013, he was appointed as member of the Global Financial Committee of Baker McKenzie, representing Latin America. He is founder member of the Legislative Tax Analysis Group (ATRIL). In March 2012 he was appointed by the Mexican president, for a four-year term, as honorary independent advisor and member of the Sounding Board of the Mexican Taxpayers' Ombudsman (the PRODECON). In early 2021, he wrote the foreword of the book Taxpayers Rights in a Transparent and Global Society, which was globally published by the PRODECON. Early this year Jorge presented at the 5th Meeting of Vienna Multi-Stakeholder Group on Improving Cross-border Dispute Resolution organized by the United Nations and the OECD. Jorge has also participated as an author in the special edition recently published by IDC Mexico dealing with BEPS writing about Action 12. In May 2019, Jorge participated as speaker at the Global Tax Conference, Driving the Future, organized by Harvard ASH Center, Kennedy School of Government and the Irish Tax Institute in Dublin, Ireland.

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Ed Poulton is Managing Partner in Baker McKenzie’s London office and a member of the Dispute Resolution team. A key name in the arbitration community, Ed sits as an arbitrator in ICC and LCIA arbitrations, and is the consulting editor of a seminal text on the arbitration of M&A disputes. He also sits on the steering committee for the Firm’s Global International Arbitration Practice Group. Ed is recognised in the fields of international arbitration and public international law by Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners.

Stephen Ratcliffe is a partner in Baker McKenzie's Employment and Benefits practice in London. He has more than 14 years of legal experience and was recognized as an "Associate to Watch" by Chambers & Partners in 2014, 2015 and 2016 before his promotion to partnership. Stephen has been described as "very precise, technically excellent, but also very practical."

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Stephen Reynolds is a member of Baker McKenzie’s North America Intellectual Property & Technology Practice, which provides clients with a full suite of data privacy and cyber services. He frequently advises clients on complex matters involving data privacy and security laws and serves on the board of directors of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Stephen’s expertise adds value to organizations by mitigating cyber threats through proactive preventative measures and navigating complex litigation on behalf of clients in data privacy and security. As a former computer programmer and IT analyst, Stephen is uniquely able to and routinely uses his computer background in cases involving data privacy and security, electronic discovery, social media discovery, and computer forensics. Stephen has given several presentations on data privacy and security, electronic discovery and social media discovery, and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US). In addition to being a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Stephen teaches CISSP classes as a Direct Instructor with the (ISC)2. Additionally, Stephen teaches a course on Data Security and Privacy Law at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

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Francesca Richmond is a partner in the Baker McKenzie Dispute Resolution team based in London. Francesca joined Baker McKenzie in 2004 and was admitted as a solicitor in September 2006. She attained higher rights of audience to act as a solicitor-advocate in 2009. Francesca has been seconded to Baker McKenzie's offices in Chicago, Washington and Sydney as well as to clients Barclays Bank PLC, the BBC Trust and O2. Francesca was a marshall at the Royal Courts of Justice in 1998 and in 2000 sitting with a High Court judge.

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Peter Tomczak serves as the Chair of Baker McKenzie's North America Litigation and Government Enforcement Practice Group. Peter serves on the North America Pricing Committee, and oversees the practice group's development and review of non-hourly fee based arrangements, or AFAs. He joined Baker McKenzie in 2003, after having served as a law clerk for the Delaware Court of Chancery.

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Cyrus Vance Jr. has earned a well-deserved international reputation as a trial attorney with a proven track record in high-stake litigation and global investigations. As the Co-Chair of Baker McKenzie's North America Litigation and Government Enforcement Practice, Cyrus is well-known for his expertise in white collar criminal investigations, complex civil and criminal litigation, sanctions enforcement, compliance and cybersecurity. With over three decades of experience in both public and private sector, Cyrus provides invaluable guidance to clients navigating cross-border investigations, enforcement matters, and cybersecurity incidents.
Prior to joining the Firm, Cyrus served three consecutive four-year terms as Manhattan District Attorney, overseeing a team of over 600 prosecutors. He handled landmark criminal prosecutions, including the successful litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court in Trump v. Vance and the conviction of Harvey Weinstein on two felony sex crimes. He also managed more than 100,000 cases annually, including complex white collar and business crimes both domestically and internationally. Cyrus regularly collaborated with regulatory and crime-fighting partners such as the City of London Police, Paris Prosecutors' Office, Singapore Attorney General, Europol and Interpol, and is known for his ability to build and manage teams collaboratively across borders and agencies.

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Mini vandePol is the Head of Baker McKenzie's Asia Pacific Investigations, Compliance & Ethics Group, after successfully completing three years as the Global Chair. Mini focuses on anti-bribery and corruption, trade sanctions, fraud and other senior executive misconduct investigations across Asia but most particularly in Hong Kong, China and India. Mini has more than 30 years' experience and is the trusted advisor to the boards and audit committees of the Firm's most significant global clients — assisting them to establish and enhance their risk management programs, assess risks in transactional opportunities and credibly investigate transgressions to support a strong commitment to a culture of compliance. In her previous Global Chair role, she led a team of 900+ compliance and investigations practitioners in Asia Pacific, EMEA, Latin America and North America, which was ranked amongst the Top 10 global investigations firms by Global Investigations Review in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Mini herself has recently been awarded "Woman Lawyer of the Year" in The Macallan ALB Hong Kong Law Awards and "Best in White Collar Crime" Euromoney Asia Women in Business Law Awards in 2019. She is also named as one of the "Top 100 Women in Investigations" by Global Investigations Review. Mini is the Firm's representative assisting the World Economic Forum's Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) and a member of the WEF's Global Future Council.

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