Representative Experience
- Advised a multibillion-dollar family office-backed charitable foundation on the creation of a $1.5+ billion impact-investing incubator. Pillsbury structured the family office investment platform to align venture investing with charitable purpose while navigating complex private foundation excise tax rules, enabling the family office and foundation to pursue mission-driven investments without jeopardizing tax-exempt status.
- Represented a private family office principal in connection with a $30 million minority ownership acquisition in an NBA franchise. The engagement required holistic family office tax and estate planning to address significant projected losses, resulting in a tax-efficient family office structure calibrated to future income streams and long-term wealth planning objectives.
- Advised a national sports governing body and its affiliated for-profit subsidiaries on a comprehensive restructuring involving a related family office. The matter involved innovative family office-oriented tax planning to maximize profits and losses while maintaining compliance with tax-exempt organization rules and preserving existing governance structures.
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- Counseled the family office of a technology entrepreneur on the migration and reorganization of a billion-dollar family office investment platform to Florida. Pillsbury designed a lender-management compensation structure to unlock deductions otherwise disallowed under federal tax law, while aligning family office incentive compensation and succession planning with anticipated liquidity events.
- Represented a family office in a $200 million joint venture to develop a landmark mixed-use real estate project in Palm Beach. The project is expected to introduce first-of-its-kind development technology to the region, requiring coordinated family office, tax and real estate structuring.
- Structured a $60 million inbound U.S. real estate investment for a foreign billionaire’s family office expanding into the South Florida hospitality market. The engagement required flexible, tax-efficient family office structuring that accounted for cross-border tax, estate and immigration considerations for multiple family members.
- Served as co-lead counsel on a $350 million strategic investment by a leading venture capital firm into a family office-backed crypto-based real estate platform valued at approximately $1.7 billion. Pillsbury developed advanced family office tax allocation and depreciation strategies that significantly reduced effective investment costs while maintaining regulatory compliance.
- Acted as outside general counsel to a multibillion-dollar family office formed by serial entrepreneurs. The representation includes family office formation, governance and incentive compensation design, as well as ongoing tax and estate planning to support patient-capital investments across real estate, technology and digital assets.
- Advised a billion-dollar digital-asset financial services company serving family offices and foundations. The matter combined family office tax, regulatory and cross-border structuring in an emerging industry, highlighting Pillsbury’s ability to integrate private client and institutional expertise.
- Structured a comprehensive family office platform for the founder of a clean-energy technology company ahead of a major liquidity event. Integrated family office wealth planning, succession planning and transaction support to minimize transfer taxes while addressing complex family dynamics and cross-border considerations.
- Advised the founders of a high-growth consumer delivery company on the creation of a venture-focused family office and related pre-IPO planning. The work included family office structuring for Investment Advisers Act compliance and long-term tax efficiency for young entrepreneurs with international family ties.
- Built bespoke family office structures for the founders of a $5 billion hedge fund following extraordinary investment performance. The engagement spanned global family office investments across real estate, energy and technology, as well as the creation of a $90 million public charity devoted to education and the arts.
- Successfully defended a family office in a high-stakes IRS Global High Wealth audit involving novel partnership audit rules. Pillsbury’s proactive family office tax controversy strategy resolved proposed tax and penalty exposure exceeding $13 million in one of the earliest matters tested under the new regime.
- Advised a family-owned investment manager and related family office on the sale of a major agricultural enterprise operating across the U.S. and Peru. The transaction required sophisticated family office cross-border tax planning and negotiation of capital-gains withholding issues in a competitive auction setting.
- Guided a multibillion-dollar family office through its transition from registered investment adviser status to a single-family office. The matter involved coordinated family office tax, estate and employment planning to support direct investing strategies while maintaining regulatory compliance.
- Resolved sensitive governance disputes within a multigenerational family office enterprise without litigation. Pillsbury designed new family office ownership, reporting and oversight frameworks to restore transparency, preserve family harmony and ensure long-term continuity.
- Advised a multigenerational family office on complex trust governance involving approximately $100 million held for dozens of family members. The engagement balanced competing beneficiary interests and prevented future disputes through careful coordination of family office trust, tax and insurance structures.
- Devised a novel solution to a family office cross-border trust distribution issue that multiple firms were unable to resolve. Pillsbury unlocked income distributions for a foreign beneficiary by applying innovative state-law and federal tax principles fully consistent with IRS regulations.