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Joel is particularly experienced in the tax structuring of complex business and investment arrangements using partnerships, limited liability companies and Subchapter S corporations. He advises a broad range of private and institutional investors, including real estate investment firms, on a wide variety of U.S. federal income tax matters, including in connection with fund formation matters, the acquisition and disposition of property, structuring debt and equity investments, equity compensation plans and tax planning for investors.
Joel also advises on the tax structuring of corporate merger and acquisition transactions, as well as the financing of emerging companies, and has served on the boards of a number of enterprises. He also provides individual income and estate tax planning services for persons of substantial means.
Sullivan represented Wonder Media Network (WMN), a female-founded, audio-first creative studio based in New York City, in its sale to Acast, the world’s largest independent podcast company. "WMN’s mission is so tightly aligned with that of Acast - bringing important and changemaking stories to the world," said WMN CEO Jenny Kaplan. "Together, we will allow both creators and advertisers to reach new audiences, build successful businesses, and shape the future of audio."
Lewis N. Segall, Joel R. Carpenter, Amy E. Sheridan, Erika L. Todd, Johanna Colpritt and Nathan Kosik-Desmond
Our marquee REIT and Tax teams advised American Tower Corporation (NYSE: AMT), one of the largest global REITs, and its subsidiary CoreSite in the formation of a new joint venture with Stonepeak, a leading alternative investment firm specializing in infrastructure and real property assets, to develop, build and operate an 18-megawatt data center in Denver, Colorado. CoreSite provides IT infrastructure that empowers enterprises and cloud, network and IT service providers to monetize and future-proof their digital businesses. The total estimated development costs for the 18-megawatt data center are expected to be more than $250 million.
Sullivan’s team was led by Ameek Ashok Ponda, director of the Tax Department, with Sullivan Tax partners Joel Carpenter and Sarah Wellings, and associate Connie Lee, contributing to the successful deal.
Ameek Ashok Ponda, Joel R. Carpenter, Sarah D. Wellings and Connie Lee
On July 29, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") notified Nasdaq that it had received notices of intention to petition for review of the SEC's July 22, 2026 order approving Nasdaq's proposed rule change requiring listed companies to maintain a minimum Market Value of Listed Securities ("MVLS") of $5 million. Pursuant to Rule 431(e) of the SEC's Rules of Practice, the July 22, 2026 approval order has been
Douglas S. Stransky, partner and leader of the Tax Practice Group, has published a new post on the LexisNexis blog examining a recurring problem in cross-border acquisitions: entity classification errors discovered in tax due diligence. Using a hypothetical fact pattern in which a target’s foreign subsidiary never filed its check-the-box election, the post explains why classification mistakes persist, how a missing Form 5471 can leave the assessment statute open indefinitely under
Geoffrey Wynne will participate in a panel discussion at ITFA's 52nd Annual International Trade and Forfaiting Conference alongside Ailsa McNeil, Director at Texel, and Hernan Mayol, Board Member and Representative of ITFA Americas and Chair of ITFA’s Latin America Regional Committee (LARC). The session, titled “Financing the future: From defence to critical raw materials,” will be moderated by Clarissa Dann, Editorial Director at Deutsche Bank AG. The session will explore how trade
Sullivan partner Tehila Levi Lati will speak at a webinar held in collaboration with Amazon and Digate titled "Going Live in China" on September 8, 2026. Designed for decision-makers and technical leaders navigating regional expansion, the program will explore key technical, legal and operational considerations for launching in China, including cloud infrastructure, local licensing, data privacy and corporate risk management. During the webinar, Tehila will leverage her deep experience leading Sullivan's China and
Sullivan & Worcester represented Datavault AI Inc. (Nasdaq: DVLT), an Artificial Intelligence Platform company focused on data monetization, tokenization and digital asset technologies, in its acquisition of NYIAX, Inc., a pioneer in blockchain-enabled exchange technology and contract management infrastructure. The acquisition adds NYIAX's institutional-grade exchange technology, blockchain settlement infrastructure and portfolio of intellectual property assets to Datavault AI's platform, strengthening the company's capabilities across the digital asset and real-world asset tokenization
Since the publication of this Client Alert on July 30, 2026, several significant developments have affected the implementation of NYC’s Non-Primary Residence Surcharge (the “Pied-à-Terre Tax”), including the NYC Department of Finance (“NYC DOF”) extending the deadline for property owners to submit exemption applications to September 18, 2026. On August 7, 2026, three NYC homeowners filed a lawsuit challenging the City’s implementation of the surcharge, including the City’s process of identifying
John Graham was quoted in the article "IRS Proposed Rules for Trusts Eliminate Reporting Headaches," published by Bloomberg Tax [sub. req'd] on August 17, 2026. The article focuses on proposed IRS rules that would ease reporting requirements for trusts with certain charitable deductions, helping them avoid late-filing penalties while simplifying the process for both taxpayers and the IRS. “It’s favorable to taxpayers,” John said, summing up the benefit of the proposed rules.
New York City Department of Finance (“NYC DOF”) recently began notifying property owners by mail that they may be subject to the City’s new Non-Primary Residence Surcharge, which will be imposed annually on certain high-value residential properties that are not used as primary residences.[i] Although the surcharge is commonly referred to as the “Pied-à-Terre Tax,” it applies to a broader range of non-primary residences. Receipt of a notice does not necessarily
Simon Cook, in his role as ITFA's Head of Education, will jointly moderate a Q&A on “The next generation: Three emerging leaders, three ideas”, together with Charlie O'Mulloy, chair of ITFA’s Emerging Leader Committee and Associate Banker at EBRD, at ITFA’s 52nd Annual International Trade and Forfaiting Conference in Split, Croatia on September 9. The Q&A will follow the presentations made by the finalists of the 2026 ITFA Emerging Leader
On July 29, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") notified Nasdaq that it had received notices of intention to petition for review of the SEC's July 22, 2026 order approving Nasdaq's proposed rule change requiring listed companies to maintain a minimum Market Value of Listed Securities ("MVLS") of $5 million. Pursuant to Rule 431(e) of the SEC's Rules of Practice, the July 22, 2026 approval order has been
Douglas S. Stransky, partner and leader of the Tax Practice Group, has published a new post on the LexisNexis blog examining a recurring problem in cross-border acquisitions: entity classification errors discovered in tax due diligence. Using a hypothetical fact pattern in which a target’s foreign subsidiary never filed its check-the-box election, the post explains why classification mistakes persist, how a missing Form 5471 can leave the assessment statute open indefinitely under
Geoffrey Wynne will participate in a panel discussion at ITFA's 52nd Annual International Trade and Forfaiting Conference alongside Ailsa McNeil, Director at Texel, and Hernan Mayol, Board Member and Representative of ITFA Americas and Chair of ITFA’s Latin America Regional Committee (LARC). The session, titled “Financing the future: From defence to critical raw materials,” will be moderated by Clarissa Dann, Editorial Director at Deutsche Bank AG. The session will explore how trade
Sullivan partner Tehila Levi Lati will speak at a webinar held in collaboration with Amazon and Digate titled "Going Live in China" on September 8, 2026. Designed for decision-makers and technical leaders navigating regional expansion, the program will explore key technical, legal and operational considerations for launching in China, including cloud infrastructure, local licensing, data privacy and corporate risk management. During the webinar, Tehila will leverage her deep experience leading Sullivan's China and
Sullivan & Worcester represented Datavault AI Inc. (Nasdaq: DVLT), an Artificial Intelligence Platform company focused on data monetization, tokenization and digital asset technologies, in its acquisition of NYIAX, Inc., a pioneer in blockchain-enabled exchange technology and contract management infrastructure. The acquisition adds NYIAX's institutional-grade exchange technology, blockchain settlement infrastructure and portfolio of intellectual property assets to Datavault AI's platform, strengthening the company's capabilities across the digital asset and real-world asset tokenization
