Tax

On May 9, 2025, TaskUs, Inc. (“TaskUs”), a leading provider of outsourced digital services and next‑generation customer experience to companies, announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to become a privately held company. Under the terms of the agreement, an affiliate of Blackstone, TaskUs Co‑Founder and Chief Executive Officer Bryce Maddock and TaskUs Co‑Founder and President Jaspar Weir (collectively the “Buyer Group”) will acquire 100% of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock they do not already own for $16.50 per share in an all-cash transaction. Upon completion of the transaction, the Company’s Class A common stock will no longer be listed on any public market. The TaskUs Board of Directors has approved the transaction upon the unanimous recommendation of a special committee of independent directors (the “Special Committee”), which was formed on March 20, 2025, in response to interest expressed by the Buyer Group in exploring a possible transaction. Cravath is representing the Special Committee in connection with the transaction.

On May 7, 2025, Costamare Inc. (“Costamare”) announced that it has completed the spin‑off of its dry bulk business into a standalone public company, Costamare Bulkers Holdings Limited (“Costamare Bulkers”). Each holder of Costamare common shares received one common share of Costamare Bulkers for every five Costamare common shares held as of the close of business on April 29, 2025. Cravath represented Costamare in connection with the transaction.

On April 10, 2025, an investor group led by White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. (“White Mountains”), Ethos Capital and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation announced it will acquire an ownership position in BroadStreet Partners, Inc. (“BroadStreet”), a leading North American insurance brokerage company. Under the terms of the agreement, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan will maintain a significant co‑control stake in BroadStreet and operate in partnership with the investment group. Cravath is representing White Mountains in connection with the transaction.

On April 7, 2025, IBM announced it has acquired Hakkoda Inc., a leading global data and AI consultancy. Hakkoda will expand IBM Consulting's data transformation services portfolio, adding specialized data platform expertise to help clients get their data ready to fuel AI‑powered business operations. Cravath is representing IBM in connection with the transaction.

Cravath represented the European Investment Bank (“EIB”) in connection with its $4 billion SEC registered notes offering. The purpose of the EIB is to contribute to the balanced and steady development of the internal market among Member States of the European Union. The notes were listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. The transaction closed on March 18, 2025.

Scott Kapusta is the Global Head of Tax at FactSet. In this episode of On Tax, Scott and Cravath partner and host Len Teti discuss how an early interest in economics led Scott to his current corporate tax practice, and how there are benefits to using the process of elimination when it comes to choosing a career path. They also reflect on lessons learned over the course of their long professional relationship, on both sides of the negotiating table, and share insights into what makes tax advisors excel in their roles.

On May 16, 2025, Cravath partners Ron Creamer, Lauren Angelilli, J. Leonard Teti II, Christopher K. Fargo, Andrew T. Davis and Arvind Ravichandran were named to Lawdragon’s inaugural list of “500 Leading Global Tax Lawyers” in recognition of their work advising clients on the “tax aspects of M&A and other complex transactions.” The list highlights “outstanding leaders” who “preserve the balance between tax responsibilities and fiscal soundness on a global scale.” 

On May 12, 2025, Cravath published the latest edition of its Quarterly Review, which has been redesigned for the Q1 2025 edition to provide greater insight into practical points, key takeaways and relevant developments across the M&A, activism, tax, regulatory and corporate governance landscape. This edition covers:

On May 9, 2025, Cravath partner Andrew T. Davis participated in the American Bar Association’s Tax Section 2025 May Tax Meeting, which was held from May 8‑10 in Washington, D.C. The meeting convened leading tax attorneys and government officials to discuss the latest federal, state and local tax policies and recent developments in tax law. Andrew spoke on a panel entitled “Dealing with Section 269: A Transactional Approach,” which reviewed the history of section 269, recent IRS guidance on the section and the current market practice of the section when considering various forms of transactions.

On May 7, 2025, Cravath of counsel Kiran Sheffrin participated in “Tax Planning for Domestic & Foreign Partnerships, LLCs, Joint Ventures & Other Strategic Alliances 2025,” a program presented by the Practising Law Institute from May 6‑8, 2025, in New York. Kiran spoke on a panel entitled “Distressed Partnerships (Including Bankruptcy and CARES Act),” which reviewed the complexities that arise when a distressed borrower is a partnership, including the assorted types of restructuring transactions that can have varying effects on different partners.