Kenneth Betts concentrates on a broad range of federal and state income tax planning matters, including tax issues related to mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, dispositions (including spin-offs and split-offs), financings, reorganizations, restructurings, partnership transactions, private equity transactions, and preservation and utilization of net operating losses.
Mr. Betts has represented several clients in tax controversy work before the Internal Revenue Service and has obtained IRS private letter rulings on behalf of various clients. Mr. Betts has represented clients in numerous mergers and acquisitions, including:
- AdvancePierre Foods Holdings, Inc. in its $4.2 billion acquisition by Tyson Foods, Inc.;
- Fuel Systems Solutions, Inc. in its cross-border merger with Westport Innovations Inc.;
- The Walt Disney Company in connection with various transactions, including its $4 billion acquisition of Lucasfilm LTD and its acquisition of a minority stake in Vice Media;
- Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre as principal shareholders of Beats Electronics and Beats Music in the $3 billion sale of Beats to Apple Inc.;
- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. in its tax-free spin-off of Vistana Signature Experiences, Inc. and the subsequent tax-free acquisition of Vistana by Interval Leisure Group, Inc.;
- Starwood, a wholly owned subsidiary of Marriott International, in connection with its sale of the Westin Maui hotel for $317 million;
- BCBG Max Azria Group, LLC in its leveraged recapitalization transaction with affiliates of Guggenheim Partners and other investors;
- an investor group led by Goldman Sachs Capital Partners and Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. in the acquisition and recapitalization of AmericanWest Bank.
Mr. Betts was an adjunct professor in the graduate program in taxation at The John Marshall Law School for five years. He also has been listed among the Bankruptcy Tax Specialists in the Nation’s Major Law Firms by Turnarounds & Workouts. Mr. Betts is a member of the Skadden team that was named Los Angeles – Tax Firm of the Year at the International Tax Review Americas Awards in 2013. He has repeatedly been selected for inclusion in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.
Education:
- J.D., Northwestern University School of Law, 1991 (Order of the Coif, cum laude)
- B.S., University of Illinois, 1988 (summa cum laude)
Admissions:
- California
- Illinois
Cost
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