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Practices

James C. Cofer serves as Seward & Kissel’s Managing Partner and Chairman of the Management Committee. Jim is also the Chair of the Tax, ERISA, and Trust & Estates Group.

Jim represents private investment funds (including hedge funds, funds of funds, and private equity funds) and mutual funds on a variety of tax issues, including initial structuring, investments by tax-exempt entities, investments in underlying funds, transactional matters, financial instruments, seed capital arrangements, and deferred compensation structures (including Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code).

Jim also works closely with fund managers on management company tax planning, including incentive compensation arrangements for key employees, outside investments in management companies, and sales to third parties.

In addition to his investment funds practice, Jim represents international and domestic shipping companies on all aspects of their operations. Jim advises shipping companies on Section 883 of the Internal Revenue Code, joint ventures, cross-border transactions, the controlled foreign corporation and passive foreign investment company rules, internal restructurings, and the U.S. tonnage tax regime. Jim has also represented numerous shipping companies (including MLPs) in their public offerings of equity and debt securities, as well as the underwriters of such offerings.

He received a B.A. (with high honors) from Rutgers University, a J.D. from New York University School of Law, and an LL.M. (in Taxation) from New York University School of Law.

Publications