Herbert Smith Freehills appoints new partner to its Australian tax practice

Sydney-based Prasad is a transaction tax specialist experienced in advising corporates, financial institutions, private equity, and other managed funds on a wide range of tax-related matters. His expertise spans corporate mergers and acquisitions, restructures, IPOs, capital management programs and financing transactions.

Prasad joins the firm from Allens’ Tax team, where he advised on the tax aspects of high-profile public and private M&A transactions across a broad range of sectors particularly, private capital, energy and infrastructure.

Toby Eggleston, Herbert Smith Freehills’ Head of Tax in Australia, said, “We’re excited to welcome Jay to our growing tax team.

“Over the last 2 and half years, we have been building our tax advisory and deal capability to service the full range of our clients’ transactional needs.

“With Jay’s technical excellence and commercial acumen, his skills and experience will be an important addition to our partner-led tax offering”.

Matthew FitzGerald, Managing Partner of Herbert Smith Freehills’ Corporate Practice in Australia and Asia, adds, “Our firm’s point of differentiation is our ability to bring together top-tier tax advice which is seamlessly integrated with our market-leading M&A, infrastructure and disputes capability.

“Jay’s focus and interest in both public and private M&A complements the expertise and experience of our market-leading M&A practice.

“We anticipate that this calendar year will finish with a flurry of M&A activity, underpinned by large, complicated M&A arising from private capital deployment. This will necessitate significant tax structuring work which Jay and our tax team are perfectly placed to execute”.

On his appointment, Prasad said, "I am delighted to be joining the HSF partnership as a Tax Partner where I look forward to working with our market-leading Corporate M&A practice to help deliver on the largest and most innovative transactions in the market".

Prasad is the latest partner to join Herbert Smith Freehills in Australia, and continues the growth of our national tax practice, which welcomed James Pettigrew in July 2023, and Toby Eggleston, Nick Heggart and Ryan Leslie, who joined the partnership in June 2022. The team works alongside stamp duty expert Jinny Chaimungkalanont, Managing Partner for Finance in Australia and Asia, and partner Hugh Paynter, who leads HSF’s Sydney-based Disputes group and is an expert in tax disputes.

In a further boost to the firm’s tax capability, HSF alumni Sarah Dunn will be rejoining the firm as a consultant in our Disputes practice this month. Dunn was a partner of Freehills from 1999 to 2011, before she continued her career at KPMG and the ATO, and is a part-time Senior Member of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Dunn’s focus will be on contentious tax matters, working closely with our litigation partners as well as the wider tax advisory practice.