Richard A. Wolfe

Richard Wolfe offers clients extensive experience and pragmatic counsel in a full range of real estate transactions.

Clients turn to Richard in connection with real estate joint ventures, formation of real estate funds, UPREIT and DownREIT transactions, private REIT transactions, tax-efficient acquisitions and dispositions of real estate, forward and reverse like-kind exchanges, structuring foreign investment in US real estate, restructuring of distressed real estate, acquisitions of distressed real estate loans, and real estate financings and refinancings. Richard also assists clients with New York taxes relating to real estate, including the real estate transfer tax, the commercial rent or occupancy tax, the mortgage recording tax, and the property tax.

Richard also has substantial experience in corporate, partnership, and international transactions. These include taxable and tax-free mergers and acquisitions, tax-free spin-offs, and joint ventures in both corporate and partnership form. Richard is regularly involved in cross-border tax planning (both inbound and outbound), with a particular focus on minimizing global taxes, strategic placement of assets within a worldwide group, Subpart F, FIRPTA, and tax treaties.

Clients also rely on Richard to handle tax controversy matters, particularly dealing with IRS field agents, appeals officers, and district counsel on significant audit issues. He is recognized by Legal 500 in Tax: East Coast.

Richard understands his clients’ business needs and works with them to structure transactions in a manner that is tax-efficient and also accomplishes their business objectives. He views tax issues as “deal” issues – a transaction needs to work for both parties from a tax perspective, or the deal won’t proceed. Clients appreciate that Richard maximizes value for all parties with creative solutions to complex real estate transactions that consider both the transactional and tax aspects of the deal.

Richard is an adjunct professor in the graduate program in real estate at the Columbia Business School. He is a frequent presenter to the industry on real estate topics.