Mr. Mann has experience in international, corporate, and partnership tax issues, advising clients and creating innovative structures to achieve tax-oriented objectives.
After graduation from Harvard Law School, Mr. Mann focused on corporate and tax accounting issues in private practice. He subsequently became the Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Tax Division of the Department of Justice in charge of federal appellate tax litigation. In addition to arguing a number of cases successfully, he testified before Congress as the head of the Office of Legislation and Policy for the Tax Division.
After getting an MBA in Accounting and Finance from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business, Mr. Mann worked on the cross-border taxation of derivative financial products for two of the Big Four public accounting firms. He subsequently worked at Goldman Sachs and then as the North American head of the Tax and Debt Advisory Group at Societe Generale, leading a team in creating multi-billion dollar tax-advantaged transactions for financial institutions.
Societe Generale asked Mr. Mann to spearhead its tax equity investments in renewable energy, and he eventually formed a renewable energy investment company with four colleagues from Societe Generale. As General Counsel of the company, he oversaw the creation of funds for private and institutional investors. Renewable energy is tax-intensive, and the partnership tax issues were complex and sometimes novel.
James decided to return to legal practice and ultimately was hired by Greenspoon Marder as its senior general corporate tax partner. Responding to the lack of sophisticated tax advice for cannabis activities, he developed an expertise in that industry’s issues and his practice now centers on planning and audit work for cannabis taxpayers.
Education
- Harvard Law School, J.D.
- Columbia Business School, MBA, Finance and Accounting
- Beta Gamma Sigma (honor society)
- Cornell University, A.B., Government, 1979
- Phi Beta Kappa, National Merit Scholarship, Telluride Scholarship
Admissions
- New York and District of Columbia Bars
- Supreme Court of the United States
- United States Court of Appeal for the Second, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth and Tenth Circuits
- Tax Court
- US Court of Federal Claims