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An Interview With...

An Interview With... Dr Vella

SEPTEMBER 2014

head of the tax department at Camilleri Preziosi

This month’s, 'An Interview With...', is with Dr Vella who heads Camilleri Preziosi firm’s tax department and regularly advises and assists clients in Maltese corporate law and tax aspects in a wide range of transactions. His role consists primarily in providing advice in a number of areas including trusts, foundations and corporate finance. The clients he advises come from various industry sectors including financial institutions, private equity and hedge fund promoters and managers, as well as high net worth individuals. He also acts as an examiner at the University of Malta and is also a speaker at a number of seminars and conferences.

Professional memberships • Chamber of Advocates • Institute of Financial Services Practitioners • International Tax Planning Association • Taxation Expert Group, IFSP • Super Yacht Industry Network, Malta • International Bar Association

Please tell me about your firm and your work within it.

Camilleri Preziosi commands an outstanding reputation amongst clients and peers as a leading Maltese corporate law firm. We are regularly ranked as a top-tier firm by Chambers, IFLR1000 and Legal 500. We retain a strong commitment to deliver a quality service in the practice of law. We do this by combining technical excellence with a solution-driven approach.

At Camilleri Preziosi we cultivate a strong work ethic. We strive for excellence. There can be no compromise in this endeavour. We recruit and train the most talented lawyers and we embrace our work ethics founded on honesty, integrity and exceptional levels of service.

We believe that, when they enjoy their work, our lawyers can perform better. So we nurture a sociable and supportive environment based on mutual personal respect. Our staff is encouraged to develop their careers and to deliver well- executed projects within deadlines, while meeting and exceeding clients’ expectations.

We take pride in training lawyers who are versatile. Lawyers at Camilleri Preziosi not only possess in-depth knowledge of their own areas of law, but also have a broad perspective of

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other areas of law as in the business environment in which they practice.

Our clients interact better with lawyers they know well and who know them and their businesses. The close relationships we develop and the keen interest we take in our clients’ businesses enable us to give practical, effective advice and innovative solutions under the most challenging situations.

As a market leader, Camilleri Preziosi’s assistance is called upon by its international counterparts. The firm’s advice is frequently sought on the implications of Maltese law on a wide array of transactions. From time to time we are asked to form part of integrated, international teams engaged in complex cross-border projects.

On the international front we are members of the Interlaw network of independent law firms as well as Global Law.

What is your favourite aspect of your work and why?

Contract negotiation is definitely the part I enjoy most. It takes a lot to be a good negotiator – you need to fully understand your client’s commercial needs and try to protect the client from risks whilst at the same time provide him with solutions rather than face him with issues.

I also enjoy tax litigation.

What are the key issues you deal with on a regular basis?

Corporate M&A; Tax Advice/Litigation, Restructurings

What are the main cases you work on, and within which sectors? What are the key challenges and complexities to arise from this?

See 1 above

Are there any recent legislative changes that you are particularly interested in or concerned about?

The international tax initiatives and developments (both at US and OECD level) are definitely something which we are following very closely (including initiatives such as BEPS and FATCA). The international tax arena is changing and at an extremely rapid pace - a pace which most international tax practitioners are definitely not accustomed to.

What has been your biggest achievement in your legal career so far?

Becoming a partner at a well-established and reputable firm.

Who is your role model and why?

Lord Denning – the people’s judge. Quoting Baroness Thatcher: “Lord Denning was probably the greatest English judge of modern times. He combined a love of liberty with a passion for justice. His life and work will provide inspiration for generations to come.” LM