A Steady Hand

A Steady Hand

Dear Clients and Friends,

We are living through one of the most unforgettable years in recent history. COVID-19, the U.S. election cycle, and social justice issues have dominated the public discourse over the last nine months and will almost certainly continue to do so into 2021.

Amid the tumult, Stout has provided clients a steady hand, guiding them through the hardships that 2020 has presented. With our financial, economic, and analytical excellence, we have helped deliver confidence regarding best practices for the present and the future. Across all of our service lines, our professionals are constantly monitoring current trends and how these trends affect our entire client base. We feature a Special Report that includes Stout’s latest analyses related to COVID-19, with articles covering distressed assets, equity awards, physician practices, intellectual property (IP), and much more.

Even though certain events of the year have garnered the headlines, we remain staunchly committed to offering expertise in the numerous practice areas that have come to define Stout as a firm. For instance, our Estate and Gift valuation team has been busy focusing on the notable activity involving special-purpose acquisition companies as well as the proper approaches to establishing an all-star plan using complex securities. In addition, they have delivered essential expert testimonies in two landmark Tax Court rulings.

Professionals across other areas of our Valuation Advisory group also have been hard at work analyzing numerous topics, such as S-corp conversions, refinery insurance, company-specific risk premia, and international legal entities. Furthermore, we have been keenly watching legal and compliance issues, such as BSA/AML sanctions, AI and cybersecurity, and the relationship between personal tax returns and litigation.

Not to be outdone, our IP team offers interesting commentary on trade secrets and the real-life IP impact discussed in the Netflix hit series, Tiger King. We also include a conversation with long-time Stout expert and IAM Leading Patent Professional Steve Holzen. Additionally, in July we were pleased to launch our Intellectual Property Advisory & Transactions practice and welcomed several senior leaders to our firm; you can read their premiere article on patent licensing.

While our colleagues and clients have made – and continue to make – adjustments to the “new normal” this year, we have remained steadfast in our promise of relentless excellence. I believe the articles mentioned above are yet another indicator of our unwavering commitment to providing best-in-class analyses on important topics, and I hope they help you gather insight for the remainder of 2020 and beyond.

Regards,

Craige Stout