Big Law Tax Counsel Duo Join Winthrop & Weinstine as Co-Chairs of National Tax Practice

Minneapolis, February 12, 2025 – Joel Peters-Fransen and Rafi W. Mottahedeh joined Minneapolis-based law firm Winthrop & Weinstine as shareholders and co-chairs of its tax practice. With their AmLaw100 law firm and in-house counsel experience, they will lead the strategic direction of the more than 20-lawyer practice, which serves clients in various tax specialties including M&A/transactional, capital markets, investment funds, specialty tax credits and incentives, and tax credit financing and syndication.

Together, they served as tax counsel at Minnesota-based conglomerate Cargill, the largest privately owned company in the United States, which operates in 170 countries. Joel was most recently an equity partner at Kirkland & Ellis and Rafi was previously a lawyer at Jenner & Block and later an equity partner and chair of the tax practice at Shartsis Friese.

In addition to managing the tax practice, Joel and Rafi will leverage their extensive experience in corporate, partnership, and international tax law to augment the firm’s service offerings in this area.

“Our tax practice is a cornerstone of the firm’s commitment to delivering comprehensive and innovative legal solutions and we are excited to welcome Joel and Rafi to lead this important area of our firm,” said Tammera (Tami) Diehm, shareholder and firm president. “This move underscores Winthrop & Weinstine’s commitment to growing our tax team and building our reputation as a premier provider of tax services in the Twin Cities market and beyond.”

“Joining Winthrop & Weinstine as co-chairs of the tax practice is a rare and exciting opportunity for us. It allows us to lead an established and growing practice at an exceptionally high-quality firm, where we can provide clients with our diverse and deep experience drawn from both private practice and in-house environments,” said Joel.  “We have been particularly impressed by the vision of Tami and other firm leaders for future strategic growth and look forward to partnering with them and all the shareholders of the firm in helping further develop and execute on that mission”

“We’re excited to join a talented bench of more than 20 experienced tax practitioners, backed by the knowledge and resources of a nearly 200-lawyer firm. All the ingredients are here to grow our tax law team and assist clients with a full range of tax solutions,” said Rafi.

The firm has an established reputation for its corporate practice and its work in specialty tax credits and state and federal tax incentives on behalf of a diverse clientele, including those in the manufacturing, product design, transportation, construction, financial, real estate, and software industries. The practice is widely regarded for its work in tax credit financing and syndication, collaborating with developers and investors to utilize federal and state tax credits and integrating them with other financing sources to support infrastructure and housing projects.

The tax practice’s many partners include Michael Fellerman, Norm Jones, Gina Staudacher and Todd Urness.

Founded in in 1979, Winthrop & Weinstein is a full-service law firm known for delivering innovative, client-centered legal solutions across multiple industries. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the firm’s more than 180 lawyers serve a wide range of clients in areas, including corporate, litigation, real estate, intellectual property, tax, and regulatory matters.