Alvarez & Marsal Tax, an affiliate of leading global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal (A&M), announced the launch of its new License Advisory Services (LAS) offering. Spearheaded by LAS National Practice Leader and Managing Director Ashley Scheele, and supported by Senior Directors, Mandy Coffey, Grace Wee, and Vina Chandrashaker, A&M’s License Advisory Services helps clients navigate the intricacies of business and operational licenses at any point in the business lifecycle.

Clients can encounter complex and extensive challenges related to licensing especially when experiencing changes such as starting a new business, mergers and acquisitions, restructurings or winding down operations. LAS addresses clients’ concerns by thoroughly assessing their licensing needs, regardless of industry, and leveraging technology-driven processes to facilitate and streamline license compliance.

With more than 25 years of experience in public accounting, Ms. Scheele specializes in managing license transitions, entity registration/deregistration, and license compliance issues. She has extensive expertise advising clients on licensing needs during crucial business changes and partners with stakeholders to mitigate business delays and disruptions.

Prior to joining A&M, Ms. Scheele was the National Practice Leader for Ernst & Young’s License Compliance Services, where she built and grew the practice, leading teams across the U.S. and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Ernesto Perez, Global Practice Leader of A&M Tax stated, “Our LAS offering was born of continued market demand for comprehensive tax and business solutions that maximize value. It represents A&M’s commitment to invest in diverse service offerings that provide clients with confidence and comfort, especially during life events. Ashley and her team bring invaluable expertise to augment our integrated platform.”

Collectively, Mses. Coffey, Wee, and Chandrashaker bring decades of public accounting and business and operational license advisory experience to A&M Tax. They work with clients across multiple industries including retail, hospitality, oil and gas, telecommunications, car rental, and mobility. They each have significant expertise managing large-scale licensing engagements and supporting clients with compliance and other advisory needs, such as process improvements and issue resolutions.

Adam Benson, Managing Director and US Leader of Global Transaction Tax said, “With over 90,000 types of tax and operational licenses, across multiple industries and jurisdictions, ensuring license compliance is crucial, especially in complex bankruptcies and M&A transactions. LAS will help clients navigate the growing regulatory and legal complexities surrounding tax and operational licenses. Failure to properly execute license transitions could result in anything from a halt in business operations to the costly delay of a transaction. A&M’s LAS team has the experience to mitigate against those risks and we believe this unique offering will be a differentiator in the market.”

Seth Bullock, a North American Commercial Restructuring (NACR) Managing Director and Co-head of the practice’s Southern Region, said, “Ashley is a great addition to our Houston office. Proper license evaluation and compliance is essential. This can be particularly true in distressed situations where a company is focused on maintaining enterprise value and, if applicable, transitioning licenses to reflect the new ownership structure post emergence. LAS provides clients with another arrow in A&M’s quiver of operational excellence and value creation.”