Corrs Chambers Westgarth has expanded its tax practice with the appointment of Janet Cho as a partner in Sydney, positioning the hire as another step in building out a deeper bench in indirect tax and transaction structuring.
The firm said Cho brings experience advising on complex matters across property and funds, corporate restructures, and major deal activity, areas where indirect tax issues can materially affect both pricing and execution.
Cho specializes in indirect taxes and structured transactions, with a particular emphasis on stamp duty, land tax, and GST. Those regimes regularly sit at the center of Australian transactional work, especially where assets or businesses are moving across entities, jurisdictions, or investor groups. For clients, outcomes often hinge on early structuring decisions, including how an acquisition is implemented, how a group reorganization is sequenced, and how a listing or capital raise is positioned from a tax perspective.
Corrs said Cho’s background spans property and fund structuring, IPOs, mergers and demergers, corporate M&A, and complex corporate restructures, giving the firm additional coverage across mandate profiles where indirect tax advice is tightly integrated with broader corporate and project work.
The firm framed the appointment as a capability upgrade for a team that is already active on high-value transactions. Indirect tax advisers are frequently called on not just to interpret statutory rules, but to design practical pathways that reduce transaction friction and manage risk around duties, GST treatment, and land tax exposures. In property and funds matters, for example, stamp duty and land tax considerations can influence investment holdco structures, trust and partnership arrangements, and the mechanics of asset transfers. In corporate and capital markets work, GST and duty issues can attach to carve-outs, demergers, and intragroup moves, requiring careful planning and documentation.
Corrs also linked Cho’s arrival to a broader pattern of senior appointments within its tax practice. The firm pointed to the recent addition of Costa Koutsis from Ashurst, where he served as Global Co Head of the firm’s Tax Practice, and said the cumulative effect of these hires has further reinforced Corrs’ standing in indirect tax. While firms routinely invest in lateral hiring to meet client demand, Corrs’ emphasis here suggests a deliberate effort to strengthen specialist tax support for its transactional pipeline, particularly in sectors where asset-heavy structures and complex ownership arrangements are common.
KEY QUOTE:
“Janet has significant experience working on complex and high-value transactions and her appointment further strengthens our market-leading tax team. We are delighted to welcome Janet to the Corrs partnership.”
Gavin MacLaren, Senior Partner and CEO, Corrs Chambers Westgarth
