Asher Rubinstein
Asher Rubinstein's practice focuses on domestic and international asset protection, wealth preservation, estate planning, tax planning, tax controversy, offshore tax compliance, and related litigation. Mr. Rubinstein is a recognized expert on offshore entities, foreign banking, and IRS compliance issues. Mr. Rubinstein also represents and advises wine, spirits, food, and restaurant clients.
Mr. Rubinstein provides legal representation to clients on issues including the preservation and protection of assets and private wealth, domestically and offshore, income tax planning, estate planning, and asset-protection-related litigation in state and federal courts on the trial and appellate levels. Mr. Rubinstein has represented clients in a range of transactions including cross-border business ventures and investments, banking, and finance. He has established domestic and offshore investment funds, partnerships, and joint ventures. He has provided advice and consultation regarding U.S. tax, regulatory, and other governmental compliance, as well as drafted asset protection legislation for a foreign government.
Mr. Rubinstein has represented foreign and domestic clients including high net worth individuals, celebrities, art collectors, entrepreneurs, internet and blockchain executives, hedge fund owners, financial professionals, bankers, international investors, designers, restaurateurs, wine and spirits importers, multinational corporations and family offices.
Mr. Rubinstein also represents and advises wine and spirits producers, importers, restaurant owners, and others in the food, wine, and hospitality industries.
Recent Notable Matters
We are proud of our recent accomplishments on behalf of our clients, among them:
- Establishment of offshore/onshore structure for U.S. investment by foreign nationals, including the purchase of a Madison Avenue penthouse apartment, a Harlem brownstone, and a Williamsburg loft.
- Establishment of offshore asset protection trusts to hold various assets including cryptocurrencies and works of art.
- Successful advocacy resulted in a professional Delaware Trustee recognizing the child of same-sex marriage as a beneficiary of a sizeable trust.
- Representation of taxpayers who left New York during COVID, regarding ongoing tax liabilities to New York and residency audits.
- Return of paintings by Frederick Carl Frieseke (American Impressionist, 1874-1939) to their owner.
- Creation of multiple importing entities, including wine importers from Europe and shochu, awamori, and whisky from Japan.
- Advising multiple high net worth families (from Israel, Dubai, Mexico, Australia, and France) on their asset structures, estate, and IRS issues.
- Protection of multiple assets including family business, portfolios, and digital assets from future creditors.
- Representation of chef/owner in acquisition of Michelin-starred restaurant in West Village, NYC.
In the News
Mr. Rubinstein has been interviewed and appeared in various world media, including:
- Banking, Finance & Markets (India)
- Bloomberg Business Week
- Bloomberg Financial News (Radio, TV and Internet)
- CNBC Television (U.S., Europe and Asia)
- CNBC.com
- CNNMoney.com
- CNN Underscored
- Der Standard (Austria)
- Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal
- Forbes
- Indus Business Journal (India)
- Investment News
- Le Matin (Switzerland)
- MarketScale
- National Public Radio (NPR)
- Real Estate Business Online
- Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS) (Switzerland)
- Reuters News Service
- Schweizer Fernsehen (SRF) (Swiss TV)
- Swiss Info News
- Tax Notes International
- Tax Notes Today
- The New York Law Journal
- The New York Times
- The Times of London
- The Wealth Net
- Vaterland (Liechtenstein)
- Wealth Briefing
- World Wide Tax Daily
- Yahoo Finance
See videos of Mr. Rubinstein interviewed on Bloomberg
Published Works & Media Mentions
- Six Strategies to Protect Your Assets (CNN Underscored, December 2, 2024)
- Web3's Influence On The World And What's To Come (Inside Web3 With Shira Lazar, January, 2023)
- Estate Planning for Special Assets (New York Law Journal, November 11, 2022)
- What Happens To Your Crypto And NFTs When You Die (NFT Now, October 27, 2022)
- Virtual Assets: What Exactly Needs To Be Reported To The IRS? (Forbes, September 15, 2022)
- What Does the Future Look Like for NFTs and Wine? (The Alcohol Professor, February 28, 2022)
- How To Negotiate A Lease (Restaurant Development + Design, December, 2021)
- 5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law (Medium, Authority Magazine, October 20, 2021)
- Will New Income Reporting Have Any Meaningful Impact on the Financial Ecosystem? (MarketScale, October 12, 2021)
- Asset Protection Trusts for Cryptocurrencies and Digital Assets (New York Law Journal, September 10, 2021)
- This Too Shall Pass: Can digital health passports make on-premise dining safer for everyone? (US Foods, September 7, 2021)
- Alternatives To Naming A Child As Your Life Insurance Beneficiary (Policygenius, August 17, 2023)
- Cheers to the End of the Alcohol Tariffs! (New York Law Journal, July 19, 2021)
- After a long slumber, many restaurants are emerging from hibernation (Restaurant Business Online, April 9, 2021)
- “The Tariff Wars: You’re Going to Need a Drink,” Alcohol Law Newsletter of the Wine, Beer and Spirits Law Committee of the Business Law Section of the New York State Bar Association, Volume 1, Issue 1, Winter 2020-21.
The IRS Streamlined Offshore Procedures – A Current Assessment (Journal of Taxation and Regulation of Financial Institutions, May/June 2016, Vol. 29, No. 5) Israel Is Becoming the IRS’ Strictest Enforcer of FATCA (Tax Notes International, Volume 75, No. 6, August 11, 2014) - Offshore Update: The Amnesty Door Can Close at Any Time (Tax Notes International, Vol. 70, No. 13, June 24, 2013)
- Bringing a Foreign Bank Account into Tax Compliance (Tax Notes International, Vol. 64, No. 5, October 31, 2011)
- The IRS Offensive Against Offshore Accounts: New Attacks and New Relief (Tax Notes International, Vol. 62, No. 4, April 25, 2011)
- The Role of the Attorney in the Voluntary Disclosure Process (Tax Notes International, Vol. 60, No. 8, November 22, 2010)
- Estate Planning Moves to Consider Before 2010 is Done, Forbes.com (November 10, 2010)
- After UBS Deal, Does Offshore Banking Have a Future?, Forbes.com (June 17, 2010)
- Creating a Safety Net for Landlords and Property Owners (Real Estate Business Online, December 3, 2009)
- Feeling Heat From Foreign Account Disclosures, Forbes.com (October 15, 2009)
- New Switzerland-U.S. Tax Treaty Further Erodes Offshore Banking Secrecy; Questions Remain, but Disclosure is Prudent (World Wide Tax Daily, July 29, 2009 and Tax Notes International, July 6, 2009)
- The Efficacy of Family Limited Partnerships: A Case Study (2003)
- Turning Property into a Fortress: The Increasing Need for Landlords to Protect Their Assets (2003)
- Why a Trust, and What about a Will?
Education
- Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, J.D., 1996
- University of Michigan B.A., with distinction, 1991
