Biography

Bill Schlinkert has a broad-based business and tax practice emphasizing corporate, partnership, real estate, and foreign investment matters. He served as chairman of the firm from 1997-2005, as well as previously chairing the Commercial Department and Tax Practice Group.

Bill has extensive experience in corporate purchases and sales, joint venture formations, real estate acquisitions and exchanges, and both inbound and outbound foreign investments. He has represented numerous companies, both private and public, in matters related to a myriad of corporate combinations and divisions. For his real estate clients, he has provided counsel on a wide array of tax and business concerns, including the formation of large real estate investment funds and the intricacies of REIT operations. Working with hotel clients from Hong Kong, Japan, Monaco, and the Middle East, he has established acquisition and management structures for hotel purchases both in the United States and in Europe.

As a member of the firm's wine industry team, he has also been intimately involved in structuring vineyard investments for Canadian, German, Spanish, Middle Eastern, and South American investors.

Thanks in no small measure to his tenure at the helm of Farella, Bill brings a unique and strikingly effective business perspective to the counsel he provides clients. More specifically, he combines technical expertise, creativity, and practicality. He puts his work into a relevant, meaningful business framework, with a strong emphasis on risk assessment. He gauges legal work against the client’s exposure and risk, performing a cost/benefit analysis that drives practical, creative analysis that solves difficult problems.

Clients come to Bill not to simply determine the answer to a question, but to also determine the risks and benefits of a particular course of intended action, and alternatives. Based on decades of both advising and operating a business, Bill’s counsel delivers effective, specific, and actionable recommendations with a grounding in the real world of business.

Distinctions

  • Best Lawyers in America in the area of Tax Law (2017-2024)
  • Certified Tax Specialist, California Board of Legal Specialization

Firm Highlights

News

Brookfield Forecloses on 2,150-Unit Veritas Portfolio With Uncontested $464M Bid

Restructuring, insolvency, and creditors rights partner Gary Kaplan provided expert commentary in The Real Deal  article, "Brookfield forecloses on 2,150-unit Veritas portfolio with uncontested $464M bid." Read the full article  here  (subscription may be...

Read More
Publication

Achieving Compatibility Between Solar Project Developers and Mineral Estate Holders

By Dirk R. Mueller , Alyssa Netto , and Will Russ Texas and California lead the country in terms of solar energy generating capacity while also maintaining major oil and gas production operations, which...

Read More
Publication

California AI Proposal Rethinks Consumer Scope and Recordkeeping

The California Privacy Protection Agency will revisit its  draft  regulations for automated decision-making technology on March 8, including use of artificial intelligence to process personal information. Comment periods should be coming soon in 2024...

Read More
Publication

Corporate Transparency Act: A Guide on Beneficial Ownership for Nonprofit Executives

The Corporate Transparency Act, enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, represents a significant shift in regulatory requirements for entities across the United States. This act, set to...

Read More
News

Farella Announces 2024 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Pathfinders: Taylor Rottjakob and John Ugai

Farella Braun + Martel is proud to announce that senior associates  Taylor E. Rottjakob and John M. Ugai have been named 2024 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Pathfinders. Pathfinders have been identified as...

Read More
News

Winston Liaw Named a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow

Northern California legal powerhouse Farella Braun + Martel is proud to announce that Winston Liaw has been named a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow for 2024. Winston joins a select group of...

Read More
Publication

Employment Law Update for Nonprofits With Holly Sutton

Welcome to  EO Radio Show - Your Nonprofit Legal Resource . Charities, foundations, and their founders often request help addressing employment practices and compliance questions. In this episode, host Cynthia Rowland is joined by Holly...

Read More
Publication

Nonprofit Basics: Unpacking Prudent Investments, PRIs and MRIs

Welcome to  EO Radio Show - Your Nonprofit Legal Resource . Episode 73 discusses frequently used terms in the nonprofit world pertaining to investment activities. Public charity and private foundation directors and officers need...

Read More
News

Scraping Battles: Meta Loses Legal Effort to Halt Harvesting of Personal Profiles

Alex Reese spoke to Matt Fleischer-Black of  Cybersecurity Law Report about the Meta v. Bright Data decision and its impact on U.S. scraping case law. Read the article here (paywall or trial).

Read More
News

Lawdragon Names 7 Farella Lawyers Among “Leaders in Environmental Law”

Northern California legal powerhouse Farella Braun + Martel is pleased to announce that seven lawyers were selected to The Lawdragon Green 500: 2024 Leaders in Environmental Law . Farella lawyers selected for inclusion: Sarah...

Read More