Nichol Chiarella is a partner and Citrin Cooperman's Mergers and Acquisitions Tax Practice Leader, with over two decades of experience in public accounting. She provides high level tax planning and consulting services related to buy-side, sell-side, and restructuring transactions involving private equity firms, closely-held businesses, business owners, and high net worth individuals within the technology, manufacturing and distribution, wholesale, retail, cannabis, healthcare, real estate, staffing, and professional services industries. Nichol handles transaction tax matters for private equity funds, independent sponsors, limited liability companies (LLCs), domestic partnerships, corporations, and S corporations. She specializes in buy-side and sell-side tax advisory, including tax due diligence, pre-transaction planning, tax structuring, and modeling, and post-transaction compliance support. She also handles mergers, divestitures, and restructuring matters, in addition to helping privately-held business owners transition to related parties. Nichol also leads the firm’s global diversity, equity, and inclusion mission, branded as CC EDGE (Empowering Diversity and Gender Equality). In this role, she interfaces regularly with all CC EDGE leads in each of our metro geographies in the United States and in India. Nichol's specialized tax knowledge and network of professional contacts allows her to act as a resource not only for her clients, but for other professionals seeking solutions for their clients and customers. Rajpal Gibson is a seasoned Tax Director with over 20 years of experience, specializing in serving high-net-worth individuals, closely held businesses, and estates and trusts. Known for her deep technical expertise and thoughtful approach, Rajpal is dedicated to delivering tailored tax strategies that align with each client’s unique goals and circumstances. She believes the true value of her work lies not only in the quality of her tax planning but also in the strong, lasting relationships she builds with clients and colleagues alike. Her commitment to personalized service and collaboration makes her a trusted advisor in even the most complex financial situations. Robert J. Owen is an attorney focused on providing comprehensive planning solutions to his clients in the areas of personal wealth, business, real estate and estate planning. For business owners and real estate professionals, an effective plan is rarely confined to a single area of law. Robert employs a combination of business, real estate, and transactional law to assist high-net worth individuals plan for the future. This diverse approach allows Robert to offer results-driven, practical counsel that efficiently achieves his clients’ goals. A South Bay native, Robert returned to Southern California after receiving his J.D. from the University Of Illinois College of Law, Cum Laude. Prior to attending law school, Robert attended the University of California, Irvine, graduating with a B.A. in English after earning his diploma from Mira Costa High School. Robert’s practice includes helping clients with legacy planning, gifting strategies designed to mitigate tax liability, and resolving disputes related to trusts or wills. Robert works with business owners as well, particularly with respect to major events involving their businesses, including legal entity formation, maintenance, and succession planning. Robert also frequently works with clients to plan transactions and resolve issues surrounding real property transfers, including property tax reassessment planning and appeals.