Isabelle Kinsolving Farrar
Associate
Isabelle Farrar is an associate in the tax departments and is a member of the firm’s tax controversy group. She has extensive experience representing asset managers as well as companies in the health care industry.
Since joining Ropes & Gray in 2012, Isabelle has focused her practice on handling disputes with the IRS, state, and non-U.S. tax authorities. Isabelle has also represented clients in complex civil and criminal matters involving federal and state anti-kickback laws, the False Claims Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and consumer protection laws.
Isabelle has conducted numerous internal investigations and represented clients in federal and state enforcement actions. She has managed many document review teams, including contract attorney teams, performing responsive, key, and privileged reviews of documents in multiple languages.
She maintains an active pro bono practice, and has successfully represented asylum seekers before the Boston Immigration Court. Isabelle co-manages the firm’s pro bono asylum program. In June 2016, Isabelle was honored to receive the PAIR Project’s Pro Bono Mentor Award for supervising and mentoring over 70 active matters.
Isabelle races sailboats competitively. Prior to joining the firm, she placed fifth in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece in the women’s double-handed division; won the 470 World Championships in 2008; and was ranked first in the world in the women’s 470 as recently as November 2011. Isabelle also won the International One Design World Championships in 2015 and 2017.
While in law school, Isabelle worked as an intern for the Hon. Barbara S. Jones of the Southern District of New York, and she also worked at the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York.
Experience
- Represented a large hedge fund in international tax-related criminal proceedings.
- Represented a large hedge fund in proceedings in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Tax Court.
- Represented international pharmaceutical companies in multi-year civil investigations by federal and state authorities into allegedly fraudulent promotional practices.
- Represented a multi-national pharmaceutical company in an investigation related to allegations of corruption in China.
- Conducted an internal investigation at a biotechnology company to investigate potential false claims and anti-kickback violations.
- Represented a leading cable company in antitrust litigations involving claims of unlawful tying.
- Successfully represented several asylum seekers in immigration court hearings.
Publications
- Co-author, “Final BEAT Regs Still Contain Pitfalls For Taxpayers,” Law360 (November 13, 2020)
- Co-author, “Tax Controversy Coronavirus Developments Chart,” Ropes & Gray Disputing Tax Newsletter (2020)
- Co-author, “Key Tax Considerations For Cos. With Remote Employees,” Law360 (August 3, 2020)
- Co-author, “Supreme Court Decisions Regarding State and Congressional Subpoenas for Presidential Financial Records,” Ropes & Gray Disputing Tax Newsletter (July 29, 2020)
- Co-author, “Tax Court Hearings Will Be Conducted Remotely,” Ropes & Gray Disputing Tax Newsletter (June 3, 2020)
- Co-author, “IRS Issues Proposed Regulations on Deductions of Certain Settlement Payments to Governments,” Ropes & Gray Alert (May 27, 2020)
- Co-author, “Federal, State Tax Authority Enforcement-Related Responses to Covid-19,” Bloomberg Tax (May 14, 2020)
- Co-author, “Federal Court Holds Microsoft Documents Not Privileged, Falling Within Tax Shelter Exception,” Ropes & Gray Disputing Tax Newsletter (February 21, 2020)
- Moderator, “Podcast: State Taxation of Digital Health Products,” Ropes & Gray Podcast (January 9, 2020)
- Co-author, “IRS Issues New Guidance on Cryptocurrencies for the First Time in Four Years,” Ropes & Gray Disputing Tax Newsletter (October 30, 2019)
- Co-author, “Overview of Spring Term 2019 Supreme Court Tax Decisions,” Ropes & Gray Disputing Tax Newsletter (July 19, 2019)
- Co-author, “Ninth Circuit Issues Altera Decision, Upholding IRS Regulation on Allocation of Stock-Based Compensation, Reversing the Tax Court (Again), Ropes & Gray Disputing Tax Newsletter (June 11, 2019)
- Co-author, “New Final Partnership Audit Regulations,” Ropes & Gray Disputing Tax Newsletter (February 13, 2019)
- Co-author, “IRS Announces Voluntary Disclosure Program for Domestic and Offshore Assets,” Ropes & Gray Disputing Tax Newsletter (February 13, 2019)
- Co-author, “IRS Publishes Proposed Regulations on BEAT,” Ropes & Gray Disputing Tax Newsletter (February 13, 2019)
- Co-author, “IRS Makes Cryptocurrency a Compliance Priority,” Ropes & Gray Disputing Tax Newsletter (February 7, 2019)
- Moderator, “Podcast: Texas v. United States of America,” Ropes & Gray Podcast (February 4, 2019)
- Co-author, “How IRS Is Targeting Offshore Accounts, Virtual Currency,” Law360 (January 23, 2018)
- Co-author, “IRS Large Business & International Division Announces Strong Slate of International Campaigns,” Ropes & Gray Disputing Tax Newsletter (January 22, 2018)
- Co-author, “Fourth Circuit Holds that the False Claims Act Does Not Expand Common Law Corporate Successor Liability,” Ropes & Gray Alert (January 26, 2017)
- Co-author, “First Circuit Holds That, for Original Source Exception to the False Claim Act’s Public Disclosure Bar to Apply, Information Supplied Must Be ‘Significant’ or ‘Essential,’” Ropes & Gray Alert (January 26, 2017)
- Co-author, “Seventh Circuit Allows FCA Claim Based on Inferences of Fraud to Proceed; Claims Based Only on Personal Opinions Dismissed,” Ropes & Gray Alert (December 29, 2016)
- Co-author, “$519 million FCPA Payment by Teva Pharmaceuticals—Largest Ever FCPA Payment by Pharmaceutical Company—Follows Large FCPA Plea Agreement With Obedrecht and Braskem,” Ropes & Gray Alert (December 28, 2016)
- Co-author, “The Fifth Circuit Weighs in on Vicarious Liability under the Anti-Kickback Act,” Ropes & Gray Alert (October 22, 2013)
Education
- JD, New York University School of Law, 2011; symposium committee member, New York University Annual Survey of American Law
- BA (Political Science & Economics), Yale University, 2002; captain, varsity sailing team