Overview
Calfee’s Tax law attorneys are service-oriented and provide comprehensive tax law representation and planning for a diverse client base that includes publicly held companies, privately held businesses, tax-exempt organizations, issuers of tax-exempt bonds, partnerships, and individuals. Our goal is to identify our clients’ tax issues and to resolve those issues effectively with responses that take into account all considerations.
Our approach is to devise efficient methods to plan successful transactions. We believe our role is not simply to provide tax advice when asked but to offer solutions that avoid problems. Our tax law attorneys are involved in all aspects of the firm’s transactional practice and can draw upon their experience in General Corporate law, Mergers and Acquisitions, and other related areas to provide creative but practical tax planning services for clients.
Noteworthy
Chambers High Net Worth Rankings
Since 2018, Calfee has been recognized by Chambers High Net Worth as a Leading Law Firm in Private Wealth Law in Ohio, most recently in 2024 in Band 1.
Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” Rankings
Calfee was selected for inclusion in the 2025 "Best Law Firms" rankings in Tax Law (Regional Tier 1 Cleveland).
Professionals
Professionals
Chair, Estate and Succession Planning and Administration
Experience
Experience
- Acted as tax counsel for a publicly traded manufacturing company in its acquisition of a construction materials company, which involved extremely complicated analysis under the instalment sale rules. (2024)
- Acted as tax counsel for a manufacturing company in its disposition of the equity of the company. (2024)
- Served as tax counsel to a multi-billion dollar private equity firm in the sale of all equity interests of a platform company to a global private equity firm. (2024)
- Served as tax counsel to a private holding company and its stockholders in a complex transaction providing liquidity for the stockholders while maintaining their majority ownership interest in their operating companies through an investment by a publicly traded (foreign stock exchange) private equity firm. (2024)
- Acted as tax counsel for a multi-billion dollar investment advisory firm in the sale of its business to a New York-based private equity firm's investment advisory affiliate. (2024)
- Served as tax counsel to a Chicago-based private equity firm and registered SEC investment adviser in its minority investment in two companies, one based in Michigan and the other based in Oregon. (2024)
- Served as tax counsel to a private equity firm in its acquisition of all of the equity interests of two Michigan-based companies. (2024)
- Acted as tax counsel to a family backed private equity firm in the client's acquisition of an employee-owned manufacturing company; this is the first platform acquisition for the client's newly raised private equity fund and involved a dynamic deal structure, which required shifting away from initial commercial terms, including an earnout concept, as part of achieving a successful closing. The target company was owned by an ESOP, which added complexity to the transaction's documentation, structuring and negotiation. (2024)
- Represented a multi-billion dollar private equity firm in a transaction structed as a multi-step merger, which involved a significant seller rollover of proceeds into the equity of the buyer, and multiple equity incentive arrangement that were negotiated and entered into at closing. (2024)
- Served as tax counsel to a global consulting and advisory firm in its acquisition of a leading M&A advisory firm in the UK, which involved a seller rollover of proceeds into the equity of the buyer and multiple equity incentive arrangements negotiated and entered into at closing. This transaction included a pre-signing creation of buyer subsidiaries in the UK and a pre-closing reorganization of the target entities that needed to be concluded in between signing and closing. (2024)
- Served as tax counsel to a multi-billion dollar private equity firm and its platform company in the acquisition of a technology company in a transaction involving a seller rollover of proceeds into the equity of the buyer and multiple equity incentive arrangements, which were negotiated and entered into at closing. Further, this transaction included a pre-signing creation of a buyer subsidiary and a pre-closing reorganization of the target entities' structuring and ownership. (2023 and 2024)
- Acted as tax counsel to a private equity firm in its acquisition of its first two platform companies, one based in the Northeast and one based in Western U.S., for its newest fund. (2023)
- Acted as tax counsel for a publicly traded, Fortune 1000 food industry client in the sale of a business line to a private food industry processor and distributor. (2023)
- Served as tax counsel to a publicly traded, Fortune 500 company in the equity sale of a business line to a Michigan food company. (2023)
- Served as tax counsel to a multibillion-dollar privately held company in the purchase of a business from a publicly traded Fortune 500 corporation.
- Served as tax counsel to a publicly traded, Fortune 500 food industry company in its sale of a business line, which included a range of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) imported Greek food items to a premier specialty food importer. (2023)
- Served as tax counsel to an aviation industry company in the sale of all equity interests of a business line to a private equity firm. (2023)
- Represented a multi-billion dollar private equity firm in the sale of a platform company; in between signing and closing of the transaction while the parties awaited Hart-Scott Rodino clearance, Calfee represented the platform company in the acquisition of multiple add-on businesses and effectuated a pre-closing reorganization of the sell-side structure. (2023)
- Served as tax counsel to an Ohio manufacturing and distribution company client in its acquisition of a Colorado company. (2023)
- Served as tax counsel for a publicly traded industrial supply chain company in the divestiture of a business line to a Michigan-based global company. (2023)
Services
Services
Business Tax Planning
- Choice of entity
- Taxable and tax‑free transactions
- Drafting partnership agreements and LLC operating agreements
- Spin‑offs
- Structuring and restructuring
Public Finance
- Private business test analysis and planning
- Remedial actions
- Arbitrage analysis and planning
Tax Disputes and Litigation
- Representation of clients before the U.S. Tax Court, the IRS, the Ohio BTA, and the Ohio Supreme Court
- Private letter ruling requests
Tax‑Exempt Organizations
- Organizing tax‑exempt entities
- Providing assistance in obtaining tax‑exempt status
- Maintaining and monitoring tax‑exempt status
State and Local Tax Planning
- Voluntary disclosure agreements and similar programs
- Sales and use tax analysis
Employee Benefits and Compensation
- Executive compensation strategies
- Drafting of stock option plans, restricted stock plans, and phantom stock plans
- Split‑dollar insurance planning
- Employee vs. independent contractor analysis