Joseph D Edwards

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Tax & Benefits

The taxation practice of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P. has both US and global dimensions. The firm’s tax lawyers provide counsel and serve the tax needs of large public companies, large private companies, and a select group of emerging companies worldwide. The client base includes trade associations, manufacturing, banking, investment banking, health care, service, utility and natural resource companies as well as high-net-worth individuals.

Squire Sanders’ US tax practitioners are experienced in general corporate federal income taxation (including acquisitions, restructuring and dispositions), individual taxation, partnership taxation, tax exempt organizations, tax exempt financing, state and local taxation, US taxation of international business transactions, tax litigation, and practice before the Internal Revenue Service and other administrative tax authorities. In addition, our tax practitioners have extensive experience in the resolution of substantial tax controversies.

Lawyers in our general tax section have particular experience in representing clients before the Appeals Office and National Office of the Internal Revenue Service, before administrative agencies of various state and local jurisdictions, and in the courts. They are also well-versed in the structuring of a variety of different business and financing transactions to achieve favorable tax results consistent with the attainment of business objectives. This includes a practical understanding of the tax issues that arise in both taxable and tax-free mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs and other divestitures, as well as in leveraged leasing and asset securitization transactions. In addition, these lawyers have broad expertise in the tax aspects of public finance, including arbitrage matters, rebate, advance refunding, exempt facilities, pollution control, mortgage revenue bonds, exempt small issues, student loans and 501(c)(3) obligations.

Our international tax practice helps our multinational clients create tax solutions to arrange their operations and organizations to minimize worldwide taxes in all areas of their business. Our tax lawyers combine in-depth knowledge of their resident countries’ tax regimes with an understanding of the business tax systems of the major trading nations and how international transactions and structures work to take advantage of local tax-saving opportunities.

Our substantial employee benefits practice includes lawyers who focus on the design, drafting, implementation and administration of many different types of qualified and nonqualified employee benefit plans and arrangements for a wide variety of clients. Squire Sanders employee benefits lawyers have extensive experience in traditional defined benefit and defined contribution plans, the employee benefit aspects of acquisitions, mergers and divestitures, executive compensation, Section 409A compliant deferred compensation plans, programs, and arrangements, equity incentive arrangements, welfare benefit plans, health care compliance, plan administration, employee stock ownership plans, severance programs and employee communications. This breadth of experience allows us to handle almost any benefits matter in an efficient, cost-effective manner. Our lawyers provide practical problem solving, proactive planning and sophisticated analyses in addition to basic benefits work. We have earned a national reputation not only for our technical competence, but also for our ability to work with employers to further their business goals.

Squire Sanders’ private client and estate planning practice serves the needs of high net worth individuals and their fiduciaries, closely held businesses, and domestic and international charitable and nonprofit organizations. We provide experienced counsel in the development of comprehensive estate plans, trust formation and administration, guide estates through probate, represent fiduciaries and beneficiaries in probate litigation, advise on federal and state estate and gift tax planning, and provide fiduciary income tax advice and representation. Our practice encompasses international planning, including offshore trusts and other financial vehicles for the transmission of wealth within international families. We also counsel owners of closely held businesses on succession and financial planning issues and help them develop plans either to keep a business in the family for multiple generations or to maximize the profit to be gained from its disposition, before or after the founder or owner steps out of the picture.

Tax Law Certified Attorney - Florida Bar

Joseph D Edwards
1 Tampa City Center #2100
201 N Franklin St
Tampa FL 33602-5813
Tel: 813 202-1300
Fax: 813 202-1313
E-mail: jdedwards@ssd.com

Practices
* Tax & Benefits

Joseph D. Edwards is the managing partner of the Tampa office. He focuses his practice on municipal financing; employee benefits planning and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA); corporate law, including nonprofit corporations and securities; taxation; and estate planning matters.

Mr. Edwards is listed in The Best Lawyers in America. In 2009, Mr. Edwards was selected by his peers as a Florida Super Lawyer – the top 5 percent of lawyers in the state – for his work in taxation, estate planning and probate, and employee benefits and ERISA. He was also listed in Who’s Who Legal: Florida 2008 for his employee benefits practice. Mr. Edwards has represented government agencies, community development districts and private industry in a number of bond issues, serving as bond counsel, issuer’s counsel, underwriters’ counsel and company counsel. In particular, he acts as special benefits counsel to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation.

Mr. Edwards is a member of the Hillsborough County and American Bar Associations and the Tax, Real Property, Probate and Trust Sections of the Florida Bar. He is a Florida Bar Board Certified Tax Lawyer.