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Andrew M. Ferris

Andrew M. Ferris is a general tax practitioner with a special emphasis in the areas of state and local taxation and tax-exempt organizations.

Mr. Ferris has significant experience in negotiating and obtaining tax abatements, incentives and economic development grants and loans. He has been involved in securing federal, state and local incentives on behalf of FORTUNE 500 clients from a wide variety of governmental sources including the U.S. Department of Energy, the Ohio Department of Taxation, the Ohio Department of Development and the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority. These engagements include evaluating and securing available incentives and counseling clients with respect to ongoing compliance with the terms of such arrangements.

In the area of state and local taxation, he regularly counsels businesses, individuals and public utilities on sales and use, income, franchise, and property tax issues. He regularly handles the filing and management of administrative appeals to state and local departments of taxation. Mr. Ferris has represented clients in numerous state and local tax tribunals and in appeals to state appellate and high courts.

In addition to state and local tax litigation, he regularly advises businesses and individuals on state and local tax planning and compliance and on the state and local tax consequences of corporate transactions.  Mr. Ferris has also represented clients in drafting, analyzing and advocating the enactment of state and local tax legislation and uniform tax laws.

Mr. Ferris has represented clients in a wide range of controversies with the Internal Revenue Service and has obtained technical advice and rulings from the IRS national office on federal income tax issues. He has organized and obtained determination letters for tax-exempt organizations and has counseled tax-exempt organizations on compliance issues involving mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures with for-profit partners, executive and physician compensation, tax-exempt financing and filing Forms 990 & 1023. He also has experience in counseling clients on state charitable trust law. Mr. Ferris regularly acts as transactional tax counsel with respect to the federal, state and local tax issues associated with financings mergers and acquisitions, joint-ventures and dispositions.

Mr. Ferris also has significant experience in both the national and local aspects of cross-border transactions involving foreign and domestic entities and individuals, including cross-border reorganizations and issues involving the foreign ownership of real property in the United States.

Mr. Ferris is a frequent lecturer and author on tax matters and has been a guest lecturer for the Tax Executives Institute (TEI), the Direct Selling Association (DSA), the Ohio State Bar Association, the Ohio Gas Association and the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. He is a member of the American, Ohio and Columbus Bar Associations.