Lucas L. Witters

Partner

Cleveland
T +1.216.861.7068
F +1.216.696.0740

Overview

A partner in BakerHostetler’s income tax group, Lucas Witters focuses his practice on tax-advantaged project finance and related planning and controversy.

He represents nonprofit and for-profit developers and other clients in the creation and implementation of tax efficient financing and transaction structures. Lucas also assists both individual and institutional clients with income tax planning and controversy.

Select Experience

  • Assisted with the representation of a tax exempt organization’s $25 million redevelopment of an historic building in Cleveland, Ohio, into a charter school using federal and state new markets tax credits and federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credits. 
  • Assisted with a joint venture between RIMA S/A, a large Brazilian company, and a U.S. private equity firm in connection with a $42 million federal and $10 million Mississippi state NMTC financing to develop a $200 million silicon metal production facility in Mississippi. The project also received senior financing from a German financial institution that was guaranteed by the German government. In addition, the state of Mississippi and the local government provided various grants and incentives for the project.
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Experience

  • Assisted with the representation of a tax exempt organization’s $25 million redevelopment of an historic building in Cleveland, Ohio, into a charter school using federal and state new markets tax credits and federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credits. 
  • Assisted with a joint venture between RIMA S/A, a large Brazilian company, and a U.S. private equity firm in connection with a $42 million federal and $10 million Mississippi state NMTC financing to develop a $200 million silicon metal production facility in Mississippi. The project also received senior financing from a German financial institution that was guaranteed by the German government. In addition, the state of Mississippi and the local government provided various grants and incentives for the project.
  • Assisted with the representation of a project sponsor on the ground-up development and financing of a $1.5 billion state-of-the-art steel mini-mill in Northeast Arkansas, selected by IJGlobal Americas (formerly Project Finance Magazine) as the 2014 North American Mining and Metals Deal of the Year. Project capital sources included equity from financial and strategic investors, senior secured debt from private and government lenders, mezzanine debt, EB-5 financing, and various grants and other financial incentives from state, county and municipal governments and commercial partners.
  • Assisted with the representation of a new markets tax credits leverage lender group in connection with the development of a $25 million Ace Hotel to be located in East Liberty, Pennsylvania. The project was financed with federal new markets tax credits and federal historic tax credits.

Recognitions and Memberships

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Investing in Opportunity Funds and Opportunity Zones: How to Take Advantage of the New Federal Tax Incentive
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Listen to a review of the innovative Opportunity Zone (OZ) tax incentive program.

Admissions

  • Ohio

Education

  • J.D., New York University School of Law, 2013
  • B.S., The Ohio State University, 2009, magna cum laude

Blog

In The Blogs

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Keep Your Collection Away from the Collectors: Tax Planning for Fine Art
By Lucas L. Witters
October 20, 2014
Appreciation of fine art can create challenging tax issues, but with proper planning collectors can minimize the estate, gift, and income tax consequences of their collections. For taxpayers hoping to keep their works in the family, a...
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