Careers

Diversity

With 18 offices, from New York to Los Angeles and Seattle to Orlando, we live and work in communities all over the U.S., collaborating across locations, disciplines and even borders. Our experienced, highly ranked lawyers serve businesses wherever they are and wherever they want to go.

Offices

About Us

Pages

Professionals

Thought leadership: blogs, podcasts, videos, publications, events and news

Insights

Services

Pro Bono

Am Law 100 firm with practices in Business, Digital Assets and Data Management, Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment, Litigation and Tax.

Home | BakerHostetler

Alexander Obrecht Presents, Bailey Bridges Moderates Panel on <em>Loper Bright</em> Panel

ADventures in Law

Negative Option Rule No More: How To Comply in the Wake of the Eighth Circuit’s Decision

DOJ Antitrust Division Announces Creation of First-Ever Whistleblower Rewards Program

Antitrust Advocate

State-Level Merger Scrutiny Grows: Washington, Colorado Lead Expansion of State Premerger Notification Laws

Alex works extensively in the areas of tax planning and structuring for projects seeking to utilize federal and state tax credits, especially historic tax credits and new markets tax credits, and other nontraditional funding sources. He assists a wide range of clients with their tax planning, from major public corporations to closely held developers and other businesses and their owners to investors and nonprofit organizations.

Alex is a frequent speaker on tax-related topics at numerous accredited continuing legal education (CLE) programs, including national conferences on historic and new markets tax credits. He also has spoken on a variety of tax subjects at the Cleveland Tax Institute, the Ohio State Bar Association Annual Convention and the Ohio CLE Institute. Alex is a past chairman of the Cleveland Tax Institute and a recent past president of the Tax Club of Cleveland, which is the premier tax industry association in northeast Ohio whose membership is composed of leading legal, accounting and corporate tax practitioners in the area. Alex also has published outlines and articles on various tax topics, such as an article that he co-authored on like-kind exchanges under Internal Revenue Code Section 1031, which was featured in the prestigious national <em>BNA Daily Tax Report,&nbsp;</em>and an article on the Final Opportunity Zone Regulations that was published in the <em>Journal of Taxation of Investments</em>.

core/freeform

J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1987, 

B.B.A., Accounting, University of Notre Dame, 1984, 

<ul>
<li>The Legal 500 United States
<ul>
<li>Recommended in Tax: Non-Contentious (2022 to 2024)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Chambers USA
<ul>
<li>Tax in Ohio
<ul>
<li>Band 1 (2020 to 2025)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Real Estate in Ohio
<ul>
<li>Recognized Practitioner (2018)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><em>The Best Lawyers in America®</em>
<ul>
<li>Ohio: Tax Law (2012 to 2025)
<ul>
<li><em>Best Lawyers</em>® &#8220;Lawyer of the Year&#8221; (2016, 2021)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>


Cleveland

Chambers USA Guide 2025 Recognizes 171 BakerHostetler Attorneys and 73 Practice Areas

BakerHostetler attorneys, practice areas stand out in The Legal 500 annual guide

Chambers USA Guide 2024 Recognizes 155 BakerHostetler Attorneys and ­66 Practice Areas

BakerHostetler Sponsors Tax Executives Institute Seminar

Alex Szilvas and Christina Novotny Discuss Historic Tax Credits That Can Support Theater Rehabilitation

BakerHostetler Attorneys and Practice Areas Recognized in The Legal 500 2023 Guide

Chambers USA Guide 2023 Honors 147 BakerHostetler Attorneys and Recognizes 64 Practice Areas

Hundreds of BakerHostetler Attorneys Honored as 2023 Best Lawyers, Ones to Watch and Lawyers of the Year

BakerHostetler Attorneys, Practice Areas Shine in The Legal 500 2022 Guide

Chambers USA Guide 2022 Honors 145 BakerHostetler Attorneys and Recognizes 62 Practice Areas

Alexander Szilvas Article Examines Final Regulations for Opportunity Zones Tax Incentive

191 BakerHostetler Attorneys Named in 2022 “Best Lawyers” List; 10 Recognized as “Lawyer of the Year”

Investing in Opportunity Funds and Opportunity Zones: How to Take Advantage of the New Federal Tax Incentive

Real Estate

<i>Chambers and Partners USA</i> Honors 118 Attorneys and 45 Practice Areas  in 2018 Guide

New Markets Tax Credit

Real Estate Transactions

Tax Controversy and Litigation

Transactional Tax

Industries

Energy

Historic Tax Credit

Community Development

<h5>Real Estate Tax Credit Financing Transactions</h5>
<ul>
<li>Has done significant work involving the tax planning, structuring and financing of projects utilizing federal and state tax credits throughout the U.S., especially historic tax credits and new markets tax credits, with particular experience advising on sophisticated joint ventures and leasing arrangements in the context of facilitating project financing and achieving tax efficiencies.</li>
<li>Advises on strategies and structures for facilitating these financing transactions while optimizing the tax results. Structures frequently involve the monetization of tax credits and the participation of tax credit investors, as well as the involvement of other governmental subsidies, and the integration of these along with various additional sources of funding in the capital stack for a given project.</li>
<li>Has counseled on projects involving the renovation and restoration of landmark structures all across the country, including historic theaters, hotels, office buildings and facilities of higher education. Many of these have utilized combinations of federal and state historic tax credits, new markets tax credits and other subsidies.</li>
</ul>
<h5>Real Estate Section 1031 Transactions</h5>
<ul>
<li>Has worked extensively in the area of tax-free like-kind exchanges of real estate under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code, including complex planning under the deferred exchange, multiple property exchange and reverse exchange rules, as well as in the areas of tenancy in common structuring and installment sale transactions.</li>
<li>Representative experience includes serving as developers&#8217; tax counsel and advising on the successful completion of like-kind exchange transactions involving well more than a billion dollars of real estate. Deals have included many high-profile transactions across the country involving properties such as well-renowned high-rise buildings in New York City and regional shopping malls in California and throughout the country, as well as large office buildings, hotels and apartment communities nationwide.</li>
</ul>
<h5>Real Estate Tax Planning and Structuring</h5>
<ul>
<li>Has substantial experience in advising on the tax planning and structuring of acquisitions, dispositions, mergers, split-ups, financings, refinancings, leases, exchanges and other transactions involving real property.</li>
<li>Has performed sophisticated tax and personal planning in other areas for developers, closely held business owners and real estate professionals, especially in areas relating to tax-preferred forms of ownership for holding assets, tax-advantaged operating structures and wealth transfer transactions.</li>
<li>Has assisted clients in realizing considerable tax savings in the context of loan restructurings, workouts and debt modifications.</li>
</ul>
<h5>Tax Controversy</h5>
<ul>
<li>Has significant experience in tax controversy work and the successful resolution of such matters. Has represented clients in a variety of tax controversies in the federal court system, including the U.S. Tax Court, U.S. Federal District Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, as well as at the IRS audit and appeals levels. These cases have involved many diverse substantive areas of tax law, including debt/equity classification, employee/independent contractor characterization, amortization of intangible assets and accumulated earnings tax application.</li>
<li>Was part of the BakerHostetler Tax Litigation team that won a significant decision in the United States District Court regarding the status of a class of salespersons as independent contractors rather than as employees. This case, <em>Cleveland Institute of Electronics, Inc. v. U.S.</em>, is still the leading case decided under Section 3508 of the Internal Revenue Code dealing with the tax treatment of real estate agents and direct sellers.</li>
</ul>


Alexander J. Szilvas

Alexander J. Szilvas

Experience

Recognitions and Memberships

Insights and News

Credentials

Areas of Focus

Industries

Services

Featured Insights