Sonya Jindal Tork

Representative Experience

Tax, Business Succession, and Estate Planning

• Advises clients on tax and non-tax business structuring issues in connection with transactions, including partnership, corporate, real estate, international and business succession transactions.
• Advises on wealth transfer planning for individuals and families, including implementation of sophisticated wealth transfer techniques, such as transferring of interests in family owned entities.
• Advises family owned businesses in succession planning and related estate planning issues.
• Advises corporate executives and businesses on structuring equity and incentive plans and award agreements.
• Advises clients on structuring transactions to utilize various tax incentives including opportunity zones.
• Advised executor, trustee and beneficiaries in connection with estate, gift and income tax related to valuation of closely-held businesses.

Tax Controversy and Civil and Criminal Tax Investigations

• Represented a senior level partner at a major accounting firm indicted for violations of federal tax law. Following a five-week jury trial in January 2013 the partner was acquitted of all charges. 
• Represented partnership before U.S. Tax Court and IRS Appeals in connection with IRS’s challenge of partnership transaction that generated more than $173 million in deductions and $1.3 billion in losses and obtained extremely favorable settlement for client.
• Represented individuals with undisclosed foreign financial accounts and handle IRS voluntary disclosures, civil audits, and criminal investigations with respect to such offshore matters. 
• Represents clients at all stages of civil and criminal tax matters, including investigations, pleading, sentencing, settlement and appeals stages.
• Represents clients in government examinations of complex tax shelters and other tax-advantaged strategies. 

Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Organizations  

• Represents nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations and foundations in all aspects of their organization and operation including formation, governance, mergers and restructurings, unrelated business income tax matters, intermediate sanctions, joint ventures, endowment funds, fundraising, charitable giving and planned giving programs, and compliance with state law charity registration requirements. 
• Represents hospital systems and health care entities in connection with restructurings, joint ventures with for-profit entities, acquisitions of for-profit entities, conversion of for-profit entities to non-profit, unrelated business income tax issues, and supporting organization issues.
• Advises family and corporate private foundations with respect to private foundation tax law restrictions and limitations related to self-dealing, excess business holding, taxable expenditures, program-related investments, and minimum distribution requirements.
• Represents nonprofit organizations and executives in audits and investigations before the IRS and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
• Represents nonprofit organizations in connection with obtaining and maintaining bingo licenses.