Douglas W. Schwartz

Doug Schwartz specializes in tax matters (international, federal, state and local). He focuses on issues affecting individual and compensation planning; business formations, transactions and operations; charities, public pension systems and other tax-exempt entities; and investments in different asset classes and investment vehicles.

Doug has a comprehensive understanding of the complex local, state and federal laws and regulations that affect personal and business taxes for a wide variety of industries. He counsels clients in the entertainment, internet, manufacturing, real estate, sports, nonprofit and public agency sectors. He provides clients with advice on sales and use tax; Proposition 13; documentary transfer; and local business license taxes in addition to income and franchise taxes.

Doug is AV Preeminent^® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Experience

Pensions, Benefits & Investments. Represents and advises public pension and health plans in forming and structuring “funds of one;” regarding real estate investments (including forming 501 (c)(25) title holding companies and other holding structures and unrelated business taxable income (UBTI) issues); and tax-related evaluation and negotiation of investment in private equity, infrastructure, credit, hedge and other commingled funds (including tax withholding reduction, exemption and refunds; tax audits; foreign account and tax shelter reporting compliance; UBTI blockers; and U.S. residency certifications).

Tax-Exempt Entities. Represents and advises tax-exempt entities in connection with formation; investment activities and associated "unrelated business income tax" issues; obtaining and maintaining tax-exempt status (including section 501(c)(3) charities, 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations, 501(c)(6) trade organizations and 509(a)(3) support organizations); compensation, private benefit and private inurement issues; fundraising and lobbying issues; private foundation excise taxes and public charity "excess benefit" excise taxes; and affiliations with other tax-exempt entities and with for-profit entities.

Tax Controversies. Represents clients on a wide variety of tax related matters before numerous regulatory bodies, including the Internal Revenue Service, California Franchise Tax Board, California State Board of Equalization, California County Assessors and California Employment Development Department.

Business, Corporate and Transactional Planning. Assists clients with corporate (C and S corporation and consolidated return), partnership and LLC taxation, real estate transactions, business mergers and acquisitions, business formations, issuance of equity or debt, exit strategies and foreign and cross-border tax planning.

Personal Planning. Assists clients in developing executive compensation and employment agreements, partner/shareholder/LLC member buyout agreements, succession planning and tax planning issues in connection with moving in and out of the U.S. and California.

Real Estate. Represents and advises clients on income, Proposition 13, documentary transfer tax and sales and use tax aspects of acquisitions, sales, leases, construction and development; section 1031 and 1033 exchanges; partnership and LLC formation; REIT affiliations (UPREITs and DownREITs); restructurings and tax allocations; and debt work-outs.

Transportation and Other Infrastructure. Regularly consults with a variety of clients in and outside the transportation space (Los Angeles World Airports, City of Long Beach, California Department of Transportation, California High-Speed Rail Authority, San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority, California State University – Northridge, San Diego Association of Governments, California Water Association) concerning a wide variety of tax issues including revenue-raising strategies under California Proposition 13 and subsequent voter tax-approval initiatives; sales and use tax compliance and mitigation; possessory interest and other property tax compliance and mitigation; structuring tax indemnification and reimbursement provisions with developers and other counter-parties; and tax treatment of contributions in aid of construction and government grants under Internal Revenue Code section 118.

Publications

Blog Posts

Speaking Engagements

News

Community & Professional

Los Angeles County Bar Association, Secretary/Vice Chair/Chair, Entertainment Tax Committee, Taxation Section, 1999-2003; Executive Committee Member-At-Large and Chair of Annual Tax Night, 2004; Third Vice Chair, 2005-2006; Second Vice Chair, 2006-2007; First Vice Chair, 2007-2008; Chair-Elect, 2008-2009; Chair, 2009-2010

State Bar of California, Vice-Chair/Chair, Corporate Tax Committee, Taxation Section, 1994-1997; Articles Editor, California Tax Lawyer, 1997-2001; Member, Executive Committee, Taxation Section, 1998-2000; Vice Chair, Executive Committee, Taxation Section, 2001

Princeton Club of Southern California, President, 2001-2003

Princeton Planned Giving Advisory Committee, 2004-present

Honors & Recognitions

AV Preeminent^® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Selected to the Super Lawyers list for 2010-2015