David J. Lewis
Partner
Business Law
Taxation
Trusts & Estates

Practice Area And Professional Expertise

• Martindale-Hubbell rating of AV, which indicates very high to pre-eminent legal ability and very high ethical standards as established by confidential opinions from members of the Bar.
  
  
• Chairs the Firm’s Taxation sub-practice group; past Chair of both the Firm’s Evaluation and Development and Recruitment and Hiring Committees; and member of the Firm’s Compensation and Finance committees.
  
  
• Counsels service, manufacturing, food ingredients, farming, processing, transportation, distribution and technology companies on a variety of business needs.
  
  
• Represents taxpayers on tax shelter audits including listed transactions, off-shore trusts, intermediary tax shelters, and foreign and Swiss accounts.
  
  
• Applies business and tax analysis to mergers and acquisitions.
  
  
• Practices corporate, individual, partnership, and excise tax law.
  
  
• Advocates clients’ needs before IRS on civil and criminal tax examinations, appeals, and judicial proceedings.
  
  
• Serves shareholders and corporations involved in ownership and management disputes.
  
  
• Represents criminal tax and white collar defendants on alleged tax and financial crimes.
  
  
• Obtained a favorable Internal Revenue Service private letter ruling on failure to make minimum plan distributions.
  
  
• Listed: The Best Lawyers in America® 2006 through 2010 editions.
  
  
• Recognized as one of Ohio's Super Lawyers™, in the 2004 through 2006, 2009 and 2010 Cincinnati Magazine, as voted by his peers.
  
  
• Recognized as one of the "Top Attorneys in Business Services" (Tax) in the 2009 Corporate Counsel Edition of Super Lawyers.

Publications
Quoted and featured in Crain’s Cleveland Business, “The Art of Barter” (June 2008) and MD News

Presentations
Mr. Lewis has lectured for:

University of Akron's National Tax Institute
Ohio Society of CPA’s
Akron Bar Association
Cleveland Tax Institute


Presentation topics include:

"Tax Preparer Standards”
“Tax Practitioner Privilege”
“How to be a Lawyer and a Christian, Too”
“Tax Fraud”
“Treasury Circular 230”
“Tax Aspects of Corporate Minutes”
“Tax Character of Damage Awards”
“So You Had a Foreign Account Managed by Bernie?”

Mr. Lewis, as a member of the University of Akron faculty, teaches Tax Practice and Procedure to Masters of Taxation candidates and law students.

Article Features
Quoted and featured in Crain’s Cleveland Business, “The Art of Barter” (June 2008)

Education
Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland, Ohio (J.D.,
          cum laude, 1987)
Certified Public Accountant, Ohio (1987)
Kent State University, Kent, Ohio (B.B.A., Accounting, 1979)

Courts & Bar Associations
Ohio Bar (1987)
U.S. Tax Court
Certified Public Accountant, Ohio (1987)
Past President: Akron Tax Club
Member: American Bar Association, Tax Section
Member: Ohio State Bar Association
Member: Akron Bar Association and Past Chair of both Tax Section and Business and            Corporate Law Committee

Professional & Civic Affiliations
Member: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Member: Ohio Society of CPAs
Member, Vice-Chair: City of Hudson Board of Zoning and Building Appeals
Faculty member: The University of Akron Master of Taxation Program: Tax Practice
         and Procedure
Current Church School Leader and President of St. Herman of Alaska Eastern Orthodox         Christian Church
Past volunteer baseball coach