Clayton H. Hale, Jr.

Practice Areas

• Banking & Financial Institutions
• Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights
• Business
• Economic Development
• Education
• Emerging Business
• Employee Benefits
• Engineering
• Family & Matrimonial Law
• Health Care
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Public Finance
• Public Law & Policy
• Securities
• Tax
• Wealth Management

Professional and Community Activities

Current:

• American Bar Association
• New York Bar Association
• Onondaga County Bar Association

Prior:

• Served on Executive Committee of Tax Section of New York Bar Association
• Served on various committees of Onondaga County Bar Association
• Frequent lecturer at New York Bar Association CLE programs
• Lectured on Health Care topics at CLE programs sponsored by National Business Institute
• Served twelve years on Mackenzie Hughes LLP’s Executive Committee

Education

• Dartmouth College, AB 1964
• Syracuse University Graduate School of Business, Finance 1965
• Syracuse University College of Law JD 1968
• New York University School of Law LLM Taxation 1974
• Pace College -Accounting 1968-1973

Admissions

• New York State Bar
• United States Tax Court
• New York State Certified Public Accountant

Experience

• Spent six years as a Tax Specialist in Coopers & Lybrand’ New York City Tax Department providing tax planning for large corporations, partnerships, private foundations and high net worth individuals
• Represented local savings bank in its conversion to stock form bank, formation of bank holding company, acquisition of commercial banks and eventual sale to a large regional bank
• Represented large corporate clients in the drafting and IRS qualification of defined contribution retirement plans including ESOPs
• Represented clients in drafting non-qualified retirement plans for highly compensated executives including IRC Section 457(f) plans for executives of credit unions and other tax-exempt entities
• Drafted organizational documents for all forms of business entities and not-for-profit organizations
• Advised on the tax planning for the restructuring of several large engineering firms
• Successfully appealed as a violation of the interstate commerce clause the imposition of New York Sales Tax on entire cost of hazardous waste disposal services performed for a New York plant of a multinational, Virginia corporation where a large portion of the services were performed out of New York State.
• Represented several fraternities in tax planning for the forced sale of their chapter houses to a local college to ensure the proceeds of the sale would be received tax free. Established charitable foundations for the purpose of utilizing the sales proceeds to support the educational activities of the continuing chapters.
• Represented numerous medical groups in all phases of their businesses, including advising on the Stark and Anti-Kickback regulations applicable to Medicare and Medicaid services and the purchase and sale of medical practices
• Assisted numerous physicians in negotiating their first employment contract with their chosen medical group
• Provides assistance to trust and estate attorneys on specialized tax issues involved in minimizing estate and gift taxes and administering estates and trusts
• Provides advice to partners and partnerships on tax planning for the purchase and sale of partnership interests and other partnership transactions
• Provides services in assisting with the audits of business entities and personal income tax returns and structuring payment arrangements for delinquent taxes

Recognitions

• The Best Lawyers’ Syracuse Tax Lawyer of the Year 2011
• The Best Lawyers in America, Tax Law, thirty-one years (1987-2018)
• Martindale Hubbell “AV” Peer Review Rated for Very High to Preeminent Ethical Standards and Legal Ability
• Selected by peer review for inclusion in Super Lawyers Directory 2007-2012