Crystal Howard

Crystal Howard’s practice resides at the intersection of business transactions and tax efficiency. Regularly counseling clients on a wide range of business and tax matters, she helps clients navigate complex commercial transactions and related tax planning.

Crystal represents business owners and their companies, serving as their outside general counsel, M&A attorney, and tax advisor. Her practice is particularly focused on closely held businesses, where she directly counsels business owners, including those who enter entrepreneurship through acquisition, on a wide range of legal matters.

Using a collaborative approach, Crystal becomes her clients’ trusted advisor so that, together, they can structure business plans that minimize tax and generate growth. With vast experience drafting complex business agreements and comprehensive knowledge of the federal and state tax laws, she regularly helps her clients build efficient tax structures that utilize both tax partnerships and corporations and advises clients on sophisticated business transactions, including entity formations and dissolutions, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, reorganizations, and incentive compensation awards.

Crystal also handles tax controversy matters before the Internal Revenue Service and state and local taxing authorities. Crystal previously served as in-house counsel for a nonprofit organization, experience which she applies to counsel nonprofits and tax-exempt organizations on a variety of legal and tax issues, including obtaining and maintaining tax-exempt status.