Donovan Legal PLLC offers three structured engagement levels — Gold, Platinum, and Reserve — organized around the real estate life cycle. Each level provides integrated tax counsel, transactional support, and audit defense across the acquisition, ownership, and disposition of investment real estate. Each level is individually scoped; fees are discussed during a confidential consultation.
Any transaction the firm structures and issues a written tax opinion on is defended by the firm through IRS or state examination and administrative appeals at no additional engagement charge. The same firm that designs the position reads the workpapers, signs the return, and defends the position if examined. One file, one team, end to end.
Each engagement level provides services across all three phases of the real estate life cycle. The difference between levels is the depth of service in each phase, the number of transactions covered, and the access the principal client maintains with the firm.
Property sourcing, financial modeling, financing negotiation, construction coordination, multi-jurisdictional entity structuring, joint venture / sponsor-promote design, OZ re-investment, international tax structuring, opinion writing, eminent domain defense.
Unlimited acquisitions, full construction project management, embedded family-office services, OZ fund formation, estate planning drafting, charitable contribution complex vehicles (CRT / CLT), unlimited multi-state and international structuring.
Matrimonial and divorce work, estate planning drafting (coordinated with referred counsel), M&A private practice, workouts and bankruptcy, REIT formation, OZ fund formation, securities offerings as primary counsel, real estate closings outside FL/MA (coordinated with local counsel), tax court or federal court litigation (separately engaged at member rate).
Reserve is limited to 100 members, hand-selected by the firm. Each member receives a numbered black card (001–100) bearing the member’s identifier and a summary of benefits. The card is issued in a leather holder and provides priority access to the firm and to curated member benefits.
Beyond the engagement services above, Reserve membership includes dedicated digital crypto-asset planning (annual position memo, Form 8938 / FBAR compliance for foreign exchange accounts, wallet and custody structuring, DeFi / NFT compliance, donation strategies), access to the firm’s full real estate analyzer with the proprietary Donovan Legal Tax Strategy (not available at any other level or to the public), and the annual Reserve gathering — a small private dinner of members hosted by the firm.
Membership is offered by invitation following a confidential consultation. The firm reserves the right to decline applications without explanation. An advisory board comprised of the firm and selected members governs admissions and benefits as membership matures.
Opinion Writing. Written tax opinions on planned positions and transactions, including reasonable basis, substantial authority, more-likely-than-not, and should-level opinions on federal, state, and international tax matters, real estate transactions (§ 1031 qualifying property, FIRPTA exemption, partnership classification), and structural questions (entity classification, anti-deferral, foreign trust classification). Opinion fees are scoped by complexity and authority level and are engaged separately from the annual engagement. Opinions issued by the firm trigger the Donovan-Structured, Donovan-Defended audit protection across all engagement levels.
Tax and tax-driven structuring nationwide. The firm advises on federal, state, and international tax matters for clients anywhere in the United States, and structures transactions using entities formed in any U.S. or qualifying foreign jurisdiction — Delaware corporations and partnerships, Wyoming and Nevada LLCs, South Dakota and Nevada trusts, Florida and Massachusetts vehicles, and offshore structures for cross-border matters.
Florida and Massachusetts real estate transactional work is handled directly by the firm. Real estate closings and state-specific transactional work in other jurisdictions are coordinated with local counsel, with the firm leading the tax and structural design.
Disclaimer. Engagement at each level is documented in a written engagement letter that controls the scope of services, fees, and terms. The summaries on this page are descriptive and do not create an attorney-client relationship; an attorney-client relationship is created only by a signed engagement letter. Fees are discussed individually during a confidential consultation. Some services may require additional or separate engagement and are not available in all jurisdictions. Each legal and tax matter is unique, and outcomes depend on the specific facts, applicable law, and circumstances involved.
To discuss an engagement with Donovan Legal PLLC, contact the firm through the contact page.
To discuss a tax planning, tax compliance, tax controversy, or real estate engagement, contact the firm directly.