GOLD MEMBERSHIP
A first acquisition is where the after-tax outcome is largely decided. Entity choice, how the purchase is papered, whether a cost segregation study is worth running, and whether the depreciation will actually be usable are all settled before closing — and are expensive to unwind afterward. GOLD exists so that the first transaction is structured by the same practitioner who will report it on the return and defend it if the return is examined.
What GOLD Includes
Every engagement level provides integrated tax counsel, transactional support, and audit defense across all three phases of the real estate life cycle. What differs 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.
- Entity selection and formation for the acquiring vehicle, read for its tax consequence rather than its filing convenience
- Review of the purchase contract and diligence materials for the tax terms that survive closing — allocation, proration, assumed liabilities
- Acquisition financing reviewed for basis, at-risk, and interest limitation consequences
- Cost segregation and bonus depreciation assessed against placed-in-service timing
- § 1031 replacement-property analysis where the purchase completes an exchange
- An operating agreement drafted as what it actually is — a tax document that governs allocations, distributions, and capital accounts
- Passive activity planning under § 469, including whether the material-participation record is being kept in a form that survives examination
- Annual compliance for the entity and the reporting of the property on the principal’s return
- Refinancing reviewed before it is signed, for the basis and debt-allocation consequences
- Pre-sale structuring, addressed while there is still time for it to matter
- § 1031 exchange planning within the 45-day identification and 180-day exchange windows
- Installment sale and character analysis on the exit
- Reporting of the disposition, prepared by the practitioner who structured the acquisition
Donovan-Structured. Donovan-Defended.
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 practitioner who designs the position reads the workpapers, signs the return, and defends the position if it is examined. One file, one team, end to end — planning, compliance, and controversy under one practitioner, with no handoffs that introduce gaps in the record.
The Member Workspace
GOLD members work from a private member workspace with the firm’s core analytical tools — § 1031 exchange modeling, entity formation, rental real estate strategy analysis, and a contemporaneous material-participation and REPS time log. The tools organize the record; the position is prepared by the firm.
Scope of Practice
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. Florida and Massachusetts real estate transactional work is handled directly by the firm; closings and state-specific transactional work elsewhere are coordinated with local counsel, with the firm leading the tax and structural design.
Each level is individually scoped. Engagement terms are set in a confidential consultation and documented in a written engagement letter; the firm does not publish or quote pricing.
The Other Engagement Levels
PLATINUM · DIAMOND · RESERVE — or read the membership overview comparing all four levels.
Disclaimer. This page is descriptive marketing information about an engagement level offered by Donovan Legal PLLC. It is not legal or tax advice, does not apply the law to any reader’s facts, and does not create an attorney-client relationship — that relationship is created only by a signed engagement letter, which controls the scope of services and terms. Some services may require 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 GOLD with Donovan Legal PLLC, book a consultation or reach the firm at (561) 529-5873.
Start With a Consultation
The right first structure depends on facts a consultation surfaces. Schedule a confidential conversation with the firm to scope an engagement.