Robert Finkel has over 35 years of experience as a tax and business lawyer. His practice focuses on the areas of individual and business taxation including tax controversy and tax litigation.

Mr. Finkel advises clients on the tax aspects of a wide range of business transactions including mergers and acquisitions, private equity and real estate transactions. He also advises Israel-based high-tech companies on US operations and financings, and advises not-for-profit and charitable organizations on a variety of issues.

In addition, he represents clients in audits and other controversies before the Internal Revenue Service, state and other taxing authorities, as well as in all phases of the litigation before the United States Tax Court and the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board.

Mr. Finkel has been an adjunct professor at Boston University School of Law’s Graduate Tax Program since 1995. He was an adjunct Professor at the Radzyner Law School (IDC Herzliya, Israel) where he taught U.S. corporate and tax law (2005-2006).

Prior to private practice, Mr. Finkel was a senior trial attorney with the Office of the Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service.

Education

Boston University School of Law, LL.M. in Taxation
Boston University School of Law, J.D.
Edward F. Hennessey Scholar
Joseph Tauro Scholar
University of Massachusetts, B.A. cum laude

Admissions

Mr. Finkel is admitted to practice in New York and Massachusetts.  He is also admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court and the United States District Court (Massachusetts).

Affiliations

Member, American Bar Association
Member, Massachusetts Bar Association (2001-2005 Member Tax Section Council)
Member, Boston Bar Association  (2004-2006 Co-Chair, Tax Controversy Committee)
Adjunct Professor, Boston University School of Law Graduate Tax Program (1995-present)
Adjunct Faculty Member, The Radzyner School of Law at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya, Israel (2006-2007)
Board Member, IE-Club of Boston
Member, Board of Directors, American Friends of LIBI (2004-2012)
Member, Board of Directors, Jewish Family Services of North Shore (2004-2007)
Member, Board of Directors, Holocaust Center, Boston North, Inc. (2001-2005)
Chairman, Professional Advisory Committee Jewish Community Foundation of North Shore (2000-2003)
Member, Executive Committee, Boston University School of Law Alumni Association (1987-1995)

Recognitions

2013-2023 Best Lawyers in America®
2020-2022 New York Super Lawyers®
2011-2017 Massachusetts Super Lawyers®
2014 “Lawyer of the Year” in the practice area of Litigation & Controversy-Tax-Boston Best Lawyers in America®

Speaking Engagements

Presenter, Tax Implications of Business Breakups, New England IRS Representation Conference, Fall 2019

Presenter, LLC’s vs. S-CORPs: Tax Considerations, Non-Tax Differences & Common Mistakes to Avoid, myLawCLE

Presenter, Fundamentals of Business Tax Law, MCLE

Presenter, Tax Fraud Matters, Criminal and Civil Practice Pointers, Boston Bar Association

Panelist, LLCs Demystified, MCLE

Presenter, Tax Controversy at the IRS and in Court, Boston Bar Association

Presenter, Tax Controversies: Tax Shelters and IRS Alternative Dispute Resolution Programs, Boston University Tax Institute

Presenter, 11th Annual Internal Revenue Service Town Meeting, Bentley University

Presenter, University of Massachusetts Annual Tax School for Accountants

Panelist, Fundamentals of Partnership Taxation, Boston Bar Association

Presenter, Buying or Selling a Business in the New Economy, Federal Tax Institute of New England

Presenter, Federal and State Tax Update, MCLE/Massachusetts Bar Association, Annual Meeting

Panelist,  Advanced Tax Issues of Entity Selection, CLE / CPE Webinar

Presenter, Corporate Tax Basics, MCLE/Massachusetts Bar Association

Presenter, Tax Issues for Non-Tax Lawyers, MCLE/Massachusetts Bar Association

Presenter, Is an LLC Right for Your Client?, MCLE/Massachusetts Bar Association

Presenter, Limited Liability Companies in Massachusetts, National Business Institute

Presenter, Massachusetts Sales and Use Tax Update, National Business Institute

Presenter, Business Lawyer’s Guide to Taxation of Business Entities, MCLE

Presenter, Basic Tax Issues for Solo and Small Firms, Boston Bar Association

Presenter, 1997 Tax Act Review, National Business Institute

Publications

Quoted: IRAs Gone Wild: How To Invest In Private Equity, Real Estate, Gold, Forbes

Quoted: Companies Move to Reprice Employees’ Stock Options, Wall Street Journal

Equity-Based Compensation Grants for Limited Liability Companies

Permanent Exclusion of Gain on Sales of Qualified Small Business Stock

Real Estate Tax Abatement Practice and Procedure (MCLE, 2012), Co-author with Patricia Metzer

Basic Tax Issues in Choosing an Entity

IC-DISCs: Tax Savings for Exporters

Tax FAQ for U.S. Inbound Transactions

Life Cycle of an IRS Audit

American Jobs Creation Act of 2004