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About

DONALD KATZ,
MANAGING MEMBER

Don has acted as special counsel in a variety of transactions for Fortune 100 companies and entrepreneurs, guiding them through the transactional, regulatory and taxation complexities involved in business aviation acquisitions, operations and divestitures. When at Miller Canfield, Don was ranked nationally for his aviation expertise by Chambers USA: America's leading lawyers for business, a guide designed to present objectively the best practitioners and corporate lawyers throughout the world.

After leading the Aviation and Transportation Group at Miller Canfield, Don joined client General Dynamics Corporation, where he was Tax Counsel for the $8 billion Combat Systems Group.

 

In addition to his corporate and tax expertise, Don also has working knowledge of the capital markets from his 10 years in New York as a Registered Principal and Registered Investment Advisor with several Wall Street firms. 

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Entrepreneurship is in Don’s blood. His family has a long history of starting and operating companies, including franchises, imprinted sportswear businesses, restaurants, and gourmet food manufacturing. Growing up, Don was intimately involved in all aspects of the numerous family businesses, including startup operations, management, and finance. This experience affords Don a unique perspective on the practice of law when it comes to advising closely held businesses. 


Don received his law degree, magna cum laude, from Michigan State University College of Law, and his B.A. in Comparative Literature from Hobart College.

Awards, Accolades and Publications

As quoted in Chambers USA 2006: Don Katz is the whole business lawyer, agreed clients, who believe he "adds immediate value to any discussion with his informed, focused and precise counsel."

 

PUBLICATIONS

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  • The Federal Safety Act and Antiterrorism Technology; Liability Protection and Other Considerations, Michigan Business Law Journal, Volume XXIV, Issue 3, Fall 2004.

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  • SBA Designations and Government Contracting, Michigan Business Law Journal, Volume XXIV, Issue 1, Spring 2004.

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  • Is Bonus Depreciation the Death of the 1031 Exchange? Michigan Tax Lawyer, Volume XXIX, Issue 3 Fall 2003.

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  • Taxation Issues Involving Aircraft, Innermarker Michigan Bar Aviation Section, Fall 2003.

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  • Frequent Flyer Miles: Tax Free Fringe Benefits? Michigan Tax Lawyer, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2 Spring/Summer 2002.

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  • Corporate Aircraft Deductibility, National Aviation Finance Association Quarterly, December 2001.

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  • Taxation of Employer Aircraft and the Fringe Benefit Rules, Michigan Tax Lawyer, Volume XXVIII, Issue 1 Winter 2002.

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  • A Transactional Look at E-Commerce, CCH E-Commerce Tax Alert, Volume 2, Issue 11, 2001.

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  • E-Commerce Taxation, Michigan Tax Lawyer, Volume XXVII, Issue 2, Spring/Summer 2001.

 

OTHER DISTINCTIONS

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  • Recognized by The Chambers Directory as one of the nation’s leading business aviation lawyers in 2005 and 2006.

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  • Pro Bono Attorney Service Award from Community Legal Resources (2002) for representation of Michigan non-profit housing corporation providing affordable housing for special needs and disabled individuals.

 

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