Overview

James Combs concentrates his practice on corporate taxation, mergers and acquisitions, tax credit projects, and financial products taxation. James also represents clients in connection with tax legislation matters, including drafting legislation and lobbying activities. In addition, he has extensive experience obtaining private letter rulings from the Internal Revenue Service and representing taxpayers in federal income tax audits.

Services

Industries

Experience

Representative Matters

  • Provides tax advice to borrowers and lenders with respect to financing transactions
  • Represents Biotechnology Innovation Organization, a trade association headquartered in Washington, D.C., in connection with tax legislative and regulatory matters
  • Assisted drafting legislation for federal income tax credit for energy projects
  • Represented Compuware Corporation in connection with its spin-off of its publicly traded subsidiary, Covisint Corporation

Academic Appointments

  • Walsh College, Instructor, provided course instruction on bankruptcy and insolvency tax topics
  • University of Michigan Law School, Guest Lecturer on certain tax aspects of joint ventures
  • Wayne State University Law School, Guest Lecturer on taxation of business entities and joint ventures
  • Cooley Law School, Guest Lecturer on corporate income tax issues

Languages

  • French (conversational)

Credentials

Education

University of Texas at Austin School of Law, J.D.
  • cum laude
Williams College, B.A.
  • Political Economy
Georgetown University

Admissions

  • Michigan
  • Texas

Recognition

Awards

  • The Best Lawyers in America, 2018-2023
    • Recognized in practice area of Tax Law
    • Detroit Tax Law "Lawyer of the Year," 2023
  • DBusiness, Top Lawyers, 2018

Professional & Community Involvement

  • American Bar Association
    • Tax Section
      • Committee on Financial Transactions
  • State Bar of Michigan
    • Tax Section
      • Council Member
        • 2015 Annual Tax Conference, Chair
      • Business Entities Committee, former Chair
  • Children's Hospital of Michigan
    • Board of Directors, 2015-present
  • Grosse Pointe Yacht Club
    • Junior Sailing Program, Co-chair, 2013-2015

News & Insights

News

  • James H. Combs is quoted in the Crain’s Detroit Business article “Rules murky on Opportunity Zones for cannabis business”
    Media |
  • James H. Combs is quoted in the Crain’s Detroit Business article “Tax extenders package again left hanging”
    Media |
  • James H. Combs is featured in the DBusiness article “Honigman Partner Named to Children’s Hospital Board”
    Media |
  • James H. Combs is featured in a Q&A in the Bloomberg article “Tax Efficiency of Notes Depends on Structure, Lawyer Combs Says”
    Media |
  • James H. Combs is quoted in the Crain's Detroit Business article "Why corporate tax inversion rules are a moving target"
    Media |

Publications

Seminars & Events

  • The Present State of Tax Reform Legislation
    Event | Webinar |
  • An Update on Section 199A – New Proposed Regulations Provide Initial Guidance
    Event | | Moderator
  • Section 1202: Tax Planning in Light of the 2017 Tax Act (A New Look at Section 1202)
    Event | Atlanta, GA | | Co-presenter
  • Section 280E: Planning & Considerations
    Event | | Co-presenter
  • The Impact of Tax Reform On Business Owners
    Event | | | Co-presenter
  • Tax Considerations for Credit/Loan and Security Agreements
    Event | | | Co-presenter
  • Tax Reform: Impacts and Opportunities for Your Sustainable Business
    Event | | | Co-presenter
  • Section 280E: Planning & Considerations, State Bar of Michigan Taxation Section
    Event | | | Co-presenter
  • Recent Federal Tax Changes and Planning for the Future Outline
    Event | | | Co-presenter
  • Tax Treatment of Cash Advance Transactions
    Event | | | Co-presenter
  • Michigan Restaurant Association Legal Symposium
    Event | Birmingham, MI | | Co-presenter
  • Tax Considerations in Mergers & Acquisitions
    Event | Bloomfield Hills, MI | | Panelist
  • Providing Tax Advice – Levels of Comfort and Tax Penalties
    Event | Detroit, MI | | | Host and moderator
  • The Nuts and Bolts of Obtaining a Private Letter Ruling
    Event | | | Presenter
  • Building Success as a Tax Practitioner
    Event | | | Panelist
  • Foreign Goodwill and Going Concern Value under the Proposed Section 367 Regulations
    Event | | | Co-presenter
  • State Bar of Michigan's 28th Annual Tax Conference
    Event | Plymouth, MI | | | Chair
  • The Nuts and Bolts of Obtaining a Private Letter Ruling
    Event | | | Presenter
  • How to Request a Private Letter Ruling
    Event | Webinar | | | Presenter
  • Select Issues in Tax-Free Distributions Under Section 355
    Event | | | Presenter
  • Bitcoin Tax Issues
    Event | Webinar | |
  • Certain Aspects of the Federal Income Tax Treatment of Virtual Currencies
    Event | | | Co-presenter
  • Select Examples of the Relevance of Common and Preferred Stock under the Internal Revenue Code
    Event | Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, Detroit, MI | | | Co-presenter
  • Recent Developments in Financial Products Taxation
    Event | Detroit, MI | | | Moderator
  • Select Issues in the Application of Section 382
    Event | Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, Bloomfield Hills, MI | | | Co-presenter
  • Judicial Doctrines Every Tax Lawyer Should Know
    Event | Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, Bloomfield Hills, MI | | | Co-presenter
  • Minimizing Taxes in Workout, Restructuring, and Debt Modification Transactions
    Event | | | Co-presenter
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