Maria represents businesses and the individuals that run them in the areas of business formation and structure, transactions and compliance, tax planning, strategy and advocacy, and business succession planning.
Maria’s accounting and business background enables her to identify unanticipated problems and offer unique solutions to meet her clients’ needs within the confines of the legal, accounting, and tax regulations. Maria has a passion for making diverse approaches to business structure and creating manageable solutions. She takes the time to understand each client’s story and background to build relationships and effectively advise clients for years to come.
Business and Corporate Law
Maria works closely with clients to get to know their business and help achieve their goals. Her extensive knowledge and skillset in this area of law makes her a valuable and sought-out resource for other legal professionals. Maria can help businesses large and small with matters including:
- Entity Formation and Governing Documents (i.e., limited liability companies, corporations, partnerships, joint ventures, entities for licensed professionals)
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Structural, Transactional, Planning, and Tax-Related Matters
- Negotiation and Closing of Financial Transactions
- Entity Dissolution and Liquidation
Tax Matters
As a certified CPA, Maria has knowledge and perspective essential for creating unique and comprehensive solutions for tax matters. Maria can help her clients with:
- Tax Planning and Advocacy
- Audits and Appeals
- Buying and Selling Businesses
- Brownfields Redevelopment Tax Credit
Trusts & Estates
Trusts and Estates are a necessity for clients who want to protect the businesses they’ve worked so hard to develop. Maria has extensive experience with Family Wealth Distribution and Business Succession Planning and her ability to develop close relationships with her clients helps her to create effective strategies to support their families and protect their legacy long after they are gone.
Nonprofits and Tax-Exempt
Maria’s passion for business extends to nonprofits, and she often works with tax-exempt organizations to complete their legal matters including:
- Formation
- Obtaining Tax-Exempt Status (Federal & State)
- Joint Ventures and Strategic Partnerships
- Dissolution and Termination of Tax-Exempt Status
Background
Prior to becoming an attorney, Maria earned her M.B.A and B.S. in Professional Accountancy and began working as a licensed Certified Public Accountant. She started her professional career at Ernst & Young LLP, one of the “Big Four” accounting firms worldwide. Here, she represented national and international public and private clients in manufacturing, energy, utilities, retail, and real estate.
Maria left public accounting to further challenge herself in private industry and became the Director of Process Improvement and Controller for a management services organization that served several related local and national companies that provided both B2B and B2C services in the legal industry. Here, Maria’s passion for business and her desire to understand it deeper continued to grow, and she decided to attend law school to learn more about the business world.
While attending Syracuse University College of Law, Maria traveled to London, England to work for AIG Europe Ltd. as a Legal, Compliance, and Regulatory Intern where she worked closely with the Regional Compliance Officer, Deputy Chief Compliance Officer, and General Counsel to create compliance procedures, planning, and strategy related to Brexit’s impact on the company. After her work in Europe, Maria worked for Baker & Hostetler LLP in Washington, DC as a Legal Extern in their Tax and Private Wealth Group where she gained experience in charitable and advanced estate planning for high net-worth individuals, which included assisting in proper tax filings requirements for their various trusts.
In addition to her work experiences, Maria cultivated a unique perspective while serving as a Research Assistant to Professor Robin Paul Malloy studying the intersection of real estate and disability law, along with law and economics. She also established herself as a legal communicator through her work as Associate News Editor of the Syracuse Law Review, a member of the Advocacy Honor Society, and as a Legal Communications and Research Assistant to Professor Elizabeth August.
Maria is excited to bring her passion and unique experience to the clients she serves.
Affiliations
- American Bar Association (Business Law, Taxation, and Alternative Dispute Resolution Section member)
- New York State Bar Association (Business Law and Trust & Estate Section member)
- Central New York Women’s Bar Association
- Onondaga County Bar Association
- Florida Bar Association (Business Law and Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section member)
- Estate Planning Council of Central New York
- The Business Council of New York State
Community Involvement
- Central New York Women’s Bar Association – Director (At Large)
- Madden School of Business, Le Moyne College – Adjunct Professor
- Toomey Residential and Community Services Corporation – Board Member, Chair of Board Development Committee
- Veterans Health Research Institute of CNY, Inc. – Board Member
- Leadership Greater Syracuse – Class of 2023
Licenses And Technical Skills
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA) – Licensed in New York
- Landmark Education – Forum and Advanced Course
- Training in Reflective Listening and Social Styles identification
Education
J.D., Syracuse University College of Law, magna cum laude, 2019
M.B.A, Le Moyne College, 2014
B.S., Professional Accountancy, Le Moyne College, summa cum laude, 2013
Admissions
New York
Florida
