By Suzanne Meiners-Levy The Return of 100% Bonus Depreciation and the Expansion of 179 Expensing: A Boost for General Aviation in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 By […]
About Us
How does Advocate Consulting Legal Group, PLLC integrate with my current accounting / legal team that knows my business?
Aircraft operation planning is unique because it requires the integrating of Federal Aviation Regulations, Department of Transportation Regulations, federal income tax issues, state sales and use tax issues, interstate liability issues, and aircraft economic issues.
We do not compete with your other advisor’s services; we compliment them. By working with your advisors, Advocate develops an aircraft plan, integrates it into your overall planning, drafts necessary documents, and coordinates its execution.
Our services are designed to provide aviation “TLC”. By providing Tax, Legal, and Compliance services in a single engagement, we strive to streamline the process of acquiring a business aircraft and managing the tax concerns and compliance needs on a go forward basis. With this aim in mind, we provide a flat fee three-year contract to each client that is aircraft specific. Our services include the design, implementation, and monitoring of an ownership/operational structure that best suits the owner’s specific needs.
Our engagements commence with an interview conducted by an attorney/accountant/compliance specialist team to consider available tax advantages, based on the intended use of the aircraft, where it will be hangared and other key factors. After becoming familiar with the client and their needs, the lawyer assigned will then begin the legal work – identifying the proper entity structure to own your aircraft, creating any necessary legal entities, drafting or reviewing any relevant contracts including purchase agreements, operating agreements, aircraft leases, management agreements and the like, and filing all documentation required to comply with the FAA and other regulatory/taxing authorities.
In order to facilitate compliance, we provide our clients with access to our proprietary flight log program, which allows them (or their advisors) to record flights as they occur and helps capture all of the essential information for on-going regulatory compliance. We assist with establishing record-keeping protocols, calculating sales and use tax, and determining the tax consequences of personal use. The tool also allows us to provide clients with tailored advice about their use profile and make suggestions to decrease any unintended tax consequences.
When tax calculations are needed related to aircraft usage, we will prepare them. Additionally, we strive to work seamlessly with a client’s other advisors, providing counsel and advice on the impact of aircraft deductions on related business tax returns. If a tax examination notice is received, either from the IRS or from state or local taxing authorities, our in-house team of audit attorneys have the skills and experience to expertly defend you.
Why Advocate?
This is a highly specialized area of the law; make certain your advisor is an attorney who understands aviation tax. Our legal department assists in new aircraft acquisitions nearly every day. Our accounting department deals in aviation tax compliance and examinations daily; our law firm serves over 1,500 aviation clients.
Advocate Services:
- Aircraft Tax Compliance
- Aircraft Audit Defense
- Aircraft Depreciation Calculations
- Fringe Benefit – SIFL Calculations
- Passive Activity & Hobby Loss
- Sales and Use Tax Planning
- California Interstate-Exemption Assistance
- Personal Use of Aircraft
- General Aviation Law
- Aircraft Entity Structuring and Planning
- Aircraft Agreement Drafting and Review
- FAA Compliance
- Aircraft Registration
- Part-91 and Part-135 Operations
- Aircraft Co-ownership
- Fractional Aircraft
Our Team
Meet the Attorneys
Jonathan Levy
Shareholder
Suzanne Meiners-Levy
Shareholder
Joseph Quackenbush
Managing Attorney
Richard Yan
Managing Attorney
Do you love aircraft? Work with our team of professionals!
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Latest Articles
By Suzanne Meiners-Levy On February 21, 2024, the IRS announced it will use enforcement funds from the Inflation Reduction Act (PL 117-169) to initiate “dozens” of new audits focusing on […]
By Suzanne Meiners-Levy & Joshua Blakeney On January 1, 2024, the Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting (“BOIR”) requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”) went into effect. The BOIR requirements under […]