Public finance tax attorney Tom Havener joins Pope Flynn
February 24, 2016
Tom Havener, a public finance tax attorney who has practiced for the past 28 years while resident in Cleveland, Ohio, has joined Pope Flynn, a Columbia-based law firm concentrating in public finance and governmental law. After beginning his career in the Tax Counsel’s office at The Standard Oil Company, Havener became an equity partner in the Taxation Department of Squire Sanders & Dempsey (now Squire Patton Boggs), a global law firm and nationally recognized bond counsel firm for more than a century.
During his 20-plus years at Squire Sanders, he achieved national recognition for handling large and complex tax-exempt bond issuances, IRS audits of tax-exempt bonds, and tax litigation matters, including constitutional issues arising in the context of federal and state taxation. Havener also served as counsel on many federal and state tax matters for large corporations, including The Standard Oil Company/BP America, Exxon, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and governments, including the states of Ohio, Connecticut, New York, Florida, Arizona, and California, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. Havener also has a wealth of experience providing counsel to tax-exempt Section 501(c)(3) educational, healthcare, scientific, religious and other charitable organizations.
“We are pleased to welcome Tom to the Pope Flynn team of public finance attorneys,” said Joe Lucas, a managing member of the firm. “He is a public finance tax attorney with significant depth of experience on a national level and we know our clients will be well-served by his talent and insights.”
“I am very enthusiastic about joining Pope Flynn’s public finance practice with its wonderful group of attorneys,” Havener said. “My wife and I are looking forward to enjoying all the opportunities that South Carolina has to offer.”
In 2015, Havener was named “Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America© for Cleveland Public Finance law. He is a member of the taxation sections of both the Ohio Bar and the American Bar Associations; he is also a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers, and has been a frequent panelist and panel chair for its Bond Attorneys Workshop and Tax and Securities Law Institute.
Havener received his JD from Case Western Reserve University, and a BA in Journalism from The Ohio State University. He is admitted to practice law before the Supreme Court of Ohio, the Internal Revenue Service, and the United States Tax Court.
About Pope Flynn
With offices in Columbia, SC, Charlotte, NC and Spartanburg, SC, Pope Flynn represents cities and towns, counties, special purpose districts, school districts, state institutions, hospitals, colleges and universities, and other public entities, as well as private entities, including banks, underwriters, and nonprofit institutions. The firm is focused on public finance and related matters, but provides a range of services to its clients day-to-day. For more information on Pope Flynn, visit http://www.popeflynn.com or call Joe Lucas at 803-354-4916.
