Lansing

313 South Washington Square

Lansing, MI 48933-2114

T: 517.371.8305

F: 517.371.8200

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Joel C. Farrar

Joel joined Foster Swift as an associate in 2007 after clerking with the firm while in law school. He is a member of the firm’s Business and Corporate Group and focuses his practice in the areas of business organization and planning, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and securities, corporate governance, employee benefits, estate planning, tax planning, and tax disputes.  Joel is the leader of Foster Swift's State and Local Tax Group, which focuses on Michigan property and non-property tax planning, administrative appeals, and litigation.

Joel received his juris doctorate from Michigan State University College of Law, summa cum laude, and his Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.

Joel is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Ingham County Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.  He also serves as a volunteer member of the Boards of Directors of the Arts Council of Greater Lansing and the Entrepreneur Institute of Mid-Michigan.

Representative Matters

• Business Planning and Operation: business entity selection and formation, closely-held and family businesses, corporate governance, executive compensation, employment law, regulatory compliance, E-commerce, commercial transactions, information technology, international business transactions, joint ventures, business succession planning, dissolution and winding up.
• Securities, Corporate Governance, Private and Public Finance: private equity and venture capital transactions, securities reporting and compliance, investment adviser and broker-dealer regulation, tax credit financing, government and nonprofit governmental purpose and private activity bond financing, public-private partnerships.
• Mergers & Acquisitions: private and public mergers, stock transactions, asset purchases, joint ventures, tender offers, proxy contests and divisional transactions, employee benefits in mergers, acquisitions and divestitures.
• Employee Benefits: executive compensation planning and agreements, for-profit and non-profit executive deferred compensation arrangements and plan funding, qualified benefit plan and trust design and administration, welfare benefit arrangements, fiduciary and regulatory compliance and reporting, IRS and DOL audits and appeals, plan mergers, spin-offs and transfers, plan termination.
• Tax and Estate Planning: domestic and international corporate tax, partnership/LLC tax, tax exempt and charitable organizations, state and local tax, tax credit financing and transactions, tax examinations and litigation, estate and gift tax and planning, lifetime gifting, wills, trusts, and family LLCs.

Speaking Engagements

• Joel Farrar to speak at 2011 Corporate Institute, NALA, July 27-29, 2011

Publications

• Michigan's Tax Overhaul, Foster Swift Employment, Labor & Benefits E-News, August 3, 2011
• New Exemption from the Health Care Form W-2 Reporting Requirement, Foster Swift Business & Corporate Law Report, Spring 2011
• The New Michigan Corporate Income Tax, Foster Swift Business & Corporate Law Report, Spring 2011
• 2011 Depreciation Deduction Opportunity, Foster Swift Business & Corporate Law Report, Winter 2011
• The Taxation of Cloud Computing, Foster Swift Business & Corporate Law Report, Winter 2011
• Governor Proposes Michigan Tax Reform, Foster Swift Business & Corporate Law Report, Winter 2011

For more, click here

Memberships & Affiliations

Legal Affiliations:

• State Bar of Michigan
• Ingham County Bar Association

Industry & Professional Associations:

• Entrepreneur Institute of Mid-Michigan, Board of Directors

Community Involvement:

• The Arts Council of Greater Lansing, Board of Directors