Michael Monaghan

As a partner and member of Plante Moran’s tax leadership team, I serve as group tax leader in specialty practices. In this role, I provide leadership, support, and guidance to our specialty practices, which include our National Tax Office, State and Local Tax practice, International Tax services, Tax Transaction Advisory Services, Tax Solutions Group, Tax Controversy, and National Corporate Tax. I’m also chair of the firm’s Tax Risk Management Committee.

With more than 30 years of specialty tax experience, I specialize in handling the tax aspects of transactions and frequently plan the purchase, sale, formation, and restructuring of businesses, including liquidations, mergers, and acquisitions. I also regularly consult on transactional tax matters, such as analyzing the difference between asset sales and stock sales, purchase price allocations, transaction document issues, and transaction costs.

I’ve worked extensively with distressed companies and loss companies, including transactions involving recapitalizations of debt and equity structures, ownership changes, and taxable sale and purchase transactions. These transactions have often included issues related to managing the implications of cancellation of indebtedness income and maximizing the utilization of tax attributes such as net operating losses.

I received my law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and my business degree with an accounting concentration from the University of Michigan. I’m a former chair of the Taxation Section of the Michigan Bar Association and am frequently invited to speak on emerging tax issues, mergers and acquisitions, and tax practice issues.

Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, golfing, spending time with my family, and watching both of my children continue their athletic careers at collegiate levels.