Howard B. Jacobson
Partner Emeritus
Areas of Focus
- Tax
- Private Equity Transactions
- Private Capital
- Provided tax advice for distressed, insolvent and bankrupt companies and their creditors.
- Provided tax planning advice to clients on business transactions.
- Counseled exempt organizations.
Howard retired from the partnership in 2023. He advised clients on the tax consequences of financial restructuring and bankruptcy reorganizations, taxable and tax-free stock and asset acquisitions and dispositions, partnership and limited liability formations and transactions, public and private offerings of equity and debt, real estate investments, exempt organizations governance and taxation, American Indian tribal and member taxation and executive compensation.
Howard worked extensively with the firm’s financial restructuring practice to provide tax advice to official and informal committees of creditors, debtors, investors and other potential acquirers of businesses in chapter 11 and out-of-court restructuring proceedings.
Howard also worked extensively with our corporate group to provide tax structuring advice and diligence in connection with structuring new and existing businesses, as well as acquisitions and dispositions of those businesses.
In addition, Howard counseled exempt organizations, including public charities, private foundations and other exempt organizations. He was involved in resolving multiple disputes between exempt organizations.
Howard also advised American Indian tribes, as well as lenders to, and investors with, tribes on tax issues specific to the tribal governments, their business activities and their members, including taxable and tax-exempt financing transactions.
Within the firm, Howard served as a member of the Retirement Committee from its formation in 1990 through his retirement in 2023, including more than a decade as its chair. He also served as chair of the firm’s Health Insurance Committee for many years.
Financial Restructurings
- Advised creditors of energy companies, including Energy Future Holdings and Longview Power.
- Advised creditors in coal industry cases, including Arch Coal and James River Coal.
- Advised creditor committees of Washington Mutual and creditors of other bank holding company cases.
- Advised creditor committees in opioid cases, including Purdue and Mallinckrodt.
- Advised creditors of communications and satellite companies, including iHeart Media and Cumulus Media.
- Advised creditors of airline industry companies, including Delta and Aeromexico.
EducationJ.D., Harvard Law School, cum laude, 1979
A.B., University of Michigan, with high distinction, 1976
J.D., Harvard Law School, cum laude, 1979
A.B., University of Michigan, with high distinction, 1976
ClerkshipsU.S. Tax Court
U.S. Tax Court
Bar AdmissionsDistrict of Columbia
District of Columbia
- The Best Lawyers in America, Tax Law, 2020-2022.
- Turnarounds & Workouts, Top Bankruptcy Tax Specialist, 2017-2018, 2020.
- Akin Pro Bono Hall of Fame, 2013.
- Rod Boggs Award from the Washington Lawyers’ Committee, 2022.
- Member, Taxation Section, American Bar Association
- Member, Taxation Section, D.C. Bar Association
- General Counsel, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs