Ms. Havard concentrates her practice in all areas of transfer taxes, estate planning and administration, fiduciary income tax and trust administration, and business law. She regularly employs efficient wealth transfer planning techniques and assists clients with estate and tax planning as well as business successions. She helps nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt status matters with a focus on compliance. Additionally, she helps employers with qualified and non-qualified deferred compensation plans. While in law school, Ms. Havard served as an intern in the NYS Attorney General’s Office Health Bureau, conducted legal research on tax benefits of corporate restructuring in Moscow, Russia and worked as a research assistant to a taxation faculty professor at Albany Law School. She speaks English, Russian and German.
Recent Accomplishments
- Successfully obtained 501©(3) status for a private foundation making contributions to a foreign charity
- Completed complex, semi-complex and simple estate plans
- Worked on appeals regarding federal gift and estate tax
- Obtained tax relief for nonprofit organizations
- Assisted small business owners with business succession and dispute resolutions
- Formed private and public charities
- Advised on Fiduciary income tax planning
Honors
- "Impact" Award, American Association of University Women, Erie Branch
- John Dugan Prize for academic excellence in tax law and policy, Albany Law School
- Joseph Rosch Prize for highest standing in administrative law, Albany Law School
- Securities Regulations Prize, Albany Law School
- Capital Region Bankruptcy Bar Association Justin Mahoney Memorial Prize, Albany Law School
Speaking Engagements & Publications
- Healthcare Ventures Alliance Long-Term Care Law Seminar (topic: CARES Act, The Secure Act and Administrative Pronouncement related to 403(b) Retirement Plans), June 2020
- Secure Act Update to Edward Jones Representatives, February 2020
- Secure Act Update to Northwest Bank, January 2020
- Firm's Annual Professional Advisor Symposium, October 2013-2016; 2018-2019
- Principal and Income Act of PA, NY and OH, to Northwest Bank, March 2018
- Estate Planning Seminar Hosted by United Way of Erie County, February 2018
- Foundation for Sustainable Forests "Loving the Land" Conference, May 2017
- Erie County Bar Association Lunch-N-Learn Seminar: 2015 Federal and State Statutory and Case Law Update, January 2016
- Erie County Bar Association Lunch-N-Learn Seminar: Case Law Update, April 2015
- National Business Institute seminar, "Drafting Effective Wills and Trusts," Erie, PA, December 2014
- LifeWorks Erie Estate Planning Lecture Series on Powers of Attorney, October 2014
- "Protect Your Assets" Seminar hosted by Crawford Heritage and Bridge Builders Community Foundations, August 2013
- W.I.L.D. Conference (Women in Leadership Development), April 2014
- National Business Institute seminar, "The Probate Process From Start to Finish," Erie, PA, December 2013
- "What Do You Need to Know About Estate Planning?" Community Access Television, Erie, PA, January - February 2013
- “The Trust Language” presentation focusing on the trust language and its legal impact, Erie, PA, June 2012
- “Tax Act of 2010” presentation before the Erie County Bar Association, PA, on gift, income and GST tax provisions, April 2011
- “Ethical Wills” presentation on ethical wills before the Women’s Roundtable, Erie, PA, March 2010
- "The Comparative Analysis of Tax Incentives Provided by the United States, The United Kingdom, and Russia to Domestic and Foreign Businesses"; Albany Law Review, Vol. 67, Number 4, Page 1159 (2004), NY
Community & Professional Service
- Estate Planning Council of Erie, Board of Directors
- Erie Philharmonic, Board of Governors Member
- AAUW, Member; Past Co-President
- The Woman’s Club of Erie, Inc., Member
- Juniors Girl Scouts, Troop Volunteer