Tax lawyer Venar Ayar has also run several business ventures, that put him in a position to understand the perspectives of business clients.
By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Tax lawyer Venar Ayar remembers helping a homeless client, living in her car, ready to give her son up for adoption because she hadn't filed her tax returns.
“Tax problems can have real severe consequences in people's lives,” Ayar says. “Some clients have been in disastrous situations. It's rewarding to use my knowledge of how the system works and how the government operates to solve problems. It gives me an opportunity to be creative and figure out solutions that other people might not see. You can really change people's lives.”
The founder and owner of Ayar Law in Farmington Hills and Grand Rapids, Ayar also recalls outsmarting the IRS in an audit case involving a family-owned restaurant, owned by immigrant parents. Their son was listed as the owner on paper, though the parents exercised total financial control.
“The auditor wanted to extend the statute of limitations on the first year of the audit, but I refused, citing that the father was going through terminal cancer and we didn't want to prolong things,” Ayar says.
“The auditor issued his report assessing the son a significant amount in taxes. Meanwhile, I continued fighting the rest of the audit and convinced the auditor that the son wasn't really the owner—it was the parents. He agreed and moved the restaurant to the parents' names.
“When I got to appeals on the son's case for the first year, I argued that it was an easy case: the son didn't even own the restaurant, so he shouldn't owe the additional tax and should get a refund for what he'd already paid. Appeals agreed. But by then, the statute of limitations had run out on assessing the parents for that year, so nobody ended up having to pay approximately $100,000 in taxes. I had the foresight to see that coming, and plan for it.”
Ayar earned a BBA from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, his dream was to own a business. Nearing graduation, he took the LSAT—and landed a scholarship to Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego.
In the law school’s top-tier tax program, his interest was piqued by a professor who explained that in business transactions, the tax attorney is making strategic decisions, not just tailoring contracts.
“That opened my eyes,” Ayar says. “Tax law came naturally to me—unlike other areas of law with endless case analysis, tax has clear rules—the Internal Revenue Code.”
In a joint JD/LLM program, Ayar finished his JD in 30 months, and his LLM in that same semester.
Ayar notes tax law is structured differently from other areas of law.
“Cases become codified into regulations, so there's a clear book of rules rather than having to read hundreds of cases and draw analogies—relatively speaking. My brain just worked well with that systematic approach. I'd go to class with just my code book and could answer questions without even buying the textbooks,” he says.
“People think tax law is boring, but it's actually incredibly creative,” he adds.
“You get to look at problems from a bigger picture and figure out solutions. Sometimes those solutions require months or years of planning and positioning. It allows me to be strategic and see solutions that others might not.”
Ayar’s tax law practice started as a solo practice in a 10-by-12 office, and has grown steadily —including the opening of an office in Grand Rapids on January 1.
His business ventures—that have included an accounting and tax preparation service, supermarkets, and a hotel—put him in a position to understand the perspectives of his clients.
“Coming from a family of entrepreneurs and having been in various businesses myself, I understand their plight, their struggles, and what they're really after,” he says.
“Tax problems are just numbers on paper until you figure out what's really at stake, how it's impacting someone's life, their livelihood, and their goals. My business background helps me understand what really matters to my clients and how to solve problems in a way that makes their lives better.”
Legal News
Tax lawyer Venar Ayar remembers helping a homeless client, living in her car, ready to give her son up for adoption because she hadn't filed her tax returns.
“Tax problems can have real severe consequences in people's lives,” Ayar says. “Some clients have been in disastrous situations. It's rewarding to use my knowledge of how the system works and how the government operates to solve problems. It gives me an opportunity to be creative and figure out solutions that other people might not see. You can really change people's lives.”
The founder and owner of Ayar Law in Farmington Hills and Grand Rapids, Ayar also recalls outsmarting the IRS in an audit case involving a family-owned restaurant, owned by immigrant parents. Their son was listed as the owner on paper, though the parents exercised total financial control.
“The auditor wanted to extend the statute of limitations on the first year of the audit, but I refused, citing that the father was going through terminal cancer and we didn't want to prolong things,” Ayar says.
“The auditor issued his report assessing the son a significant amount in taxes. Meanwhile, I continued fighting the rest of the audit and convinced the auditor that the son wasn't really the owner—it was the parents. He agreed and moved the restaurant to the parents' names.
“When I got to appeals on the son's case for the first year, I argued that it was an easy case: the son didn't even own the restaurant, so he shouldn't owe the additional tax and should get a refund for what he'd already paid. Appeals agreed. But by then, the statute of limitations had run out on assessing the parents for that year, so nobody ended up having to pay approximately $100,000 in taxes. I had the foresight to see that coming, and plan for it.”
Ayar earned a BBA from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, his dream was to own a business. Nearing graduation, he took the LSAT—and landed a scholarship to Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego.
In the law school’s top-tier tax program, his interest was piqued by a professor who explained that in business transactions, the tax attorney is making strategic decisions, not just tailoring contracts.
“That opened my eyes,” Ayar says. “Tax law came naturally to me—unlike other areas of law with endless case analysis, tax has clear rules—the Internal Revenue Code.”
In a joint JD/LLM program, Ayar finished his JD in 30 months, and his LLM in that same semester.
Ayar notes tax law is structured differently from other areas of law.
“Cases become codified into regulations, so there's a clear book of rules rather than having to read hundreds of cases and draw analogies—relatively speaking. My brain just worked well with that systematic approach. I'd go to class with just my code book and could answer questions without even buying the textbooks,” he says.
“People think tax law is boring, but it's actually incredibly creative,” he adds.
“You get to look at problems from a bigger picture and figure out solutions. Sometimes those solutions require months or years of planning and positioning. It allows me to be strategic and see solutions that others might not.”
Ayar’s tax law practice started as a solo practice in a 10-by-12 office, and has grown steadily —including the opening of an office in Grand Rapids on January 1.
His business ventures—that have included an accounting and tax preparation service, supermarkets, and a hotel—put him in a position to understand the perspectives of his clients.
“Coming from a family of entrepreneurs and having been in various businesses myself, I understand their plight, their struggles, and what they're really after,” he says.
“Tax problems are just numbers on paper until you figure out what's really at stake, how it's impacting someone's life, their livelihood, and their goals. My business background helps me understand what really matters to my clients and how to solve problems in a way that makes their lives better.”
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