Catherine Hines is counsel practicing in the Tax and Corporate Departments at McLane Middleton, bringing extensive experience in advising businesses, individuals, and tax-exempt organizations on sophisticated federal and state tax planning and transactional issues. She provides strategic counsel aimed at minimizing tax liabilities, ensuring compliance, and achieving clients’ long-term objectives.

Catherine advises businesses on the tax implications of their business decisions. This includes structuring new ventures, navigating the tax aspects of mergers, acquisitions, sales, spin-offs, and reorganizations, and optimizing tax strategies for ongoing operations. She provides guidance on complex issues related to choice of entity, corporate tax (including S corporation planning), partnership tax (including allocations and distributions), and individual taxation.

Catherine also provides counsel on the tax aspects of designing, implementing, and administering non-qualified deferred compensation arrangements and equity-based compensation (including stock options, restricted stock, stock appreciation rights, and profits interests). She advises employers and executives on the tax implications of these arrangements, ensuring compliance with applicable law, including Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code. She also assists with the tax aspects of executive employment agreements and severance arrangements.

Catherine received her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard University, her M.H.S.A from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and her A.B., summa cum laude, from Cornell University. Prior to joining McLane Middleton, Catherine was an associate in the tax practice of a national law firm.