Our Member Company Spotlight features Zaino Hall & Farrin LLC. Thanks to Thomas Zaino, managing member of the Columbus firm, for talking to us about your company. Learn more about this Ohio Chamber member on their website at www.zhftaxlaw.com.
“Our Firm values its relationship with the Ohio Chamber. We increased our investment by becoming a Chamber Champion in 2015, to further support the Chamber’s effective efforts to advocate for business-friendly policies to make Ohio more attractive for growing our business.”
When was the company established?
The company was established as of January 1, 2013, by attorneys that were formerly with the Columbus office of a large regional law firm (McDonald Hopkins LLC) that is based in Cleveland.
Where are you located?
The Firm’s offices are located in downtown Columbus on the 36th floor of the Huntington Center. We have a great view of Columbus on a sunny day. We can see all the state of Ohio downtown government office buildings, including the statehouse—we explain to our clients that, from this vantage point, we are able to keep an eye on government policy makers for them.
Do you have additional facilities? If so, how many in Ohio, and how many outside of Ohio?
No.
How many employees do you have in Ohio?
We started in 2013 with 8 employees and currently have 17 employees.
What is your company mission/purpose and what service do you provide?
Our firm is a law firm focusing on multistate and local tax, federal tax, and government affairs. Our attorney and non-attorney professionals, many of whom are certified public accountants or former state tax officials, work together to assist clients with all aspects of state and local tax matters. Because the ZHF team has worked inside government, inside industry, and at large accounting and law firms, we can handle all facets of tax issues, including consultation on initial tax planning, performing refund reviews, defending against tax audits, or litigating tax cases to the highest levels.
We recently established our wholly-owned subsidiary, ZHF Consulting LLC, which focuses on federal and state government affairs. We leverage our solid reputation and experience to provide high-value government relations services. ZHF takes a disciplined approach, developing specific action plans designed to achieve results. Our team has the know-how to work proactively with policy makers and government officials to achieve our clients’ government affairs goals.
Our unique team understands how government works and we have a proven track record of leveraging that understanding to achieve the best results for our clients, both in tax matters and in government affairs matters.
Is there any product or service that makes your company unique that you’d like other Ohio businesses to know about?
Unlike other law firms that represent both taxpayers and governmental jurisdictions, we never represent the government. Because we do not represent any government agencies or political subdivisions, our entire loyalty is devoted to our clients—taxpayers.
We have a unique team of professionals that have experience both in and out of government. For instance, our tax team includes a former Ohio Tax Commissioner, a former Ohio Attorney General Tax Section Chief, former Big-4 accounting firm professionals, a former public-company tax professional, and many other former Ohio Department of Taxation personnel. Our government affairs team includes a former U.S. Congressman, former state senator and House Speaker Pro Tempore, and former Ohio EPA legislative liaison and Ohio House staffer.
How long have you been a member of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce?
The Firm has been a member of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce since its inception in 2013. Our predecessor law firm was also a member for over 8 years.
Why did you join the Ohio Chamber of Commerce?
ZHF joined the Ohio Chamber of Commerce in order to continue the valuable relationship our team has had with the Chamber for over two decades. We want to be part of an organization that is dedicated to making Ohio a better place to do business and raise a family.
In your opinion, what is the most valuable benefit of being a member of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce?
Relationships. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce is the leading business association in Ohio and fosters the development of valuable relationships among business and government leaders. These relationships have enabled our Firm to participate in important efforts to advocate for positive government policies in Ohio.
