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Structuring the Business Exit: QSBS Conversions and Deal Tax in 2026

OBBBA rewrote the exit-tax math. Learn to convert LLCs into QSBS issuers, choose asset versus stock structures, document goodwill allocations, and characterize earnouts before the sale closes.

2026-09-18 13:00:00

Program Details

2026-09-18 13:00:00

Program Details

2026-09-18 13:00:00

Over 1,000+ webinars

2026-09-18 13:00:00

Course Overview

The Old Exit Playbook Died on July 4, 2025

2026-09-18 13:00:00

The OBBBA rewrote the rules for selling a closely held business. Effective July 4, 2025, the QSBS exclusion ceiling rises to $15 million, bonus depreciation returns permanently at 100%, and the Section 199A deduction expands. A new tiered exclusion regime rewards conversions planned years before the sale.

The stakes arrive early. Pick the wrong conversion pathway and QSBS eligibility dies at formation. Miss the FMV basis rule and the built-in gain trap swallows the exclusion. Ignore Section 1202(a)(6)(B) and the holding period never tacks. Skip the factual predicates and a personal goodwill allocation collapses in audit. Leto v. United States shows how the eligibility tests fail in practice.

Attendees leave with working frameworks for pre-conversion structuring, stacking strategies, and documentation standards. They gain practical tools for structure selection, pre-sale restructuring decisions, and audit-risk mitigation on contested allocations. The program turns the new statute into decisions you can execute for selling owners.

Format

CLE Credit

2h CLE Credits

Level

Intermediate

Length

2

Key topics that will be covered

01
Post-OBBBA QSBS Regime
What the July 4, 2025 changes reward and what stayed the same.
02
Conversion Pathways
Check-the-box, statutory conversion, and assets-over, plus original issuance and gross asset tests.
03
Basis and Holding Traps
How the FMV basis rule and tacking trap cap your exclusion.
04
Pre-Conversion Planning
Stacking, timing, state conformity, and documentation moves before the conversion.
05
Deal Structure Choices
Asset versus stock sales and when 338(h)(10) or 336(e) elections pay.
06
Goodwill and Earnouts
Personal goodwill allocations and earnout characterization that survive audit.

Program schedule

clock 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EST

Converting LLCs and Partnerships into QSBS Issuers Under the Post-OBBBA Rules

This session covers the mechanics and planning considerations for converting LLC and partnership structures into C corporations eligible to issue Qualified Small Business Stock under the post-OBBBA rules effective July 4, 2025. Attorneys will learn the three primary conversion pathways, the FMV basis rule and its effect on gain exclusion calculations, the holding period tacking trap created by the new tiered exclusion regime, and how to satisfy the original issuance, active business, and gross asset requirements. Attendees leave with a working framework for advising clients on pre-conversion structuring, stacking strategies, documentation standards, and state conformity exposure.

Mark A. MeltonMark A. Melton
Brian M. BalduzziBrian M. Balduzzi
clock 2:10 pm - 3:10 pm EST

Tax Structures for the Sale of a Closely Held Business

This session examines the principal tax structures available when selling a closely held business in the post-OBBBA environment, including asset versus stock deal architecture, personal goodwill planning for C corporation sellers, and earnout characterization. Attorneys will learn how the OBBBA’s permanent restoration of 100% bonus depreciation, the expanded Section 199A deduction, and the raised QSBS exclusion ceiling reshape deal-tax planning for pass-through and corporate sellers alike. Attendees leave with practical frameworks for advising selling owners on structure selection, pre-sale restructuring decisions, and audit-risk mitigation on contested allocations.

Mark A. MeltonMark A. Melton
Brian M. BalduzziBrian M. Balduzzi
Mark A. Melton

Mark A. Melton

Holland & Knight LLP

Brian M. Balduzzi

Brian M. Balduzzi

Holland & Knight LLP

Mark A. Melton

Mark A. Melton

Holland & Knight LLP

Mark A. Melton is a partner in Holland & Knight’s Dallas office and co-chair of the firm’s Tax, Executive Compensation and Benefits Practice Group. He advises on Section 1202 qualified small business stock (QSBS) issues and on the federal income taxation of domestic and international transactions of private equity and hedge funds, other investment partnerships, joint ventures, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and operating businesses.

Education & Credentials

Mr. Melton earned his J.D., cum laude, from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, an M.S. in Taxation from The University of Texas at Arlington, and a B.B.A., with honors, from The University of Texas at Arlington. He is a certified public accountant (CPA) and a Level II candidate in the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program. He is admitted to practice in Texas and before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas and the U.S. Tax Court.

Recognition & Leadership

Mr. Melton is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for Tax Law (2026, 2027) and Corporate Law (2024–2027), in Chambers USA for Tax (2026), and in The Legal 500 USA for Tax – U.S. Taxes (2023, 2025, 2026) and Tax – International Tax (2025). He was named to Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Tax Lawyers (2025) and Texas Super Lawyers (2021–2025). He received the SMU Dedman School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award (2024) and the ABA Pro Bono Publico Award (2022), and he co-chairs Holland & Knight’s Tax, Executive Compensation and Benefits Practice Group.

Professional Involvement

Mr. Melton is a member of the American College of Tax Counsel, the Dallas Bar Association, and the Texas State Bar Association. His firm multimedia on qualified small business stock includes “Assessing Risk and Complexity with QSBS” and “The Power of Qualified Small Business Stock.”

Experience

Mr. Melton’s practice centers on Section 1202 QSBS issues and the federal income taxation of private equity and hedge funds, investment partnerships, joint ventures, REITs, and operating businesses. He assists clients with investment fund formation, mergers and acquisitions, real estate investment and development, and financial instruments and derivatives, and he handles complex partnership allocations, cross-border investments, and investments by sovereign wealth funds and other institutional investors. Before entering private practice, he served as a fund tax manager for a multibillion-dollar international private equity group.
Brian M. Balduzzi

Brian M. Balduzzi

Holland & Knight LLP

Brian M. Balduzzi is a Partner in Holland & Knight’s Philadelphia and New York offices and a member of the Global Wealth and Family Office Practice Group. He focuses his practice on estate planning, tax planning, charitable planning, business succession, family office services, trust and estate administration, and fiduciary matters for high-net-worth individuals, families, entrepreneurs, executives, fiduciaries, and closely held business owners. His work spans qualified small business stock planning, trust modification and decanting, and advanced vehicles such as spousal lifetime access trusts, intentionally defective grantor trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, and incomplete non-grantor trusts. Before joining Holland & Knight, he practiced in private client services at an AmLaw 100 firm, where he co-chaired its Family Office Initiative, and held fiduciary strategy roles at a leading trust company advising families with net worth from approximately $25 million to $4 billion.

Education & Credentials

He earned his LL.M. in Taxation and his J.D. from Boston University School of Law, an MBA from Cornell University, and a B.A. in English and Secondary Education, summa cum laude, from the State University of New York at Geneseo. He is licensed in Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, admitted before the U.S. Tax Court, and holds the Certified Financial Planner, Certified Exit Planning Advisor, Accredited Estate Planner, and Impact Philanthropic Advisor designations.

Recognition & Leadership

His honors include recognition as a Rising Star by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine (2023-2026), the American Bar Association On the Rise Top 40 Young Lawyers Award (2023), Forty Under 40 from City & State Pennsylvania (2023), the Young Leader Award from the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (2024), and the Young Lawyer's Chair Award from Boston University School of Law (2024).

Professional Involvement

He serves on the Council of the American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, where he holds multiple committee leadership roles, participates in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Mid-Atlantic Fellows Institute (2026), sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Estate and Tax Planning for the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils, and serves on the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Personal Financial Planning Thought Leadership Committee.

Experience

His representative work includes drafting complex wills and revocable and irrevocable trusts, developing strategies to minimize income, gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer taxes, forming and managing single and multifamily offices, advising business owners on succession planning and ownership transfer, representing estates, trustees, and beneficiaries in contested and uncontested matters, preparing private letter ruling requests, and representing individuals in state and federal tax audits.
Mark A. Melton

Mark A. Melton

Holland & Knight LLP

Mark A. Melton is a partner in Holland & Knight’s Dallas office and co-chair of the firm’s Tax, Executive Compensation and Benefits Practice Group. He advises on Section 1202 qualified small business stock (QSBS) issues and on the federal income taxation of domestic and international transactions of private equity and hedge funds, other investment partnerships, joint ventures, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and operating businesses.

Education & Credentials

Mr. Melton earned his J.D., cum laude, from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, an M.S. in Taxation from The University of Texas at Arlington, and a B.B.A., with honors, from The University of Texas at Arlington. He is a certified public accountant (CPA) and a Level II candidate in the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program. He is admitted to practice in Texas and before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas and the U.S. Tax Court.

Recognition & Leadership

Mr. Melton is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for Tax Law (2026, 2027) and Corporate Law (2024–2027), in Chambers USA for Tax (2026), and in The Legal 500 USA for Tax – U.S. Taxes (2023, 2025, 2026) and Tax – International Tax (2025). He was named to Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Tax Lawyers (2025) and Texas Super Lawyers (2021–2025). He received the SMU Dedman School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award (2024) and the ABA Pro Bono Publico Award (2022), and he co-chairs Holland & Knight’s Tax, Executive Compensation and Benefits Practice Group.

Professional Involvement

Mr. Melton is a member of the American College of Tax Counsel, the Dallas Bar Association, and the Texas State Bar Association. His firm multimedia on qualified small business stock includes “Assessing Risk and Complexity with QSBS” and “The Power of Qualified Small Business Stock.”

Experience

Mr. Melton’s practice centers on Section 1202 QSBS issues and the federal income taxation of private equity and hedge funds, investment partnerships, joint ventures, REITs, and operating businesses. He assists clients with investment fund formation, mergers and acquisitions, real estate investment and development, and financial instruments and derivatives, and he handles complex partnership allocations, cross-border investments, and investments by sovereign wealth funds and other institutional investors. Before entering private practice, he served as a fund tax manager for a multibillion-dollar international private equity group.
Brian M. Balduzzi

Brian M. Balduzzi

Holland & Knight LLP

Brian M. Balduzzi is a Partner in Holland & Knight’s Philadelphia and New York offices and a member of the Global Wealth and Family Office Practice Group. He focuses his practice on estate planning, tax planning, charitable planning, business succession, family office services, trust and estate administration, and fiduciary matters for high-net-worth individuals, families, entrepreneurs, executives, fiduciaries, and closely held business owners. His work spans qualified small business stock planning, trust modification and decanting, and advanced vehicles such as spousal lifetime access trusts, intentionally defective grantor trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, and incomplete non-grantor trusts. Before joining Holland & Knight, he practiced in private client services at an AmLaw 100 firm, where he co-chaired its Family Office Initiative, and held fiduciary strategy roles at a leading trust company advising families with net worth from approximately $25 million to $4 billion.

Education & Credentials

He earned his LL.M. in Taxation and his J.D. from Boston University School of Law, an MBA from Cornell University, and a B.A. in English and Secondary Education, summa cum laude, from the State University of New York at Geneseo. He is licensed in Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, admitted before the U.S. Tax Court, and holds the Certified Financial Planner, Certified Exit Planning Advisor, Accredited Estate Planner, and Impact Philanthropic Advisor designations.

Recognition & Leadership

His honors include recognition as a Rising Star by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine (2023-2026), the American Bar Association On the Rise Top 40 Young Lawyers Award (2023), Forty Under 40 from City & State Pennsylvania (2023), the Young Leader Award from the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (2024), and the Young Lawyer's Chair Award from Boston University School of Law (2024).

Professional Involvement

He serves on the Council of the American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, where he holds multiple committee leadership roles, participates in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Mid-Atlantic Fellows Institute (2026), sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Estate and Tax Planning for the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils, and serves on the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Personal Financial Planning Thought Leadership Committee.

Experience

His representative work includes drafting complex wills and revocable and irrevocable trusts, developing strategies to minimize income, gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer taxes, forming and managing single and multifamily offices, advising business owners on succession planning and ownership transfer, representing estates, trustees, and beneficiaries in contested and uncontested matters, preparing private letter ruling requests, and representing individuals in state and federal tax audits.

Credits by state

AK2.0
AL2.0
AR2.0
AZ2.0
CA2.0
CO2.0
CT2.0
DC2.0
DE2.0
FL2.5
GA2.0
HI2.0
IA2.0
ID2.0
IL2.0
IN2.0
KS2.0
KY2.0
LA2.0
MA2.0
MD2.0
ME2.0
MI2.0
MN2.0
MO2.4
MS2.0
MT2.0
NC2.0
ND2.0
NE2.0
NH120.0
NJ2.0
NM2.0
NV2.0
NY2.0
OH2.0
OK2.5
OR2.0
PA2.0
RI2.5
SC2.0
SD2.0
TN2.0
TX2.0
UT2.0
VA2.0
VT2.0
WA2.0
WI2.0
WV2.4
WY2.0

1000+

Live stream programs

24/7

Access to live webinars & recordings

70,000+

Trusted by Legal Professionals

1000+

Live stream programs

24/7

Access to live webinars & recordings

70,000+

Trusted by Legal Professionals

1000+

Live stream programs

24/7

Access to live webinars & recordings

10,000+

Trusted by Legal Professionals

1000+

Live stream programs

24/7

Access to live webinars & recordings

70,000+

Trusted by Legal Professionals

MCLE Credits

Alabama
Approved
Alaska
Approved
Arizona
Approved
Arkansas
Approved
California
Approved
Colorado
Pending
Connecticut
Approved
Delaware
Pending
District of Columbia
No Required
Florida
Approved
Georgia
Approved
Hawaii
Approved
Idaho
Pending
Illinois
Approved
Indiana
Approved
Iowa
Pending
Kansas
Pending
Kentucky
Pending
Louisiana
Pending
Maine
Pending
Maryland
No Required
Massachusetts
No Required
Michigan
No Required
Minnesota
Pending
Mississippi
Pending
Missouri
Approved
Montana
Pending
Nebraska
Pending
Nevada
Approved
New Hampshire
Approved
New Jersey
Approved
New Mexico
Approved
New York
Approved
North Carolina
Pending
North Dakota
Approved
Ohio
Approved
Oklahoma
Pending
Oregon
Pending
Pennsylvania
Approved
Rhode Island
Pending
South Carolina
Pending
South Dakota
No Required
Tennessee
Approved
Texas
Approved
Utah
Pending
Vermont
Approved
Virginia
Not Eligible
Washington
Approved
West Virginia
Pending
Wisconsin
Approved
Wyoming
Pending

Alabama

Requirements

The Alabama State Bar MCLE Commission requires attorneys to complete 12 credits, including 1 ethics, by December 31 of each year. All credits must be reported by February 15 of the following year. A maximum of 12 credits, including 1 ethics credit, may be carried over for 1 year only.  

Formats

  • Attorneys can earn unlimited “live” credit through live seminars, live webcasts, and co-sponsored locations with MyLAWCLE-Alabama approved programs
  • Attorneys are limited to 6 credits per compliance period of “online” programs through MyLAwCLE On-Demand programs