Overview
Marina A. Choundas is a business law and tax attorney at Foley & Lardner LLP, where she focuses her practice on the areas of general corporate law, corporate and partnership tax issues, fund formation, private equity offerings, investment funds management, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and mergers and acquisitions. Marina is a member of the firm’s Fund Formation & Investment Management Tax Practice. She has extensive experience advising clients on choice of entity and corporate governance issues, joint ventures, executive compensation alternatives, venture capital transactions, investment fund issues, stock and asset purchases and acquisitions, tax reorganizations and corporate restructurings. Marina has represented clients ranging from large, multinational corporations to start-up companies in the technology, health care, real estate, manufacturing, distribution and retail industries.
Education
Marina received her J.D. degree from Columbia University School of Law, where she was a senior editor for the Columbia Law Review. Following law school, Marina served a judicial clerkship with the Hon. Jacques L. Wiener Jr., U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. She received an LL.M. in taxation from New York University School of Law. Marina holds both her master's and bachelor's degrees in accounting from the University of South Florida and is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in Florida.
In 2017, Marina completed Harvard Business School’s Executive Education “Governance for Nonprofit Excellence” program.
Admissions
Admitted to practice in both Florida and New York, Marina is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Tax Court, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Languages
Marina is fluent in Spanish and conversant in Greek.
Speaking Engagements
- "Key Provisions of M&A Agreements," Association of Corporate Counsel West Central Florida Chapter's Corporate Law Symposium, Tampa, Florida
- "Savvy Tax Strategies," Women Presidents' Organization conference, Chicago, Illinois
- "SEC Executive Compensation Disclosure Rules," Edison Electric Institute conference, Naples, Florida
- "Limited Liability Company Update in Florida," National Business Institute seminar in Tampa, Florida
- "Summer Vocation: Insights from Foley's Diverse Attorneys," moderator, Columbia Law School Diversity Panel in New York, New York
- "Highlights of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008," Tax Section of the Hillsborough County Bar Association
- Numerous presentations on corporate tax developments as member of the Tax Council of Tampa Bay
Published Works
- "Significant Tax Provisions in the 'Bailout' Bill of 2008," Lawyer Magazine (The Hillsborough County Bar Association) and Noticias Newsletter (The Hispanic National Bar Association)
Community Engagement
Marina serves as chair of the board of directors of Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay, Inc., a nonprofit organization that recruits and trains senior-aged volunteers to address the needs of children, veterans and the elderly in the Tampa Bay community. In 2013 and 2019, Marina was recognized by the Bay Area Volunteer Lawyers Program’s Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee with a Silver Award for performing more than 50 hours of pro bono legal work.