Counsel
Cerene O. Setliff
Cerene joined Blanco Tackabery in 2013 bringing considerable previous litigation experience. With her accounting background, she offers special insights and unique experience to her clients.
Cerene started her legal career with a litigation firm for over two years before joining Blanco Tackabery. She served as an Articles Editor for the Wake Forest Law Review while in law school. She has prior experience in public accounting, working with closely held businesses and high net worth individuals. Cerene is an Army veteran and also a CPA in North Carolina.
Areas of Focus
- Commercial finance
- Lending and workouts
- Business acquisitions
- Renewable Energy
Practice Highlights
- Cerene has helped a variety of individuals and businesses with corporate planning and tax matters.
- Negotiated inverted–lease and partnership–flip tax equity investment transaction documentation
- Negotiated membership interest and asset purchase agreements for solar projects
- Structured limited liability companies for use in asset protection and estate tax planning
- Formed not-for-profit entities and assisted those entities in obtaining tax exempt status
- Assisted charities in reinstating tax exempt status and obtaining penalty waivers
- Prepared business succession plans for a small, closely held businesses to ensure continuity for employees and family members in the event the owners are unable to continue managing business operations
- Submitted private letter rulings to the North Carolina Department of Revenue on complex tax issues
- Communicated with the tax authorities on behalf of clients on issues ranging from basic compliance and penalty waiver requests to more complicated issues such as partnership allocations and tax credit eligibility
Professional & Civic Activities
- Serves as Secretary on the Friends of Sherwood Forest Board of Directors