Ms. Menéndez’ career in state and local tax has evolved from various perspectives, including government, the private sector, academia and as an industry advocate.
Her career in state and local tax began with the Florida Department Revenue (the “Department”). During her tenure with the Department, Ms. Menéndez drafted and analyzed the Department’s administrative rules and technical rulings (binding and non-binding); developed and managed the Department’s voluntary disclosure program; and recommended and reviewed the Department’s final action on protested tax audit and enforcement assessments.
After leaving the Department, Ms. Menéndez was a tax manager for one of the leading accounting firms; and Senior Counsel at one of Florida’s largest law firms. She now practices at her own firm, where she practices real estate, probate, estate planning and other select matters; and where she continues to consult with clients on various state tax matters to significantly reduce their effective state tax liability, advise on tax planning techniques, and assist them in minimizing potential exposure. She has successfully represented clients at the administrative level in all phases of the audit and protest process, ruling requests and voluntary disclosures, and has successfully handled matters in litigation. Her clients range from local small family run businesses to international and multi-state Fortune 500 companies.
Ms. Menéndez’ experience in state and local tax also includes a Masters in Tax (LL.M.) from Georgetown University. While at Georgetown, she was a fellow for the Council On State Taxation (COST), the national “think-tank” on state and local tax matters, representing the interests of multi-state and multinational companies.
Her strong academic tax background, coupled with the diverse work place experiences, enable her to assess the competing interests from the perspective of someone who has taken one position or the other at some point in time. To that end, she has been successful in settling most cases with favorable results to her clients.
Ms. Menéndez is an adjunct professor for the Masters programs at Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University. She is also a regular speaker and instructor on state taxation. She has written numerous articles which have been published in leading state taxation journals, and instruction materials which are used in continuing education workshops and seminars.
Ms. Menéndez also contributes to her community. She is a member of the Broward County Hispanic Bar, National Conference of Puerto Rican Women, Inc. (NACOPRW), and Florida Bar (General Practice, Solo and Small Firm, Real Property Probate and Trust Law, and Tax Sections of The Florida Bar). She is also on the Board of Directors for Hispanic Unity of Florida and Puerto Rican Bar Association of Florida.