Our Founder
Salem Desir, Esq., LL.M.
Founder & Managing Attorney
Salem Desir doesn’t just interpret tax law—he uses it to build safeguards and strategic advantages for fast-moving businesses, international investors, and asset owners. As the founder of Desir Legal, Salem provides elite counsel at the critical intersection of international tax law, corporate compliance, and real estate tax defense.
With an LL.M. in Taxation from Boston University and a Juris Doctor from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, Salem bridges the gap between dense regulatory codes and actionable business execution. His practice is built for high-leverage landscapes, specializing in cross-border tax strategy, emerging financial technologies, and sophisticated real estate asset structures.
Salem has built a reputation for navigating complex federal reporting with absolute precision, regularly advising clients on intricate compliance matters, foreign investment asset structuring, and FIRPTA reporting. Fluent in English and Haitian Creole, he brings elite global clarity to both domestic and international client portfolios.
For CPAs seeking a sophisticated legal partner to protect their clients’ most complex tax positions, and for investors scaling through aggressive regulatory environments, Salem delivers high-stakes legal counsel designed to safeguard equity and ensure flawless compliance.
Joseph (Jay) B. Darby III, Esq.
Of Counsel
Joseph (“Jay”) B. Darby III has more than thirty years of experience representing clients in a wide range of tax, estate planning, and related business matters. His goal is to help clients enjoy their lives by reducing taxes, avoiding (or resolving) problems with taxing authorities, and passing personal wealth to the appropriate next destination.
Jay’s clients range from individuals to large public and private business entities, and while he has structured some of the most sophisticated transactions in the business arena, he is mindful of the fact that people rather than businesses ultimately pay taxes. Therefore, he always structures transactions with the goal of minimizing the tax costs and maximizing the after-tax return for the people he represents.
An early proponent of Opportunity Zones (an investment incentive created under the 2017 Tax Act), Jay has become one of the country’s go-to experts in the area, helping clients bring business investment and ultimately prosperity to some of the most challenged areas of the country.
Jay is the author of a highly acclaimed treatise, Practical Guide to Mergers, Acquisitions and Business Sales (click here to purchase).
