The one-pot syntheses of partially oxidized cobalt(III) phthalocyanine salts with axial halides, as well as a shorter route (single-step) for the axial dicyano counterpart are reported. The method utilizes an electrolytic reaction, and appears to be solvent dependent. Overlap integral calculations and electrical transport measurements indicate axial ligand effects on the molecular stacking of the cobalt phthalocyanine.