sbCA's Contributing sponsors

The Small Business Council of America is proud to introduce our contributing sponsors:

Lathrop & Gage L.C.

Lathrop & Gage L.C. offers the depth and strength of a large national firm with the hands-on service, management style and aggressive client service of a smaller regional firm with approximately 300 attorneys in 11 offices nationwide. Office locations include Boulder, CO, Columbia, MO, Clayton,  MO,  Denver, CO, Jefferson City, MO, Kansas City, MO, New York, NY, Overland Park, K., Springfield, MO, St. Louis, MO and Washington, D.C. (affiliate office.)

We counsel clients on many issues, including general corporate governance, corporate planning and organization, complex transactions, banking,  professional corporations, federal and state regulations and business litigation.  At Lathrop & Gage, emerging businesses receive the same talent and specialized knowledge as Fortune 100 companies.

Additionally, Lathrop & Gage serves both small and large businesses with  one of the largest and most experienced intellectual property practice groups with 50 IP attorneys who are backed by a litigation department of more than 180 attorneys. Our health care department is also one of the largest and most respected teams in the region and has extensive experience in providing advice and counseling to health care providers - large and small - regarding regulatory and reimbursement issues, litigation matters and complex transactions.

More than half of the firm’s attorneys have received Martindale Hubbell’s highest rating, dozens are listed in Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America and are inducted into the prestigious American colleges of their practice areas. In 2006, Worth, a magazine that caters to families of substantial wealth, recognized  two Lathrop & Gage attorneys  as among the top 100 wealth strategies attorneys in the country.  Also, Chambers USA ranked Lathrop & Gage’s corporate, intellectual property, litigation, real estate and labor and employment practices among the best in the Midwest, noting the firm is populated with "excellent legal advisers with a strong commitment to customer service." 

Founded in 1873, Lathrop & Gage is the oldest law firm west of the Mississippi River and still represents its first client, now known as BNSF Railway Company.

Lathrop & Gage's primary contact with the SBCA:

Alson R. Martin

Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.

Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. was founded in 1889 in Kansas City, Missouri. SHB now has offices in Kansas City, Missouri, Overland Park, Kansas, as well as Houston, Washington, D.C., Miami, Tampa, San Francisco, London, Zurich, Geneva and Buenos Aires. The firm has over 550 attorneys with many non-attorney specialists with advanced degrees in other disciplines, including medicine, nursing, engineering, finance, languages and toxicology.

SHB is well known for its business, corporate finance, commercial, tax, health care, telecommunications, energy, real estate and employee benefits practices. In addition, it has a national reputation in complex litigation of various types. It has over 20 lawyers listed in Best Lawyers in America, three members in American College of Tax Counsel, and many others with professional recognition. In addition, a former FCC commissioner, former general counsel for the Federal Trade Commission, and a former counsel to the Treasury are also members of our Washington, D.C. office. Our environmental practice group provides expertise in business and litigated matters. In addition, SHB has an intellectual property department of over 30 lawyers and provides expertise from traditional intellectual property pursuits and litigation to Internet and e-commerce company issues.

SHB counsels businesses with systems and preventive measures including EPA and employment law compliance, including the ADA, OSHA, Family Medical Leave Act, etc. Finally, the firm is active in pro bono work and the SHB volunteers, a corps of attorneys and other firm members, have received various awards for their voluntary activities. While based in the United States, we are proud to be citizens of the world with several overseas offices.

Baker & Hostetler, LLP

www.bakerlaw.com

Baker Hostetler is one of the nation's top 100 law firms with more than 600 attorneys serving clients around the country and throughout the world. Established in 1916 by Newton D. Baker, U.S. Secretary of War during World War I, and former Mayor of Cleveland, the firm now has offices in ten U.S. cities across four time zones. Baker Hostetler is a multidisciplinary firm with 11 practice groups and 55 areas of practice strength.  In 2006, Baker Hostetler celebrated its 90th anniversary. This milestone represents more than longevity. It signifies a time to salute the many important clients and friends who have grown with us—many whose organizations we have served for not simply years, but decades.

Baker Hostetler is Counsel to Market Leaders. Our clients include businesses and individuals that are leaders nationally, globally, regionally and locally. Many are in the top of their market segments in virtually every industry, and many are household names. Others are leaders of the future—companies with the aspiration and will to drive tomorrow's high-growth industries.

For more information, contact Neil Carrey at ncarrey@bakerlaw.com or 310-442-8835.
http://www.bakerlaw.com

Baker & Hostetler's main contact with the SBCA:

Neil Carrey, Esq.

Neil Carrey [B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and J.D. from Stanford Law School] is an Of Counsel member of the Health Law Group of Jenkens & Gilchrist, although he also specializes in ERISA, tax and corporate matters. He is a Director of the Small Business Council of America and has taught the class on qualified retirement plans at the Paralegal School of the University of Southern California and lectures at the USC Dental School.

In addition to an active law practice, Mr. Carrey has devoted, and continues to devote, many hours to civic and charitable activities. He presently is a Recreation and Parks Commissioner for the City of Santa Monica, California, and is the President of the Santa Monica Police Activities League; the President of several nonprofit organizations dealing with economically disadvantaged youth; a Director of a number of nonprofit organizations, including Padres Contra El Cancer, the Santa Monica Youth Athletic Foundation, and the Santa Monica League of Women Voters; serves on the Advisory Boards or acts as a volunteer consultant to a number of nonprofit organizations, including the Advisors Council for the Childrens Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, the California 33rd PTA District, the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation, the Madison Theater of Santa Monica College and the University of Pennsylvania Women’s Sports Advisory Board. Mr. Carrey also Chairs the Title IX-Gender Equity Committee for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and over the years Chaired and served on many other advisory committees to the school district, including having been selected by the Superintendent to serve as one of four members of the select Financial Advisory Committee. In the past, Mr. Carrey also served as an officer of many additional nonprofit organizations, including serving for 8 years as the President of the University of Pennsylvania Alumni Organization of Southern California and the Santa Monica Little League and an officer of a Child Care Center. For 15 years, Mr. Carrey also coached a number of different youth athletic teams, including Little League, Bobby Sox Softball and American Youth Soccer teams.

Mr. Carrey has received a number of honors and awards from the University of Pennsylvania, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District PTA and the school district itself and most recently received the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Venice/Santa Monica Chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens. He was also selected as one of the 103 most influential people in the Santa Monica/Venice and surrounding areas.

Matthews Benefit Group, Inc.

Matthews Benefit Group, Inc. is an independent benefits and actuarial consulting and plan administration firm. The company provides design, consulting, compliance testing and plan administration services for a wide range of employers and types of qualified and nonqualified retirement plans. The company’s professionals also provide access to state-of-the-art recordkeeping systems for daily valuation of participant accounts.

MBG’s primary contacts with the SBCA:

Gregory E. Matthews

Mr. Matthews, CPA, is a graduate of the University of Tampa (mathematics) and completed his accounting studies at Strayer College and American University, Washington, D.C. He is a nationally recognized expert on the design and administration of pension, 401(k), cafeteria plans, payroll and flexible benefits. He is a member of the Florida and American Institutes of Certified Public Accountants and American Payroll Association and served as Executive Vice President of the Florida Institute of CPAs. Mr. Matthews is the creator, author and editor of the monthly benefit newsletter, 401(k) Advisor, from Panel Publishers. For seven years he wrote Flexible Benefits and the Pension Answer Book – Forms and Worksheets, also from Panel Publishers. Mr. Matthews currently authors the Payroll Answer Book, an authoritative resource for payroll processing and benefit taxation that is distributed by Aspen Law & Business.

Bruce J. Temkin

Bruce J. Temkin is an Enrolled Actuary. He is a nationally recognized authority on qualified plans, their distributions and retirement decision-making. He has authored, taught and published numerous advanced continuing education programs on these subjects. Recent programs include national conferences sponsored by the American Law Institute, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, American College of Trust and Estate Council, American Society of Actuaries, just to name a few.

Mr. Temkin is a sought-after speaker to employee benefit groups throughout the United States and also frequently addresses tax institutes, such as The Notre Dame Tax Institute, Southern Federal Tax Institute, Kansas Tax Institute, USC Tax Institute, on a variety of employee benefit topics. He is also a frequent speaker to numerous other statewide sponsored accounting and legal society programs throughout the United States. He has the distinction of both developing and chairing the American Law Institute-American Bar Association’s national program on financial decision-making for lawyers and their clients.

He is a frequently quoted resource to various news and financial publications, such as Newsweek, Forbes, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Nation’s Business, on a variety of employee benefit, tax, and retirement issues. Recent works include “Maximizing Benefits from IRAs and Qualified Plans” and the critically acclaimed book, The Terrible Truth About Investing.

Waldheger-Coyne

Waldheger-Coyne was formed in 1992 by Ron Waldheger and Mike Coyne (who had practiced law together since 1979) with the goal of maintaining strong personal and professional relationships with clients, practicing law with passion and enthusiasm, and finding innovative ways of contributing to their clients' success.

Waldheger-Coyne's style is straightforward and personal. We appreciate the complexity of situations but attempt to find the simplest legal solution.

Always, our goal is to find an efficient way to accomplish our clients' objectives.

Waldheger-Coyne offers a broad range of business and personal legal services. While many of the firm's clients are involved in healthcare, we also represent a large number of owner-operated and family-owned businesses engaged in manufacturing, sales and personal services, as well as individuals who need assistance in planning, negotiations or dispute resolution.

Waldheger-Coyne's primary contacts with the SBCA:

Ronald J. Waldheger, Esq.

Ron's practice focuses on the business and contracting structures of private health care providers. He is General Counsel for numerous clinics and group practices, multi-site physician groups, physician-controlled alternative delivery systems, "Clinics Without Walls," Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Independent Testing Centers, and Ancillary Service Centers. He is a nationally known speaker on structuring health care ventures, antitrust, fraud and abuse, the 'Stark Laws' and national health care reform. Ron has served as Chair of the annual Health Law Group Conference in Washington, D.C. for 15 years. He is the Chairman of the Small Business Council of America (SBCA) Task Force on Health Care Reform and has been the primary draftsman of its Position Papers. He has testified before Congress and is actively engaged in presenting the providers' perspective on healthcare reform to many members of Congress.
Ron graduated Phi Beta Kappa with "highest distinction" with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Affairs from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He attended Georgetown University Law School (J.D., 1976) where he was also employed as a coordinator of their legal writing program.

Michael P. Coyne

Mike's practice focuses on business and tax planning for closely-held businesses and professional practices, and design and implementation of qualified retirement plans. He also spends a significant amount of time assisting professional practices in mergers and restructuring.
Mike is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University (1974) and Case Western Reserve University School of Law (1979), where he serves on the adjunct faculty of the school's graduate tax program.

He is an advocate for small business, having served for the past several years on the Board of Directors of the Small Business Council of America, a tax lobbying organization. He has also frequently spoken on matters related to his areas of practice and is a member of the Cleveland, Ohio, and American Bar Associations.

Paley Rothman

Paley Rothman is one of the leading law firms in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area. Founded in 1972, the firm enjoys a diverse client base, including corporations, partnerships, banks, trade associations, non-profit organizations, family-owned businesses and individuals. The firm has expanded to over 35 attorneys.

We are proud of our Maryland heritage and our size: small enough to provide sustained personalized attention and large enough to meet sophisticated needs. Our lawyers are widely recognized in their fields on the national, regional and local level. We publish, speak, and teach about the constantly changing issues of today and tomorrow. Our involvement with federal, state and local officials on new laws and regulations gives extra depth to our expertise.

Our firm's size allows us to provide personal attention to our clients, yet enables us to offer sophisticated legal advice in the following wide range of areas: Corporate & Securities; Creditors' Rights & Bankruptcy; Employee Benefits; Employment Law; Estate Planning & Administration; Family Law; Financial Services; Government Contracts; Health Care; Litigation; Real Estate; Retirement Plans; Taxation and Technology.

Our record of service and results for our clients is demonstrated best by the confidence shown by clients who return again and again for solutions to their many needs, and by the fact that new clients are frequently referred to us by existing clients, other professionals and our peers in the legal profession.

Paley Rothman's primary contact with the SBCA:

Paula A. Calimafde, Esq.

Paula A. Calimafde is a partner at Paley Rothman where she chairs the firm's Retirement Plans Practice Area and the Employee Benefits Practice Area. Ms. Calimafde has nearly 30 years of experience advising companies and tax-exempt organizations on qualified and non-qualified retirement plans and employee benefits, including cafeteria plans. She is a nationally recognized leader in the field of creative retirement plan designs for businesses. She works closely with owners or management to prepare retirement plans which suit the particular needs of the business. Ms. Calimafde also concentrates on estate planning, particularly advising individuals with significant retirement plan assets. For nearly 30 years, she has been a legislative advocate for businesses in the Federal tax and employee benefits arena. Ms. Calimafde is the current Chair, past President and a member of the Board of Directors of the Small Business Council of America. She received her B.A. from Swarthmore College and her J.D. from Catholic University. She is admitted to practice in Maryland and in the District of Columbia.

Ms. Calimafde has lectured for national, regional and local associations, including the ABA, ALI-ABA and the IRS Employee Benefits Conference. She has testified on numerous occasions before the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee and has been a panelist for Congressional Members and Staff for the Senate/House Ad Hoc Steering Committee on Retirement Income Security for Americans.

She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Small Business Legislative Council (1992-), Past Chair (1988-1990) and Vice Chair (1986-1988) of the Closely Held Committee of the ABA Tax Section, Charter Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, Advisory Board of the Journal of S Corporation Taxation from 1989-1994 and the Editorial Advisory Panel of Pension & Benefit Power, 2003-. In 1986, Ms. Calimafde was elected a delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business and was subsequently appointed as one of eleven National Commissioners. In 1995, Ms. Calimafde was appointed by the White House to serve as a Presidential Delegate at the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business.

© SBCA 2006
Neither SBCA Inc., nor any individual member of this association assumes any liability for any action taken based on any articles contained herein.