Bernanke to give deposition in AIG bailout lawsuit
A U.S. judge has ordered that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke can be questioned in a lawsuit against the government filed by the former head of American International Group Inc.
Education
Law School/Year: University of San Diego School of Law, 1990
University of San Diego School of Law, LLM in Taxation Law, 1999
College/Year: Cornell University, 1982
Bar Admissions
California; U.S. Tax Court; U.S. Court of Federal Claims; U.S. District Court, Southern and Central District of California; U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
Practice Areas
Corporate Business; Real Estate; Taxation
Major Cases
I have served as an expert witness in ERISA cases, but my practice is primarily focused on transactional work. I advise employers on all aspects of employee benefit plans and executive compensation. I represent employers in IRS audits of benefit plans such as 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, ESOPs, Health Plans, Cash Balance Pension Plans and Cafeteria Plans. I prepare and review QDROs. I also advise how the prohibited transaction rules apply to pension plans and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). I also advise employers on compliance issues under COBRA, HIPAA and Section 409A of the Code, as well as under the Affordable Care Act.
Professional Background
I am a Certified Specialist in Taxation Law. I have taught the course in Pension Law as an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Diego School of Law. Before joining Higgs Fletcher & Mack, LLP in March of 2013, I was at Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps LLP, which merged into McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP in 2012. Before that, I worked at Branton & Wilson APC and at Merrill, Schultz & Wolds Ltd. I did labor and employment law work earlier in my career, but now I focus on employee benefits.
Professional Affiliations
I am active in the San Diego Chapter of the Western Pension & Benefits Council, and I have served as its President (2007-2008) and as a board member (2002-2010).
I was chair of the Taxation Law Section of the San Diego County Bar Association (2002-2004) and have attended almost every meeting over the past twelve years.
Personal Affiliations
I play tennis at the Pacific Beach Tennis Club.
Personal Background
I went to high school in the Syracuse, NY area. After graduating from Cornell University, I enlisted in the US Army as an Infantryman. I came to San Diego in 1987 to attend law school at USD. I met my wife Connie at the firm of Merrill, Schultz & Wolds in 1990. Connie is now the franchising attorney for Jack In The Box. We live in Pacific Beach with our 18-year-old twins (Lawrence and Vivian) and five chickens in the backyard.
Aug. 14, 2013 -- Reporter Doug Sherwin talks with attorney Lonny Zilberman, a partner with Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP and a 2013 Top Attorney, about sexual harassment lawsuits and the nuances of these types of cases.
A U.S. judge has ordered that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke can be questioned in a lawsuit against the government filed by the former head of American International Group Inc.
Partner liability has emerged as one of the most important issues for law firms and is increasingly the crucial factor that determines building selection and the structure of other economic lease terms. Arguments over liability complicate — even kill — otherwise easy lease transactions. Law firm decision-makers contemplating a relocation or renewal would be well-served to understand and carefully consider how they intend to deal with partner liability from the outset.
Top Attorneys 2013 pays tribute to San Diego County's legal cream of the crop. It is the culmination of a lengthy peer voting process that began in April with the announcement of a call for nominations. San Diego County lawyers were asked who among their peers -- with whom they had professional experience -- were worthy of recognition.
When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in June, it opened up more than 1,000 federal benefits and responsibilities to legally married same-sex couples.
Thomas Guernsey has been at the job as Thomas Jefferson School of Law's new dean and president for less than two months and he's already made quite an impression.
Recently, I received calls from two human resources managers regarding articles in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. They were concerned about the WSJ’s claim that the position of legal secretary is extinct and USA Today’s assertion that the growth of temporary hiring is a negative devolvement.
Established in 2001, Morris, Sullivan & Lemkul was founded by Shawn Morris and Mike Sullivan. Shawn and Mike are former partners of Wingert Grebing, one of San Diego's oldest and most respected law firms.
The U.S. Department of Treasury recently announced that it is delaying until 2015 the enforcement of the so-called “employer mandate” provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “ACA” or “Obamacare”), which were supposed to take effect in 2014.
#1. Put all commission agreements in writing (Labor Code section 2751).
RJS Law is a full-service law firm that can help resolve your personal, small-business or corporate tax problems with the Internal Revenue Service and California state tax authorities.
As the practice of law adapts to meet the changing needs of clients and organizations, opportunities exist to develop partnerships between law firms and law schools. Together, firms and schools can prepare profession-ready graduates and meet the growing need for legal services. California Western School of Law, San Diego’s oldest law school, is poised to lead the way in this national effort.
The University of San Diego School of Law develops resources and clinics that offer practical training to law students while making it possible for them to give back to the community. With San Diego County’s estimated veteran population of 250,000 and more than 2 million veterans living in California, there is no doubt that many have and will benefit from the school’s Initiative to Protect Student Veterans.
California’s employers are burdened with a long list of onerous regulations, so it’s no surprise that many employers fail to recognize the daunting requirements of the California Labor Code -- until it’s too late.
Gomez Iagmin Trial Attorneys is a plaintiff's only law firm based in downtown San Diego, specializing in catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, complex product liability and mass torts.
The attorneys at CaseyGerry specialize in serious personal injury and traumatic brain injury cases, and are at the forefront of the complex medical issues related to brain injury. These include chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease thought to be caused by repeat concussions or blows to the head, and second impact syndrome, a condition in which the brain swells rapidly after a person suffers a second concussion.
Ralph Nader has a new cause.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has declared that, at least when it comes to voting rights, the U.S. Supreme Court is guilty of wishful thinking. He is also showing both how difficult and how important it is to overcome that kind of thinking.
A federal jury in Oregon awarded $18.6 million to a woman who spent two years unsuccessfully trying to get Equifax Information Services to fix major mistakes on her credit report.
A coalition of environmental groups is suing the Cuomo administration over dairy farm regulations intended to bolster the state's growing yogurt industry, the groups announced Monday.
It was late at night on Feb. 27, 2001, and Penn State's then-president, Graham Spanier, one of academia's most prominent administrators, typed a brief email to two other top administrators as they debated how to respond to a thorny situation.
FedEx Corp., the world’s largest cargo airline, will pay $21.5 million to settle a lawsuit over claims that it overcharged customers by billing for deliveries to businesses and governments at higher residential rates.
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