Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Page 3
Venable Adds Tax and Estate Planning Attorneys to Los Angeles Office
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Venable LLP yesterday said it had added eight tax and estate planning attorneys to its Los Angeles office, including seven from the former firm of Reish Luftman Reicher & Cohen, which on Monday announced a name change to Reish & Reicher.
Former Reish Luftman attorneys Bradford Cohen, Michael D. Foster, Robin Gilden and David P. Schwartz joined Venable as partners, the firm said, while Michael B. Luftman is expected to become a partner in the near future, Charles Kostad joined as of counsel and Richard Luftman joined as an associate.
Kyle R. Neal, formerly of Freeman, Freeman & Smiley LLP, also joined Venable as of counsel.
Representatives of Venable were unavailable for comment, and Reish & Reicher Managing Shareholder Leland J. Reicher declined to go into detail on the reasons for the group’s departure, saying only that his former partners and associates thought the move would be “advantageous.”
Reicher did describe the parting as “amicable,” adding, “there’s no bad stuff floating around out there.”
He also said that although the move leaves the now-20-member Reish & Reicher with fewer tax and estate planning attorneys, his firm still had a “substantial group” handling the practice area.
In a statement accompanying Venable’s announcement, Cohen explained:
“The synergy between our practice and Venable’s existing services addressed our strategy of meeting our clients’ increasing needs for national and international representation. Our familiarity with, and respect for, several attorneys at Venable helped create an exciting opportunity to join forces and expand our practices.”
Robert Waldman, a tax partner and chair of Venable’s Business Division, said of his new coworkers that “[t]his exceptional corps of attorneys further projects Venable’s top-tier corporate and tax and wealth planning practices onto the national stage.”
He continued:
“We have long served clients across the country, but this marks the first time we have a fully staffed business team resident on the West Coast. We believe there is no better regarded group of attorneys in California when it comes to addressing complex tax and business issues.”
Cohen was admitted to the State Bar in 1983, and attended Northeastern University in Boston and New York University School of Law. His practice emphasizes individual, corporate and partnership income tax planning and transactional real estate matters.
Foster attended college and law school at Wayne State University in Detroit, and was admitted to the State Bar in 1981. His practice emphasis centers on international tax planning, individual and partnership taxation, estate planning, corporate and business law and real estate matters.
Gilden was admitted to the State Bar in 1980, and attended college and law school at New York University. She focuses her practice in corporate, partnership and individual taxation, transactional business matters and international taxation.
She also currently teaches a partnership tax class at Loyola Law School.
Kolstad attended college at Villanova University in Pennsylvania before his admission to the State Bar in 1992, and he concentrates his practice in the area of corporate, partnership and international tax matters.
Michael B. Luftman was admitted to the State Bar in 1973 after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and Loyola Law School. His practice emphasizes tax planning for owners of privately held businesses, high net worth individuals and professionals, and he is a certified specialist in taxation law.
Richard Luftman attended the University of Arizona and Loyola Law School before admission to the State Bar in 2005, and practices in the areas of tax, estate planning, probate, trust administration, and trust and estate litigation.
David P. Schwartz was admitted to the State Bar in 1995 after graduating from California State University, Northridge and California Western School of Law. He concentrates his practice in the areas of individual, corporate and partnership income tax planning and tax controversy, transactional business matters, estate and business succession planning, trust and estate administration and charitable planned giving.
Kyle R. Neal graduated Wellesley College in Massachusetts and Boston College School of Law before admission to the State Bar in 1988, and focuses her practice on tax and estate planning for high net worth individuals.
Venable serves corporate, institutional, governmental, nonprofit and individual clients throughout the United States and around the world from its headquarters in Washington, D.C. and offices in California, Maryland, New York and Virginia.
According to the firm, the additions bring the number of attorneys in its Los Angeles office to 40.
Copyright 2009, Metropolitan News Company