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JOHN B. MORRIS 7575 E Peakview Ave, #833 * Centennial, CO 80111 (303) 628-3502 (direct line); (303) 593-1350 (h); (316) 737-5997 (c) [email protected]
OBJECTIVE To engage in and maintain a diversified tax law practice, or to practice within a tax or ERISA specialization. EMPLOYMENT OF COUNSEL 2008-PRESENT Thomas N. Scheffel & Associates Denver, CO General tax practice, with an emphasis in estate planning and practice, and Exem pt Organizations. GENERAL COUNSEL 1987 through 2006 Continental American Corporation Wichita, KS Sole in-house counsel and chief tax advisor for privately held corporation with multiple U S affiliates and six foreign subsidiaries, totaling over 1000 employe es worldwide. My primary responsibility was to manage the corporations legal af fairs to optimize the company's ability to compete in a global marketplace. To that end, I prepared contracts and managed litigation, including the review and selection of outside counsel, reviewed pleadings, research, discovery practice, and trial briefs. Issues involved insurance, both coverage disputes and suits a gainst carriers, product liability cases, toxic torts, and bankruptcy adversary proceedings. Tax practice included the planning and execution of corporate acquisitions and d ivestitures, reorganizations, short form mergers, asset acquisitions, IRC 355 sp in-offs, partnership and LLC planning, audits, protests, qualified and non-quali fied compensation planning, including phantom stock and other deferred compensat ion plans, defined benefit and defined contribution discrimination plan design, testing , seeking determination letters, and defined benefit plan freezes, conve rsions and terminations. Tax practice included welfare benefit plans, self-insur ance medical plans and related family leave, Cobra and Hipaa areas. Additionall y, I worked on international tax issues related to the corporation's subsidiarie s. ASSOCIATE 1984 to 1987 Smith, Underwood, Carmichael & Floyd
Dallas, TX
Contributed to the firm's practice in business tax planning, oil & gas taxation, qualified plans, and tax litigation. I was the firm's sole Bar Certified Tax S pecialist in a multi-member tax department which included former members of the Justice Department's Tax Division and IRS Regional Counsel. ASSOCIATE 1978 to 1984 Sargent, Klenda, Haag & Mitchell Wichita, KS
Broad, generalized tax practice as the sole tax attorney of a business law firm, with an emphasis on corporate acquisition planning, partnership roll-ups, reorg
anizations, partnership, and corporate tax planning. Also undertook estate and gift tax and individual tax controversies relating to tax shelter, oil & gas tax ation, and qualified and non-qualified plans. EDUCATION LL.M (TAXATION) 1977-1978 Boston University School of Law Boston, MA LL.B 1974-1976 University of Denver (Sturm College of Law) Denver, CO MASTERS of BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA) Fort Hays State University Hays, KS BACHELORS AND MASTERS (BA & MA) Fort Hays State University ADMISSIONS TO PRACTICE * * * * COLORADO 1976 KANSAS 1978 TEXAS 1985 TAX SPECIALIST - TEXAS 1985 Hays, KS 1972-1973 1966-1970
OBJECTIVE To engage in and maintain a diversified tax law practice, or to practice within a tax or ERISA specialization. EMPLOYMENT OF COUNSEL 2008-PRESENT Thomas N. Scheffel & Associates Denver, CO General tax practice, with an emphasis in estate planning and practice, and Exem pt Organizations. GENERAL COUNSEL 1987 through 2006 Continental American Corporation Wichita, KS Sole in-house counsel and chief tax advisor for privately held corporation with multiple U S affiliates and six foreign subsidiaries, totaling over 1000 employe es worldwide. My primary responsibility was to manage the corporations legal af fairs to optimize the company's ability to compete in a global marketplace. To that end, I prepared contracts and managed litigation, including the review and selection of outside counsel, reviewed pleadings, research, discovery practice, and trial briefs. Issues involved insurance, both coverage disputes and suits a gainst carriers, product liability cases, toxic torts, and bankruptcy adversary proceedings. Tax practice included the planning and execution of corporate acquisitions and d ivestitures, reorganizations, short form mergers, asset acquisitions, IRC 355 sp in-offs, partnership and LLC planning, audits, protests, qualified and non-quali fied compensation planning, including phantom stock and other deferred compensat ion plans, defined benefit and defined contribution discrimination plan design, testing , seeking determination letters, and defined benefit plan freezes, conve rsions and terminations. Tax practice included welfare benefit plans, self-insur ance medical plans and related family leave, Cobra and Hipaa areas. Additionall y, I worked on international tax issues related to the corporation's subsidiarie s. ASSOCIATE 1984 to 1987 Smith, Underwood, Carmichael & Floyd
Dallas, TX
Contributed to the firm's practice in business tax planning, oil & gas taxation, qualified plans, and tax litigation. I was the firm's sole Bar Certified Tax S pecialist in a multi-member tax department which included former members of the Justice Department's Tax Division and IRS Regional Counsel. ASSOCIATE 1978 to 1984 Sargent, Klenda, Haag & Mitchell Wichita, KS
Broad, generalized tax practice as the sole tax attorney of a business law firm, with an emphasis on corporate acquisition planning, partnership roll-ups, reorg
anizations, partnership, and corporate tax planning. Also undertook estate and gift tax and individual tax controversies relating to tax shelter, oil & gas tax ation, and qualified and non-qualified plans. EDUCATION LL.M (TAXATION) 1977-1978 Boston University School of Law Boston, MA LL.B 1974-1976 University of Denver (Sturm College of Law) Denver, CO MASTERS of BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA) Fort Hays State University Hays, KS BACHELORS AND MASTERS (BA & MA) Fort Hays State University ADMISSIONS TO PRACTICE * * * * COLORADO 1976 KANSAS 1978 TEXAS 1985 TAX SPECIALIST - TEXAS 1985 Hays, KS 1972-1973 1966-1970
