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Attorney
By
Attorney
Career Profiles of the Profession
Who?
What?
Primary Practice Area & Subspecialty Fields:
Employee benefits, primarily for state and local governments and
state and local retirement systems.
When?
In Practice Area:
Since 1980
In the Legal Profession:
Since 1980
Where?
Employer:
Calhoun Law Group, P.C.
www.benefitsattorney.com
Size/Sector:
Solo practice, but with strong of
counsel relationship with a 7-person firm
City/State:
Washington, DC
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Law School:
Georgetown University Law Center
Undergraduate School/Degree:
The Johns Hopkins University, BA
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Why?
Core Skills/Key Knowledge Needed in Your Practice Area:
Requires an understanding of both tax and labor law, plus the
ability to achieve consensus among quite disparate parties (e.g.,
employers, plan trustees, unions, and retiree organizations.
How?
Career Path to Current Position:
Career Path to Current Position: Started as a general tax attorney
in a large law firm. In my first
year, was given several projects that involved the tax aspects
of retirement plans. I gradually began
doing more and more work in this area. After winning a bid to
represent the New York State &
Local Retirement Systems, I began focusing on this area. Eventually,
I also started an educational
site on employee benefits law. As a result of the recognition
from this, and from writing a book at
the suggestion of someone who had seen my site, I was eventually
able to go into practice for myself.
Suggested Reading About Your Practice Area:
Unfortunately, almost nothing is available aside from the book
I wrote, the Governmental Plans Answer Book (Panel Publishing
2002). This was, in fact, one of the major motivating factors
in my deciding to write the book.
Job Search Techniques Used in Finding Your Position(s):
My first position was achieved through the
standard law school interviewing process, assisted by having had
a clerkship in law school and having
served on The Tax Lawyer. My second was achieved through a resume
on the Web, which was
publicized primarily by developing links to it from BenefitsLink,
http://www.benefitslink.com. My
current ability to have my own practice was developed primarily
through my professional Web site.
Bar Affiliations and Activities:
I have chaired several subcommittees of the ABA Section on Taxation's
Employee Benefits Committee.
Probably my most useful memberships from a practice development
standpoint have been the National
Council on Teacher Retirement and the National Association of
Public Pension Attorneys.
Recent Professional Publications:
Governmental Plans Answer Book (Panel Publishing 2002)
and 2003 Supplement; Tobacco Divestment
and Fiduciary Responsibility (Investor Responsibility Research
Center 2000); Chapter in each of the
past several editions of the 457 Answer Book (Panel Publishing)
Recent Professional Presentations:
Numerous presentations to the National Association of Public
Pension Attorneys and the National
Council on Teacher Retirement, regularly make presentation to
the annual ALI-ABA Seminar on
Retirement, Deferred Compensation, and Welfare Plans of Tax-Exempt
and Governmental Employers.
Memorable Career Moment:
When asked to respond to a request for proposals to perform
legal services for the New York State &
Local Retirement Systems, I had no prior experience with representation
of a state retirement system. However, by drawing on my experience
with a local school system's retirement system, I was able to
establish that I had sufficient understanding of the System's legal
issues to be the best candidate.
Intriguing Interests:
Web design.
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