Dean Mead

Significant Representations:

• Reorganized the ESOP of a closely held corporation to facilitate its initial public offering, and the subsequent underwritten sale of shares by the participants in the ESOP.
• Represented companies, selling shareholders and ESOP Trustees in numerous ESOP purchase and sale transactions for specialty and general contractors, manufacturing companies and professional services firms.
• Represents over 100 firm clients with respect to their tax qualified retirement plans, including their 401(k) plans, profit sharing plans, ESOPs and defined benefit pension plans.
• Successfully re-qualified several retirement plans through the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System of the Internal Revenue Service.
• Obtained several private letter rulings from the National Office of the Internal Revenue Service with respect to employee benefit and ESOP issues.
• Designed numerous stock option, restricted stock, phantom stock and equity based compensation plans for firm clients.

• The Florida Bar
• ESOP Association
  • Advisory Member of Legislative and Regulatory Committee
  • Florida Advisory Member of the New South Chapter
• ASPPA Employee Benefits Council of Central Florida - Member and Past President
• Notre Dame Club of Greater Orlando - Member and Past President
• The Florida Bar Foundation, Inc. – Fellow
• Florida Citrus Sports - Bowl Team Selection Committee

• Juris Doctorate Degree: The Ohio State University College of Law, Columbus, Ohio, cum laude, 1980
• Undergraduate Degree in Accounting: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, cum laude, 1976
  • Beta Alpha Psi, Beta Gamma Sigma

• Florida
• Ohio
• U.S. Tax Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals 11^th Circuit

• Named an Outstanding Employee Benefits Lawyer in The Best Lawyers in America, 2006-2011
• Named an Outstanding Employee Benefits Lawyer in Orlando Magazine, 2006-2011
• Named an Outstanding Tax Lawyer in Florida Trend Magazine's Legal Elite, 2005-2006
• Martindale Hubbell: AV Rating

• Federal Tax Update - Employee Benefits, FICPA Summer Vacation Cluster, Lake Buena       Vista, Florida, July 30, 2010
• Repurchase Obligations, Forecasting and Overview of Funding Methods, The ESOP Association
  Tri-State Regional Conference, Pinehurst, North Carolina, March 18, 2010
• Increase, Decrease or Hold 'Em?, ESOP Association 2010 Winter Seminar for Minority/Majority
• Owned ESOPs, The ESOP Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, February 19, 2010
• ESOP Distributions and Understanding Diversification, New South Chapter of the ESOP Association Fall Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, October 22, 2009
• Modifications to ESOP Distribution Policies - Planning for the “High Wave” of Distribution Requests, 2009 ESOP Southeast Regional Conference, Savannah, Georgia, March 27,       2009
• Review of Differences Between S and C Corporation ESOPs, The ESOP Association Two-Day Technical Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, November 13, 2008
• Construction Industry ESOPs, Bonding and Lender Pitfalls, The ESOP Association Southeast Regional Conference, Charlotte, North Carolina, March 6, 2008
• Section 409A Nonqualified Deferred Compensation, Florida Institute on Federal Taxation Conference, Orlando, Florida, December 6, 2007
• S Corporation ESOPs, New South Chapter of the ESOP Association, Orlando, Florida October 5, 2007
• Successful Financial Settlements For Your Divorce Client - Retirement And Pension Issues, NBI Seminar, Orlando, Florida, April 30, 2007
• The Use of ESOPs for Business Succession and Estate Planning, Indian River Estate Planning Council, Vero Beach, Florida, January 25, 2007
• Investing in Real Estate in IRAs, Central Florida Realty Investors Association, Melbourne, Florida, September 21, 2006
• Employee Benefits in Bankruptcy, Central Florida Bankruptcy Law Association, Orlando, Florida, August 17, 2006
• Employee Benefits in Bankruptcy, ASPPA Employee Benefits Council of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, May 16, 2006
• Health Savings Accounts and High Deductible Health Plans, Medical Practice Administrators of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, January 24, 2006
• Current Developments for ESOPs, New South Chapter of the ESOP Association, Orlando, Florida, July 22, 2005; and in Tampa, Florida, July 23, 2005
• COBRA Health Care Continuation Coverage, Central Florida Administrators Council, Orlando, Florida, June 9, 2004
• Fiduciary Responsibility and Liability Issues for ESOP Trustees, Carolinas Chapter of the ESOP Association, Charleston, South Carolina, March 2, 2001
• Stock Options for E-Commerce Businesses, E-Commerce Seminar - Orlando Business Journal, Orlando, Florida, May 18, 2000
• Current Developments in Employee Benefits, Florida Institute on Federal Taxes (Orlando), October 29, 1997
• Employee Leasing, Orlando Business Journal Seminar, Orlando, Florida, June 25, 1997
• Retirement Plan Assets in Bankruptcy, Central Florida Bankruptcy Attorneys, Orlando, Florida, May 16, 1996
• Overview of Employee Benefits for the Hotel/Motel Industry, Central Florida Hotel/Motel Association, Orlando, Florida, January 11, 1995
• Current Developments in Employee Benefits, School of Accounting, University of Central Florida CPE Seminar, Orlando, Florida, May 10, 1995
• Qualified Domestic Relations Orders, Seminole County Family Law Attorneys Association Orlando, Florida, February 3, 1994

• “Employee Benefits in Bankruptcy” - Dean Mead Newsletter, First Quarter, 2006
• “Health Savings Accounts” - Dean Mead Newsletter, Winter, 2004
• “Stock Option Plans - The Basics and Beyond” - Business Laws, December, 2001