By April 30, 2016, profit sharing, 401(k), and money purchase pension plans using pre-approved IRS documents were required to restate their plans to comply with the Pension Protection Act of 2006. If an employer finds this year end that the company’s plan was not timely restated, the error can be corrected with the IRS. More importantly, if the error is found and corrected before April 30, 2017, the IRS fee to correct the error is reduced. Errors with retirement plans are corrected through the IRS voluntary correction program known as the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (“EPCRS”). An employer would …
New Attorneys Join the Firm
The law firm of Coolidge Wall Co., L.P.A. is pleased to announce that Christopher J. Hartman and Patrick Martin recently have joined the firm. Mr. Hartman’s work focuses primarily on tax and estate planning, real estate, and financial transactions. Mr. Martin is a member of the firm’s Corporate and Business Department. Mr. Hartman’s prior experience as a Certified Public Accountant at a large accounting firm gives him a unique perspective on tax and estate issues and complex financial transactions. He also has experience representing clients in trials and formal appeals. In law school, Mr. Hartman actively participated as a member …
Six Attorneys Selected for 2017 Ohio Super Lawyers
Coolidge Wall Co., L.P.A. is pleased to announce that six of its attorneys have been selected by their peers for inclusion in 2017 Ohio Super Lawyers®: Michelle D. Bach — Workers’ Compensation Christopher R. Conard — General Litigation Marc L. Fleischauer — Employment & Labor David C. Korte — Workers’ Compensation Stephen M. McHugh — State/Local/Municipal Law David P. Pierce — Business Litigation Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using …
Six Attorneys Selected for 2017 Ohio Super Lawyers
Coolidge Wall Co., L.P.A. is pleased to announce that six of its attorneys have been selected by their peers for inclusion in 2017 Ohio Super Lawyers®: Michelle D. Bach — Workers’ Compensation Christopher R. Conard — General Litigation Marc L. Fleischauer — Employment & Labor David C. Korte — Workers’ Compensation Stephen M. McHugh — State/Local/Municipal Law David P. Pierce — Business Litigation Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using …
“Blacklisting” Reporting Requirements for Federal Contractors
On August 24, 2016, the federal government published the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council’s Final Rule and the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Final Guidance implementing President Obama’s July 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order 13673. The Final Rule and Guidance imposes numerous and substantial burdens on federal contractors. First, federal contractors, both prime contractors and subcontractors, bidding on new contracts with an estimated value of more than $500,000, must disclose any labor law decision rendered against them in the past three years, regardless of when the underlying conduct occurred. This reporting requirement has often been referred to as the …
A core determinant of business success: a well-executed contract
Diverse business clients in Ohio, as well as nationally and across the globe, that the proven attorneys of Dayton-based Coolidge Wall — one of Ohio’s longest-tenured law firms — have successfully represented over many decades centrally share at least one important attribute. And that is this, as noted on a relevant page of our firm’s website: a “good contract.” That likely seems a flat truism to most of our readers, with it being an obvious fact that a successful business relationship between two or more entities is unlikely to ensue and sustain itself in the absence of a clear and …
IRS Extends Due Date for Furnishing Individual Reporting Statements under the Affordable Care Act
On November 18th, the Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2016-70 which: Extends by 30 days the deadline for providing to employees the 2016 Forms 1095-B (Health Coverage) and 1095-C (Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage) from January 31, 2017 to March 2, 2017; and Extends certain good faith transition relief from penalties that apply to the 2016 ACA information reporting requirements. Form 1095-B must be furnished to individuals by insurers, employers with self-insured health plans, and certain other providers of minimum essential coverage. Form 1095-C must be provided by applicable large employers (those with 50 or more full-time employees, including …
An Overview of New Statute Regarding Disputes Alleging Denial of Access to Public Records
On September 28, 2016, Ohio Revised Code Section 2743.75 went into effect, which gives the Court of Claims exclusive and sole jurisdiction over disputes alleging denial of access to public records. This Section gives aggrieved individuals an alternative to filing a mandamus action if their public records request is denied. If an individual’s public records request is denied, they now have the option to file a complaint in the Court of Claims with a $25 filing fee. When a complaint is filed, a special master will be appointed. The special master will determine whether or not the case should go …
HALTED! Court Stops DOL Overtime Rules From Taking Effect
In a somewhat surprising and certainly controversial move, a federal court in Texas has issued a preliminary injunction stopping for the time being the DOL’s overtime rules from taking effect on December 1, 2016, as originally contemplated. Moreover, the court’s order applies to all employers on a nationwide basis. The primary DOL regulation at issue would have increased the minimum threshold salary for “white collar” exempt employees from $455 per week ($23,660 annually) to $913 per week ($47,476 annually). In granting an injunction, the court agreed with a number of states, including Ohio, that drastically raising the minimum salary needed …
Wilberding Receives Prestigious Lloyd O’Hara Public Interest Law Award
Merle Wilberding, senior attorney at Coolidge Wall Co., LPA, was presented the Lloyd O’Hara Public Interest Law Award at the 2016 Access to Justice Awards Gala on November 3. The event, held at the Ponitz Center at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, and was presented by Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE), Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Inc. (LAWO) and the Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyer Project (GDVLP). The annual Awards Gala recognizes individuals and organizations that have provided extraordinary assistance to disadvantaged individuals and families in the Dayton community. Wilberding was honored for his ongoing efforts to educate at-risk …