Randolph Smith – Partner
Randy concentrates in the areas of Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), general corporate, ERISA tax, finance, mergers and acquisitions and international matters.
With respect to ESOPs, Randy represents companies, ESOP trustees, selling shareholders and lenders in multi-million dollar leveraged ESOP buyouts. He has extensive experience with C corporation and S corporation ESOPs and related corporate restructurings and financings.
Having previously worked in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the business law firm Munoz de Toro & Munoz de Toro and in the international practice of one of the world’s largest law firms, Randy has extensive experience with international transactions, and in particular handling matters in Spanish and Portuguese.
Education:
University of South Carolina, Masters of International Business (MIBS). 1 999
Institute Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico, 1999
Georgia State University College of Law; J.D .. 1997
Washington & Lee University; B.A., English and Spanish, 1993
Quentin R. Lynch – Partner
“Que” is a transactional business attorney with significant experience counseling business clients in legal matters, involving sales and acquisitions, closely held company transactions. corporate financing transactions, and commercial transactions. Que focuses his practice particularly in the areas of private company M&A, ESOP formations, business entity structuring and commercial contract negotiations.
Que holds a Juris Doctorate from the Mercer University, Walter F. George School of Law and a Baccalaureate Degree in Finance with distinction from Morehouse College.
Honors & Awards
- George W. Woodruff Scholar, Mercer University Law School
- Moot Court Board Member, Mercer University Law School
- Cali Award in Corporat e Drafting and Corporate Issues Seminar, Mercer University Law
School - The State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division Leadership Academy, 2009
Benjamin D. Ellis – Attorney
Ben engages in the general representation of corporate clients primarily in the practice areas of corporate law, contracts law, banking and finance, real estate transactions, ERISA and general employment law. Ben also has substantial experience practicing in the areas of trusts, estates and probate law. Ben focuses his practice particularly in the areas of ESOP formations, commercial contract negotiations, employee benefits and executive compensation. and general corporate representation.
Ben graduated from the Georgia State University School of law, 1997). where he was a member of the Law Review, and from the University of Virginia (B.A. 1991 ), where he majored in Philosophy.
Karen Reschly – Attorney
Karen’s practice involves transactional tax, general corporate, mergers and acquisitions, international transactions and private equity. As a member of the firm’s ESOP transaction team, Karen employs her expertise to create tax-efficient reorganization and transaction structures which optimize post-
closing company cash flow efficiency.
Karen also has over ten years of experience in the world of timberland investment. She has expertise in developing tax-efficient structured international investment funds and accounts and substantial experience representing domestic and foreign-based investment managers. In this regard, her
clients have included TIMO’s, governmental, tax-exempt and foreign institutional investors, family offices and alternative investment managers.
Additionally, Karen has overseen the execution of dozens of transactions for the formation, acquisition, capitalization, disposition and liquidation of structured timberland investments in Central and South America, Central Europe and the Baltics, South Africa, and the U.S.
Leadership: Program Vice- Chair, Forest Resources Committee, American Bar Association, 2017-2019.
Education:
University of Florida, B.A., with honors, 2000
Florida State University, J.D. with honors, 2005
University of Florida, LL.M. (Tax), Graduate Tax Scholar, 2006
Publications:
● Co-Author, The Definitive Guide to Investing in Timberland, PEI Media, 2010
Shawna Corman – Attorney
Shawna Corman advises clients on a wide variety of transactional issues, including business formation, corporate governance practices, trusts and estates, and commercial financing transactions. Shawna assists ESOP clients in transitioning their businesses through the various stages of ESOP sales, including the complexities of the reorganization, sale transactions, and post-closing financing.
Shawna is a Kentucky native and very active in her community as she serves on the Board of Trustees of her alma mater, Transylvania University, a small liberal arts university in Lexington, Kentucky. Additionally, Shawna serves on the Central Bank & Trust Co. Advisory Board of Directors, which allows her to connect with community leaders and streamline conversations with clients and one of the leading banks in the state of Kentucky.
In addition to her work as an attorney, Shawna serves as a Trustee of the R.J. Corman Railroad Group. In this role, she has helped guide the senior management of the business in continued multi-generational success. Shawna utilizes this hands-on business experience when advising ESOP clients on the impact of legacy in transitioning their business to the next generation of owners.