San Francisco, CA/ June 16, 2008 -- Littler Mendelson (Littler), the nation’s largest labor and employment law firm focused exclusively on representing employers, is pleased to announce the appointment of William Hays Weissman to vice chair of the Employment Taxes Committee of the Section of Taxation of the American Bar Association. Weissman, who has extensive experience with employment tax matters, is a shareholder in the firm’s San Francisco office. His appointment to the Employment Taxes Committee will commence on July 1, 2008.
The Employment Taxes Committee has primary responsibility for both the substantive and procedural sections of the Code relating to employment taxes, most recently focusing on: classification of workers as employees or independent contractors, including the SS-8 program and Section 530 relief; the trust fund recovery penalty; social security tax reform; wage base conformity between federal and state employment tax systems; and state employment tax issues, including SUTA dumping.
Weissman has been appointed vice chair by the current leadership of the Committee and Section due to his dedication to the Committee and his efforts to ensure the successful achievement of its goals. Weissman has organized, moderated and spoken on numerous panels at Committee meetings, maintained the Committee’s website for more than two years and edited the Committee’s newsletter. After completion of his two-year term as vice chair, Weissman will transition to lead the Committee as its chair person.
“As vice chair, I plan on maintaining the same high standards as my predecessors, including Littler’s GJ Stillson MacDonnell, and I will continue to develop timely and interesting programs for Committee meetings,” said Weissman. “It’s an honor to be selected for this position, which will enable me to continue contributing to the legal community.”
Weissman advises and represents employers in a broad range of employment tax matters, including: employment tax audits; protests and appeals before the state taxing agencies and the IRS; litigation in civil court; drafting employment and independent contractor agreements; and counseling on the tax implications of various employer provided benefits. Prior to joining Littler, Weissman served as a tax counsel in the Multistate Tax Bureau of the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB). While a tax counsel at the FTB, he was involved in numerous highly complex and significant matters, including acting as counsel for the FTB in the Appeal of Crisa Corp., which was a landmark case addressing distortion in the apportionment of income of a multistate corporation. He has extensive experience in state and local taxation and has represented clients before numerous state taxing agencies.
“William’s knowledge and experience in all aspects of taxation make him an ideal fit for the role of vice chair of the Employment Taxes Committee,” said Rich Hill, managing shareholder of Littler’s San Francisco office. “His leadership will greatly enhance the Committee’s effectiveness.”
Weissman earned his M.B.A. from the University of California, Davis in 2005, his LL.M. in Taxation from Golden Gate University School of Law in 1996 and his J.D., cum laude, from the District of Columbia School of Law in 1995. While earning his J.D., Weissman served as managing editor of the University of the District of Columbia Law Review and as a law clerk for the National Indian Gaming Commission. He earned his B.A. in political communication from The George Washington University in 1991.
About Littler Mendelson
With more than 700 attorneys and 45 offices in major metropolitan areas nationwide, Littler Mendelson is the largest law firm in the United States devoted exclusively to representing management in employment, employee benefits and labor law matters. The firm's client base ranges from Fortune 500 companies to small-business owners. Established in 1942, the firm has litigated, mediated and negotiated some of the most influential cases and labor contracts in the nation's history. For more information, visit www.littler.com.
