William J. Seidel’s legal practice includes virtually every aspect of corporate law, taxation, and estate planning. He has extensive experience with matters involving business formation and restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, complex taxation issues, and executive compensation and benefits. Mr. Seidel has been selected by his peers as one of Virginia’s “Legal Elite,” according to Virginia Business Magazine, in cooperation with the Virginia Bar Association.

Prior to joining Durrette, Arkema, Gerson and Gill, Mr. Seidel served as legal counsel to Westvaco Corporation, a global Fortune 500 company. During his tenure with Westvaco, Mr. Seidel worked on numerous complex projects including:

• Completely reorganizing (including the creation of three operating subsidiaries) the company’s domestic operations
• Integrating three acquisitions (total value of acquisitions in excess of $1 billion)
• Conducting a study of Westvaco FSC that resulted in substantial U.S. refunds and laid the groundwork for liquidation of FSC in response to WTO ruling against U.S.
• Restructuring 40+ foreign subsidiaries (including the creation of a foreign holding company with a Swiss finance branch)
• Providing expatriate tax planning, hypothetical taxes and tax equalization processes
• Designing pension and welfare benefits, particularly non-qualified plans for highly compensated executives

Mr. Seidel served as Senior Vice-President and Director of Taxes for Wheat First Butcher Singer, Inc. (now Wachovia Securities). Mr. Seidel’s responsibilities at WFBS included:

• Advising top management on numerous special projects (e.g., analyzing potential spin-offs to get unrealized appreciation in the hands of the shareholders, creating a new pay structure for financial consultants that mirrors “independent contractor” status, and the possible use of a Delaware holding company for certain trade/service mark intangible property)
• Advising WFBS groups on all federal, state and local income tax matters, as well as matters involving franchise law, property (real, personal and intangible) and gross receipts taxes. The consolidated group included eighteen corporations filing returns in twenty-one states and the District of Columbia. The unconsolidated entities include 6 partnerships, 2 joint venture LLCs (1 joint venture is with a UK co-venturer), 2 foreign subsidiaries and a grantor trust
• Providing advice in other operational areas on sales and use taxes, BPOL, fixed assets and information return reporting
• Filing 1120-RICs for the Mentor Funds

Mr. Seidel served as Tax Manager for a “Big Four” accounting firm, Touche Ross, where he established a diversified tax practice with primary emphasis on small business and high net worth individuals. He was actively involved in all aspects of tax planning and compliance, including mergers and acquisitions of closely held corporations, ERISA, apportionment issues, payroll taxes, sales and use tax and the income and estate planning for the owners of the client businesses. He also served as Touche Ross’s Tax Department point person for all IRS and state tax audits of Richmond-based clients and assisted in starting the Personal Financial Planning practice in the Richmond office.

Personal Background

Mr. Seidel received his JD from the Washington & Lee University School of Law and earned his undergraduate degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1976 with a double major in Business and History. Mr. Seidel passed the CPA exam in 1990.

Representative Clients / Matters

• Sale of software development firm to multi-national insurance company
• Work with business owners to revise and update buy/sell and restrictive stock agreements
• Review employment, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements for small and mid-size businesses
• Assist in developing and implementing business succession plan for family-owned businesses
• Conduit financing of hotel property
• Formation of limited liability companies, corporation, and partnerships
• Review and revise business structures to maximize tax efficiency
• Work with business clients to resolve tax compliance issues with federal, state and local tax authorities
• Purchases and sales of assets of existing businesses
• Review commercial lease agreements