Jack Kearns is a Member of the firm in the Business Division.  He is a member of the firm's Finance and Benefits Committees.

Mr. Kearns' practice encompasses a wide variety of corporate and tax matters, with particular emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, leveraged leasing, corporate finance and restructuring, project finance, and employee benefit programs, including Department of Labor, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and Securities and Exchange Commission matters.

In the corporate area, Mr. Kearns has been involved in a significant number of lease financings for nonutility energy plant power producers, real estate infrastructure and transportation equipment (aircraft, railway cars and rail systems).  He has an active practice in corporate finance matters and publicly-held debt transactions, as well as private placement transactions.  He is frequently involved in corporate acquisitions and dispositions, representing both buyers and sellers.  Transaction sizes range from $1.3 billion to under $1 million.

An emphasis of Mr. Kearns’ practice is transactional tax planning and structuring.  He frequently advises clients with respect to choice of entity, partnership and limited liability company matters, special allocations, corporate and debt reorganization and financial instrument taxation matters.  He has structured a significant number of tax-advantaged transactions, utilizing multiple techniques, to enhance the after tax return to the participants.  Multi-national as well as domestic, joint ventures are a recurring aspect of his practice.  He frequently employs limited liability companies taxed as partnerships to achieve significant tax benefits for his clients.  He has structured numerous tax deferral arrangements, utilizing like-kind exchanges, condemnations, corporate reorganizations, and partnership techniques.

Mr. Kearns' experience in employee benefit programs includes an extensive practice in structuring, designing, drafting and implementing transactions and employee benefits plans, ESOP financings and equity-based compensation.  He headed the firm's team in one of the few ESOP transactions to utilize publicly-traded common stock (rather than preferred).  Mr. Kearns has authored a number of articles on tax and employee benefit matters and has spoken before a number of trade and professional organizations.

Mr. Kearns holds an AV^® rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

Education:
J.D., Fordham University School of Law, 1976
A.B., Columbia College, 1972

Admissions:
Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; U.S. Tax Court

Membership Affiliations:
American Bar Association; Pennsylvania Bar Association; New York Bar Association; New Jersey Bar Association