The CARES Act provides various incentives to help small businesses, including law firms and other service industries.  One such benefit is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) which provides forgivable loans to businesses with less than 500 employees.  The CARES Act originally allocated $349 billion in loans through the auspices of the Small Business Administration.  This first tranche of governmental funding has already been exhausted.

But Congress is preparing to add additional funds to the PPP.  The webinar will cover all aspects of PPP loans for law firms and related service industries.  Topics will include new guidance on treatment of limited liability partnerships, requirements for funds once received, and practical tips from practitioners whose firms have already received the PPP loans.

Speakers: Linda Geery, Paul Notaras, and Christopher A. Karachale
Moderator: Uzzi Raanan

Linda D. Geery, Vice President, and Shareholder at Gilbert CPAs, oversees the Firm’s tax and accounting services departments. Linda is a graduate of California State University, Sacramento, where she received her bachelor of science in accountancy. She consults on a variety of industries, including associations and nonprofits organizations, real estate, retail, food services, and professional service. Linda’s 25 years of experience includes accounting software evaluation, recommendation and implementation. Tax compliance, research, planning and private letter rulings. Applications for tax exemption. Board presentation including; cash flow projections and management, budgeting, as well as understanding financial statements and tax return information. She is an active member of the Sacramento community. She is currently a Board member of the Rotary Club of Sacramento’s Foundation as well as a mentor for youth at Camp RYLA. She has also served as Board member of the Sacramento Walk of Stars and has volunteered with a plethora of nonprofits within the Sacramento region such as; Loaves and Fishes, Africa Hope Fund, and St. John’s Program for Real Change, to name a few. She is a longtime member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and California Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Paul Notaras is the founder of Financial GPS, which guides privately owned companies seeking to drive financial and strategic performance. We work closely with Owners, management teams, and stakeholders to understand their needs and implement actions that build the value of the business.

Paul has extensive experience in diversified businesses as a senior financial and business executive. He began his career as a commercial lender. After several years Paul moved to his Client, Merrill Lynch to manage its global creditor relations, serve as its Treasurer for non-USD funding and as Chief Financial Officer for Merrill Lynch’s global private equity business. After Merrill Lynch, he ran the North American business of a business process outsourcing firm. Paul then moved to southern California as the Chief Financial Officer for Rustic Canyon, the largest venture capital firm in the region. In 2009, he started his own company dedicated to the financial wellness of consumers, which he subsequently sold.

Christopher A. Karachale advises individuals and businesses on a range of tax planning and tax controversy matters at the federal, state, local, and international levels. He also serves as outside general counsel to a variety of companies, providing general corporate and related business guidance. Christopher’s work on federal tax matters ranges from income tax controversies involving individuals and businesses to partnership structuring and corporate mergers and acquisitions. He regularly works with entrepreneurs and start-up companies, and is one of the leading practitioners on qualified small business stock and related section 1202 issues. He has been quoted in the New York Times, Bloomberg, and Business Insider on QSBS issues. At the state level, in addition to income tax-related matters, Christopher counsels individuals and entities on issues involving California property and sales and use taxes. In the international context, he has extensive experience with voluntary disclosures and related planning matters, as well as in-bound and out-bound corporate structuring. Christopher has published extensively, with articles appearing in Tax Notes, the California Business Law Practitioner, and Law360. He also is a frequent speaker on tax issues to audiences in the United States and abroad. Christopher is certified as a legal specialist in taxation law by the California Board of Legal Specialization.