His ability to listen to your concerns and pay attention to both the legal and business issues while being prompt in his responses can make him a valuable asset for you and your business.
A background in accounting and business.
Mark has a degree in accounting and worked as a tax accountant for Arthur Andersen after law school. He also spent five years working in the income tax department at the Kansas City law firm of Stinson, Mag & Fizzell, which gives him a unique background in taxation and tax planning.
Today, his practice spans business and general corporate matters, including business formations, operations, income and estate tax planning, succession planning, buy-sell agreements, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, and contractual matters. His clients include individuals, estates, partnerships, trusts, limited liability companies, tax-exempt organizations, C corporations, and S corporations.
Mark also works with restaurants and handles a variety of other business matters.
Beyond business: business succession planning and estate planning.
Mark can assist you with basic and sophisticated estate planning strategies to help you meet your personal goals and objectives. As part of that, Mark can develop a business succession plan for your family, while taking into consideration that certain family members may be interested in the business and others may not. As a result, Mark has the experience to transition the wealth of the business to the owner’s children, regardless of whether they want to be involved in the business or not.
Building a legacy of giving back.
As a third generation Kansas Citian, Mark cares about giving back to his community. He is a past chair and an emeritus board member of the Kansas City Estate Planning Symposium and past chair of the Heart of America Tax Institute. He presents seminars on estate and business succession planning and has taught accounting and business at UMKC.
He is the former chair of the Lee’s Summit Arts Council and founding board member of Summit Theatre Group. He is the past vice president of the Rose Brooks Center and the former president of the George Washington Neighborhood Center.
Mark has served as past board member of Congregation Beth Torah and was a member of its Planned Giving Committee. He has also served as a past chair and advisory board member for the Kansas City Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee, and served as past chair of the B’nai B’rith Center for Public Policy and was a Non-Governmental Organization Delegate for B’nai B’rith International at the United Nations World Conference Against Racism, Discrimination and Xenophobia in Durban, South Africa in August 2001.
He is also a political activist and former candidate for the MO Legislature, 46th District.
In his free time, Mark enjoys spending time with his wife, Patty, and his son, Seth.
Awards
- Best Lawyers in America, Corporate Law and Tax Law (2013-present), and Trusts and Estates (2020-present)
- Five Star Designation, Estate Planning
- Martindale Hubbell, AV Preeminent Rating
Representative Clients
- Big Biscuit Restaurants (Independence and Blue Springs)
- Cleveland University – Kansas City
- Gallatin Truck & Tractor, Inc.
- Giving the Basics
- Go Chicken Go Restaurants
- Grinders Restaurants
- Jasper Products, LLC
- Margaritas Restaurants
- Memorial Park Cemetery
- Summit Grill Restaurants
Education
- UMKC, B.B.A. (emphasis in accounting), 1975
- UMKC, J.D., 1978
Admissions
- Missouri
- Kansas
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association, Member
- KCMBA, Member
- Missouri Bar Association, Member
- Kansas Bar Association, Member
- Lawyers Association of Kansas City, Member
- Kansas City Estate Planning Society, Member
- Kansas City Estate Planning Symposium, Former Board Member and Past Chair
Seminars
Panelist on “Adventures in Portability – 37th (2015), 38th (2016) Annual Recent Development in Federal Taxes”; and 40th (2018) “Succession Planning for Closely-Held Businesses” sponsored by UMKC School of Law