Mark Sommer and Patrick Northam have joined Frost Brown Todd, resident in the firm’s Louisville office. Mark Sommer has an enormous reputation serving as counsel to Fortune 500 companies in navigating regional state tax and incentives issues. Patrick Northam is a top-notch corporate legal advisor to local, regional and national businesses, including numerous energy service companies. With the addition of these two seasoned attorneys, Frost Brown Todd expands upon its services to provide a one-stop shop for clients looking to take advantage of regional state tax and incentives and clients seeking counsel on complex corporate and transactional matters, including those in the growing energy industry. Both Sommer and Northam were in senior leadership roles of a major law firm in Louisville, KY.
“Mark and Pat bring extraordinary skills, experience, and energy to Frost Brown Todd. We are thrilled to have them on our team, and know they will further elevate our Regional State Tax and Incentives team and Corporate and Energy industry initiatives,” says John Crockett, Chairman. “Their addition enhances our commitment to providing clients with outstanding service and expertise to meet their most sophisticated and pressing needs.”
About Mark F. Sommer
- Sommer will join the firm’s newly created Regional State Tax and Incentives service team, consisting of municipal finance, lending, tax and government services attorneys who handle work across the region (KY, OH, IN, TN, WV). Several of these practices have recently deepened their benches with the inclusion of other highly regarded attorneys such as Tom Gabelman (Construction – Cincinnati), Michael Biberstine (Government Services – Indianapolis) and Emmett Kelly and David Rogers (Municipal Finance – Columbus). The Regional State and Tax Incentives service team is unique in the firm’s footprint with the ability to serve clients in both areas.
- FBT is located in major cities across five states, strategically positioned to be in the state’s capitols to ensure quick and efficient access to the heart of our region’s governmental bodies. Sommer’s strategies align well with these locations, and will provide clients with the most informed insights on legislation and policy.
- The new service team – Regional State Tax and Incentives – marries the two practices under one team to provide companies with convenience and knowledge when they’re considering relocating or expanding their businesses.
- Sommer’s areas of concentration are:
- Regional, state and federal taxation
- Civil and criminal tax controversy/litigation and business law
- Economic development/incentives
- Tax-related government affairs and bankruptcy taxation
Sommer’s reputation and experience makes him a highly sought after leader in the tax arena, serving on multiple boards and in various capacities for organizations such as the ABA Taxation Section, Bloomberg BNA’s Multistate Tax Report, CCH’s Journal of State Taxation, Vanderbilt University’s Paul Hartman SALT Forum, CCH’s Multi-State Corporate Tax Guide and the Multistate Tax Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is a fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel (ACTC), where he is one of only four Kentucky ACTC fellows. Sommer also frequently presents at regional and national conferences, and is a prolific author and contributor to the tax and incentives fields, publishing and presenting in a wide array of forums, including for Tax Analyst’s State Tax Notes where he served as one of its first correspondents in 1992, and for several Bloomberg BNA publications.
“After 25 years of practice, the opportunity to join FBT and assist in its efforts in furthering the success of the firm’s business clients is a milestone in my career. I look forward to helping grow the firm’s Regional State Tax and Incentives service team and applaud the firm for its commitment to the needs of its clients in FBT’s five-state region,” says Sommer.
About Patrick R. Northam
- In 26 years of practice, Northam has served as corporate, transactional and business counsel to numerous public and privately-owned industrial, commercial and service businesses. His practice includes among other areas, extensive work in:
- Mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures
- Commercial transactions
- Partnership and joint venture transactions
- Company formations and liquidations
- Company leadership and governance
- Project and infrastructure development transactions
- Northam’s experience as a principal legal advisor to national and regional energy services companies will be a great asset to the Energy and Natural Resources team. Northam’s experience will give FBT further insight into the critical issues our clients are facing.
- Northam will join FBT’s Mergers and Acquisitions and Energy and Natural Resources practice groups.
- Northam represents clients in the following industries, among others:
- Power generation (including fossil fuel and renewable energy)
- Automotive
- Aluminum production
- Chemical manufacturing
- Aviation
- Natural gas production
- Coal mining and marketing
- Transportation and distribution
“I am excited to be joining Frost Brown Todd, one of the premier law firms in the Midwest and Southeast. Frost Brown Todd’s corporate, transactional and energy practices are incredibly deep, and will be tremendous resources for the business and energy clients that I am privileged to represent,” says Northam.
