Paul L. Erickson, Attorney
Asheville, North Carolina
Office (828) 214-1111
E-mail - Paul@PaulLErickson.com

Competency developed through education and experience best describes me. I worked my way through undergraduate and law school, took and passed the CPA exam and five bar exams and along the way immersed myself in:
∙ Management (up to 3 departments with 90 staff members), business, accounting and taxation
∙ Civil litigation both complex and minor
∙ Caring for the elderly
∙ Championing for the disabled and their families
∙ Representing the weak and defenseless against the mighty and powerful

I have represented the little guy as well as large corporations and those down on their luck and I have always done so with the zeal of one fighting for their survival. In that process, I have often saved the little guys from losing everything, large corporations hundreds of thousands of dollars and helped many in their struggle to establish their rights. I am committed to those I represent.

Erickson Tax Accounting & Legal Services
Asheville Legal Center
The Law Firm of Paul L. Erickson, P.A.
Asheville, NC
August 1995-Present

Sole proprietor legal and accounting firm handling issues involving a multitude of civil and criminal cases, jury and non-jury. I have also helped clients getting business started (formation selection) and properly established with employment & vendor contracts, NDAs, handled complex real estate transactions tied to construction and development projects. Typical civil litigation involving: employment and contract disputes, development and construction, securities law, personal injury, medical malpractice, deceptive and unfair trade practices, debtor/creditor law (FDCPA, FCBA, TIL & related regulations), tortious interference with contracts, conversion of property, estate disputes, fraud, family law and landlord tenant). Also provided over 6,000 hours of pro bono and other services over 13 years assisting families to obtain appropriate educational programs for children with autism and other developmental disabilities.

Accounting or tax work involves reviewing or preparing tax returns (primarily forms 1040, 1120S, 1120, 1065, and payroll tax returns) for clients and overseeing or doing accounting. I also consult with clients regarding tax planning for their individual and business needs; assist them in selecting appropriate software and provided instruction for using the chosen software including: QuickBooks Pro (I have been a Certified QuickBooks Pro Advisor), Excel, Word, Outlook, Power Point, Word Perfect, Quattro Pro, People’s Choice, Professional’s Choice (Time & Billing), Intuit Turbo Tax Online, UltraTax CS, TaxWorks, TaxCut, TurboTax, Drake, Adobe Acrobat Pro, and legal research software: West Law, Lexus, FastCase, and Casemaker.

Tax Years 2021 & 2022 Intuit Online Turbo Tax Expert: Teleconnection with Turbo Tax Online clients to assist them in preparing their tax returns. Approximately 25 hours a week.

Senior Campus Living, Inc.
Baltimore, Maryland 21228
August 1990- August 1995
General Counsel/VP Finance (Chief Financial Officer)

Senior Campus Living, Inc., (SCL) was the developer of the $220,000,000 Charlestown Retirement Community (the nation's largest life care retirement community with over 2,250 residents) located in Baltimore, Maryland (annual gross revenues of approximately $35,000,000) as well as other life care campuses. SCL was also responsible for the management and marketing of those retirement communities. As VP Finance/CFO I was able to save SCL and its related entities hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, primarily by reviewing and re-engineering how the companies approached operations on a daily basis and taking advantage of previously unconsidered opportunities and tax opportunities.

General Counsel duties and responsibilities involved:
• Dealing with numerous governmental agencies on a daily basis relative to the highly regulated business of development, construction and operation of retirement communities and their health care facilities;
• Coordinating with outside counsel relative to above noted governmental matters, insurance related law suits, certain zoning issues, and conflicts between CPAs and Tax Attorneys on major tax issues;
• Resolving the day to day internal and external legal issues that arise from the development, construction and operation of the above retirement communities which are the equivalent of two small towns;
• Negotiating financing and preparation of related documentation and structure, real estate acquisition, development & construction and related contracts.

Vice President of Finance duties and responsibilities involved functioning as CFO:
• Worked with development company, construction company, management company and operating entities to develop, construct, market and manage retirement communities;
• Participated in tax planning and tax return preparation for all of the for profit and non-profit entities;
• Established and modified employee and labor relations policies, goals, operating plans and programs to assure compliance with laws and smooth functioning;
• Worked with Controller to implement and restructure accounting department personnel by cross training the staff to be able to alternate among the various companies in processing data. Also re-engineered job functions to provide basic structure necessary to handle financial needs for the company's rapid expansion and development;
• Coordinated software for Department of Information Technologies;
• Coordinated the development of budgeting models for the management, construction non-profit and development operations;
• Analyzed and monitored financial operations on a daily basis for management, construction, development and non-profit operating entities.

1983-1990 Worked as an attorney and CPA in Naples, Florida.

Other Experiences: I have also held positions in accounting and law firms, been a licensed insurance salesman, worked for property management company, held a Class A Commercial Driver’s License with over 300,000 Over The Road (OTR) miles of driving experience, and done executive recruiting.

I am a Rotary Club Paul Harris Fellow

Education
Attended University of Tennessee (Knoxville) obtained Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.
Attended University of Tennessee Law School obtained Juris Doctorate Degree.