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Member News March 2010 As arbitrator, Bederson & Company, LLP (West Orange, NJ) Partner, Judge Francis Conrad, helped broker a settlement for LyondellBasell Industries that will help facilitate its emergence from Chapter 11 protection.  The proposed agreement resolves objections by the unsecured creditors’ committee to the Company’s settlement of estate claims against the parties who financed the 2007 leveraged buyout of Lyondell by Basell. The firm welcomes two new Tax Managers, Elizabeth Trantina, JD, CPA, LLM and Daniela Arnautu, CPA, MBA to its West Orange, Northfield Avenue headquarters. Liz will focus on complex estate and trust administration as primary responsibilities. She has more than 25 years of multi-dimensional experience as attorney and CPA, focused on complex estate administration including will and trust drafting for various states, the coordination of estate litigation and extensive tax research. On the accounting side, she has worked for CPA firms including Pricewaterhouse Coopers where she built her practice in specialized areas including complex tax research and federal and state business tax planning. Daniela will work in tax planning and compliance for high net worth individuals and medium to large businesses. She has over 15 years of in-depth tax experience from Ernst & Young and Deloitte & Touche, a B.S. in International Economic Relations from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, Romania and an M.B.A. from Baruch College in New York.  Her specialized experience also includes negotiating tax complexities faced by United States Citizens working abroad and foreign nationals working in the United States. Four firm CPAs; Ken Winslow, CPA, Partner, Sean Raquet, CPA, CFE, Partner, Tim Brennan, CPA and Jonathan Colgary, CPA, MBA will teach financial literacy and work readiness to students at Mount Pleasant School in West Orange, New Jersey on May 25th in a program designed by Junior Achievement together with the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants. Bessner Gallay Kreisman, two offices in Montreal/Ottawa, is pleased to announce the admission of two new members: Alison Miller, CA, providing assurance and consultation services to small and medium-sized businesses and Mathieu Ouellette, CA, a member of the firm's Tax Group specializing in corporate reorganizations and international taxation including cross-border transactions. The firm is very pleased to announce the launching of its Mergers & Acquisition division, BGK Corporate Strategies Inc. to be headed by Moses Bendayan, CFA, as he joins the firm as Vice-President of BGK Corporate Strategies, Inc. Mr. Bendayan brings over a decade of business transition and financing experience. Bourgeois Bennett, CPAs & Consultants (four offices in Louisiana) is pleased to announce it has opened its fourth office in North Shore at West Point Office Park, 1070-B West Causeway Approach, Mandeville, LA 70471. Phone number is (985) 246-3022, while the fax number is (985) 626-7768.  Daszkal Bolton LLP, three offices in South Florida, recently announced the firm will be donating $2,580 to the Boca Raton Chapter of the American Red Cross to be used to support aide and relief efforts in Haiti. The firm raised the money through the monthly Charity Jeans Day Program. On the last Friday of the month employees make a donation to the featured charity and may wear jeans. In total, employees contributed $1,290 for the Red Cross through the program and management matched the contributions dollar for dollar. DeJoy, Knauf & Blood, L.L.P., Rochester, NY, is pleased to announce the addition of Lisa Tagliarino, CPA to its Not-For-Profit practice as a Manager. On February 5th, Lisa S. Hastings, CPA, Partner at Faw, Casson & Co., LLP (two offices in DE and MD) was inducted as an Honorary Commander of the Comptroller Squadron of the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.  The Comptroller Squadron is currently under the command of Major Fernando Waldron. The Honorary Commander Program first began at Dover in 1992, matching civic leaders with military commanders, both active duty and reserve.  The program provides an opportunity for community members to partner with commanders, to better understand each others’ programs and roles, and to support one another.  Community members are educated about the base and the important role of today’s military.     This program builds relationships, provides opportunities for information to be exchanged, and strengthens the partnership between DAFB and the community which makes TEAM DOVER.   Rothstein, Kass & Company, P.C. (nine offices in NY, NJ, CA, TX, CO, and Cayman Islands) is pleased to welcome the following new professionals to the firm: Joe Bailitz joins as Principal, Commercial Services, in the San Francisco office; Eric Bass, joins as Principal, Business Advisory Services, in the New York office; and Neil J. Tendler joins as a tax Principal, Family Office practice, in the Roseland office. Howard Altman, Co-Managing Principal, has been elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Hedge Fund Association (HFA), a not-for-profit international group of alternative investment industry professionals committed to promoting greater transparency and educational initiatives within the community. Rosalie Mandel, Principal, was recently named one of New Jersey’s “2010 Best 50 Women in Business.” The “Best 50 Women in Business” awards program honors New Jersey’s most dynamic women in business who have been making headlines in their fields. Kelly Easterling, Principal, has been elected to serve a one-year term as the co-CEO of the Association of Women in Alternative Investing (AWAI). Ms. Easterling will serve a one-year term alongside co-CEO Michelle White, Director, Citi Hedge Fund Services. The Rothstein Kass Women’s Initiative, known as LIFE, has been named 2009 National Women’s Initiative of the Year by Garden State Woman magazine. The firm is being recognized for its innovative women’s initiative, a multifaceted program that empowers women to succeed while achieving balance in their professional and personal lives. Rosalie Mandel is the founder of the “LIFE” initiative. At a mid-March ceremony in London, “Hedgeweek Awards” recognized Rothstein Kass as the “Best Accounting Firm” based on an extensive reader survey that evaluated the top hedge fund performers and service providers during 2009. Hedgeweek is a Global Fund Media Ltd. online publication serving over 57,000 daily readers, including over 20,000 institutional investors. The 2010 “Hedgeweek Award” winners were selected from over 1,000 responses and evaluated based on performance and other distinguishing elements including innovation, transparency, consistency and knowledge. The firm has launched its new corporate website. The new rkco.com provides richer content and improved navigation. As part of this enhanced experienced, the firm launched an alumni site (“Relationship Network”), which contains advanced social networking functionality, so alumni of the firm can stay informed, get engaged and expand their network of friends and colleagues.   TERMS & CONDITIONS