Joseph C. Kempe, J.D., LL.M., B.S.

Mr. Kempe is recognized as a specialist in both tax law and the law of wills, trusts, and estates under the Florida Bar's certification program of specialists. He frequently lectures and publishes on tax and estate planning topics on a national basis. In 1996, Mr. Kempe was the only attorney recognized as preeminent in both of his principal fields of law on the Treasure Coast of Florida, pursuant to Martindale-Hubbell's Register of Preeminent Lawyers, and he holds an AV rating. He has served as an expert witness on estate planning topics and is often called as a consultant for estate and financial planning issues. His legal experience emanates from practice in both local and national law firms. He has practiced on the Treasure Coast since 1983 and was formerly an attorney with the national law firm Nixon Hargrave Devans & Doyle.

Mr. Kempe has served as a member of the Florida Bar's Tax Section Executive Council since 1990 and as a Chairman of its Estate Tax Committee from 1992 through 1997. He has served the American Bar Association as Vice-Chairman of the Probate and Trust Law Section's Subcommittee on Planning for Closely-Held Businesses since 1992. From 1993 through 1997, Mr. Kempe also served as a member of the Florida Bar Tax Law Certification Committee, which certifies board certified tax law specialists and requires that he be considered eminent in his field.

Since 1994, Mr. Kempe has served as a faculty member of the Practicing Law Institute ("PLI"), where he writes and lectures on estate tax planning topics. The PLI is a national organization and its faculty consists of persons recognized as authorities within their fields of expertise. Mr. Kempe has been recognized as an authority by the PLI on Post Mortem (after death) Tax Planning and Planning to Devalue the Taxable Estate during life through advanced estate reduction techniques.

In 2000, Mr. Kempe completed a 204 page treatise for Commerce Clearing House (CCH) on the Administration of Trusts and Estates. In 1996, Mr. Kempe was requested by Clark Boardman Callaghan to author Chapter 27, Estate Freezes and Family Partnerships (Koren, ed., 2000), which consists of a 300 page chapter in this Estate and Financial Planning treatise. He was also requested in 1997 to prepare two papers for publication by the Research Institute of America ("RIA") on current estate tax reduction techniques, and was published at Kempe, Reconciling Diverse Authorities on Sales of Remainder Interests, Estate Planning, Vol. 24, 3 (WGL March/April 1997). Furthermore, a focused article on a common client problem was written by Mr. Kempe on integrating retirement plans with estate plans, which was published by the Florida Bar in 1993, at Kempe, Designating Trusts as Beneficiaries of Retirment Plans, Florida Bar Journal, Vol. LXVII, No., 1 (January, 1993).

Mr. Kempe received Congressional appointments to both the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, but declined them to accept a full football scholarship to the University of Miami. He graduated from Cumberland School of Law of Samford University in 1982 and received a Post-Doctorate Tax Law degree (an "LL.M") from the University of Miami in 1983. Most recently he completed post doctorate studies in International and Offshore Tax Planning at St. Thomas University School of Law, summa cum laude (May, 2002).

A member of the Board of Directors of the Jupiter Medical Center Foundation since 1988, Mr. Kempe has been active in non-profit and community service. As sports were an integral part of his upbringing, he is an active sponsor of various local athletic teams and events, particularly those in which his four children participate. He and his wife, Tami, have resided on the Treasure Coast since 1983 and he has resided in South Florida since 1957.

David C. Tassell, J.D., BA

Mr. Tassell joined the Firm from Brookmyer, Hochman, Probst & Tassell, P.A., a Palm Beach Gardens firm, where he was a shareholder. Mr. Tassell maintains a practice focusing in the areas of real estate, both residential and commercial, condominium development, the acquisition and sale of businesses, negotiation and preparation of contracts, and counseling clients concerning various business issues, including the areas of employment, shareholder relations, entity formation, and finance. Mr. Tassell is also a title agent for Attorney's Title Insurance Fund, Inc. and Chicago Title Insurance Company.

Mr. Tassell has served as Vice President and General Counsel for Schaaf Development Group, Inc., where he was involved with real estate development and condominium work, while also overseeing its business and other legal affairs. His business and legal oversight involved Indian Creek Golf Course, multiple commercial real estate projects, various family trusts, and Bizjet, Inc., a fixed base operation at the Palm Beach International Airport. Prior to representing Schaaf Development Group, Inc., Mr. Tassell was with the national law firm Nixon Hargrave Devans & Doyle, where he and Mr. Kempe were both associated in the mid-1980s.

Mr. Tassell received a Bachelors of Administration in Economics, with Honors, from Wake Forest University in 1979. He obtained his Juris Doctor, with Honors, from the University of Miami School of Law in 1983.

Mr. Tassell will assist in serving the business, real estate, and transactional needs of the Firm's clients.

David carries a 3 handicap for you golfers.

Katherine A. Barski, Esq., J.D., BS

Prior to joining the firm in May of 2003, Ms. Barski maintained a Stuart, Florida law firm where she practiced litigation, elder law, estate planning, probate and real property law immediately before joining our firm. Prior to her solo practice, she was a Trial Attorney with the United States Department of Justice, Attorney General's Honor Program, Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch in Washington, D.C. While with the Justice Department she obtained valuable and diverse litigation experience, including contract dispute; representation of NASA in damage claims involving the Challenger tragedy; and representation of the United States in various fraud matters.

During 1997 and 1998 she served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Henry A. Politz of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. During 1996 and part of 1997 she served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Tucker L. Melancon of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.

Ms. Barski is a native of Florida and attended Jupiter High School. She attended Loyola University School of Law where she graduated cum laude and served on the Law Review. She received numerous scholarship and community service awards. Ms. Barski also possesses a Masters of International Business Administration and a Bachelors of Science in Accounting, both with honors, from Nova Southeastern University.

Charles R. L. White, Esq.

Mr. White has practiced law in Jupiter, Florida since 1975, and developed a successful general practice, which includes the law of wills, trusts, estate planning and administration, and elder care; real property law and title insurance; general business and entity law; and litigation.

Mr. White is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a B.S degree in Business Adminstration. He was also awarded a Law degree from UNC in 1964. Prior to moving to Jupiter, Florida, Mr. White practiced law in New York City for 11 years. Before attending UNC, Mr. White served for four years in the United States Air Force.

Mr. White's many representative clients have included Burt Reynold's Dinner Theatre, Palm Beach- Martin County Medical Center, Inc., (now the Jupiter Medical Center), Burt Reynold's Institute For Theatre Training, Inc., Palm Beach County Cultural Council, Inc., Caldwell Theatre, Inc., of Boca Raton, and various local businesses and restaurants.

An avid golfer, Mr. White is an active member of the Turtle Creek Club. He lives in Tequesta with his wife, Susan. Mr. White has three children: Christina, Danny, and Mike.

Martindale Hubell Information