Joseph J. Fittante, Jr. has been elected president of Larkin Hoffman. Jacob W. Steen and Michael J. Salchert have been elected to the firm’s board of directors and Inga K. Kingland has been re-elected to the board.  The other members of the board are Daniel J. Ballintine, Patrick J. Cole and Timothy A. Rye.

Paul R. Smith, who is stepping down as the firm’s president, said, “I want to congratulate Joe on his election to the presidency and Jake, Michael, and Inga on their elections to the board of directors. This group will work tirelessly to lead the firm wisely and strategically.”

Joe Fittante has been with Larkin Hoffman for over 25 years. He has served the firm in numerous ways, including several terms on the board of directors and as chair of the recruiting committee. He is currently the chair of the Corporate and Finance practice group and is the long-time leader of the firm’s nationally recognized Franchise and Distribution industry team. 

“I would like to thank Paul Smith for his service to the firm as our president for the past 6 years,” Joe commented. “His steady hand during some very difficult times has served the firm well.”  Contemplating the future, Joe noted, “I am very excited by our prospects.  We are positioned to continue increasing our share not only of the local market but in those national legal markets we have chosen to enter.  Our unique platform favors attorneys who want to work hard to build best-in-class practices that are both professionally and financially rewarding.  We will be aggressively seeking entrepreneurial attorneys who welcome that challenge.”

Elections to the Board of Directors

New director Jake Steen chairs the firm’s Land Use and Real Estate practice. He is a frequent speaker on housing and urban development. He also leads the team that works with Norway House’s Business Accelerator Resource Network (BARN) assisting Norwegian companies coming to the United States.

Michael Salchert, who is also new to the board, advises dentists, veterinarians, and optometrists in corporate, business, real estate, and transactional matters. He primarily works with these professionals on the sale or purchase of professional practices, providing general business advice including employment and other business contractual and real estate matters.

Returning board member, Inga Kingland, represents individuals and businesses in a wide variety of real estate and construction industry matters often providing advice on resolving disputes involving land development, mechanic’s liens, construction defects, workmanship issues, surety claims, leasing, homeowners association governance documents, property partition and sales. 

As president of the firm, Joe Fittante will also serve on the board of directors. Joe advises franchisors, both mature and emerging, on a variety of topics including structuring the relationship, registration and disclosure, supply chain, brand integrity, transfer, and other system critical issues. He counts his clients as some of the most well-known brands in franchising. Joe is a past chair of the American Bar Association Forum on Franchising and frequent author and lecturer on issues important to the franchise industry.