Vorys Continues Expansion of Property Tax Valuation Practice with West
Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP announced today that Ken West, an experienced real property tax lawyer, has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as of counsel. West has more than a decade of experience counseling clients on real property and local tax issues.
“Over the past several years, we have significantly expanded our real property practice,” said Nicholas Ray, head of the firm’s real property tax subgroup. “We’re excited to continue this expansion and welcome Ken to the firm. His experience will bolster our national practice.”
Prior to joining Vorys, West founded and managed one of Canada’s largest property tax law firms. During this time, he served as tax counsel for some of the largest companies in the country and was involved in many of the country’s most complex property tax cases.
West joins the Vorys real property tax subgroup, which currently includes 11 lawyers and several paralegals focused on property valuation services. The group is one of the largest law firm-based teams focused on property tax services with engagements ranging from single-state engagements to nationwide portfolio management for clients with hundreds of locations in all 50 states.
The team works closely with appraisers, property managers, engineers and accountants to perform valuation analyses to help reduce clients’ property tax burdens. Once an opportunity for savings is identified, the attorneys, in concert with clients and their advisors, develop the appropriate strategy to address the over-assessment.
West is a member of the Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT) and a member of the organization’s legal committee. He is also the associate chair for the IPT’s 2018 annual conference. West is also a member of the National Association of Property Tax Attorneys (NAPTA), where he currently serves on the board of directors.
“Ken is a leader in his field,” said Karen Bauernschmidt, of counsel at Vorys and a current board member of NAPTA. “He is a tremendous addition to our national team and will help continue Vorys on its trajectory.”
West received his J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law. He received his LL.M. in tax from Osgoode Hall Law School and his LL.B. from the University of Ottawa. He received his B.A. from Wilfrid Laurier University.
About Vorys: Vorys was established in 1909 and has grown to be one of the largest Ohio-based law firms with nearly 375 attorneys in seven offices in Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Akron, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; Houston, Texas; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Vorys currently ranks as one of the 200 largest law firms in the United States according to American Lawyer magazine.