Principal Attorney
Mr. Salb is the Principal Attorney of Lippman, Semsker & Salb.
Mr. Salb litigates and provides counsel in Estate Planning and Probate Law matters. He also directs the Firm’s work in its Employment Law, Business Formation & Disputes, and Domestic Relations practice areas. He has practiced with the Firm since May 1995; he previously served as Special Assistant to the Corporate Secretary of Sallie Mae. Mr. Salb has extensive litigation and appellate experience, including successfully arguing numerous cases before the United States Courts of Appeals, federal district courts, and state courts. Mr. Salb also coordinates the Firm’s pro bono service, including making grants and donations of legal services.
Mr. Salb works with middle-class and high net worth families for estate planning needs. He has extensive experience in sophisticated wealth-transfer strategies, such as GRATs and installment sales; the structuring of family wealth through Family Limited Partnerships; asset protection techniques; charitable work, including the creation of charitable lead trusts and charitable remainder trusts; and assisting families with the emotional and pragmatic concerns related to intergenerational wealth transfer, including business succession planning for owners of closely held businesses, including creation and management of family limited partnerships.
Mr. Salb also has extensive experience with estate and trust administration, including valuing and probating estate assets, post-mortem tax planning, and preparation of complex estate tax returns. He also is experienced in advising individuals and charitable organizations in disputes involving estates and trusts, including will contests, and the representation of fiduciaries in tax controversies with the Internal Revenue Service.
Mr. Salb is often called upon to advise clients regarding the formation of new business entities, particularly high-tech and emerging technology companies. He is well-versed in online technologies and the legal issues encountered by technology companies. He advises clients forming start-ups, spin-offs from mature enterprises, or via mergers or acquisitions. He handles all stages of the process, including due diligence, entity-type selection, operating agreements, shareholder agreements, employment agreements, non-compete and non-disclosure agreements, vendor contracts, and the like. He also serves as general counsel to numerous companies, offering regular advice on all aspects of the business lifecycle, including business disputes, “works for hire” and other intellectual property disputes, employment issues, and business wrap-up.
In the various federal courts of appeals:
Steele v. Schafer, 535 F.3d 689 (D.C. Cir. 2008);
Aleman v. Chugach Support Services, Inc., 485 F.3d 206 (4th Cir. 2007) (amicus brief);
Griffin v. Washington Convention Center, 142 F.3d 1308, (D.C.Cir. 1998);
Rao v. County of Fairfax, Virginia, 108 F.3d 42 (4th Cir. 1997)
In the various federal district courts:
Vincent v. Geithner, — F.Supp.2d —-2012 WL 3887199 (D.D.C. 2012);Smith v. Cafe Asia, 2011 WL 5108489 (D.D.C. 2011);
Smith v. Cafe Asia, 724 F.Supp.2d 125 (D.D.C. 2010);
Smith v. Cafe Asia, 256 F.R.D. 247 (D.D.C. 2009);
Smith v. Cafe Asia, 598 F.Supp.2d 45 (D.D.C. 2009);
Smith v. Cafe Asia, 246 F.R.D. 19 (D.D.C. 2007);
Dickerson et al. v. SecTek, Inc., 238 F.Supp.2d 66 (D.D.C. 2002);
Griffin v. Washington Convention Center, 2000 WL 1174967 (D.D.C. 2000);
Sotabinda v. Hotel Lombardy, 173 F.R.D. 3 (D.D.C. 1997);
Smith v. United Parcel Service, Inc., 947 F.Supp. 190 (D.Md. 1996);
Van Allen v. Bell Atlantic-Washington, D.C., Inc., 921 F.Supp. 830 (D.D.C. 1996).
Reported cases in the various state courts include Lockhart v. Cade, 728 A.2d 65 ( D.C. 1999).
Reported cases in the various administrative agencies include Law v. US Postal Service, 77 M.S.P.R. 30 (MSPB 1997).
“Estate and Tax Planning for Same-Sex Couples,” National Business Institute, September 2014.
Panelist, “How to Conduct an Internal Employment Investigation in the Private Sector,” District of Columbia Bar, Labor and Employment Law Section, August 2011.
Panelist, “The Latest on Criminal and Credit Background Checks: What is Permissible, What is Advisable,” District of Columbia Bar, Labor and Employment Law Section, April 2011.
Moderator, “Intersection of Internet Social Networking and Employment Law,” District of Columbia Bar, Labor and Employment Law Section, July 2008.
Moderator, “Trends and Developments in Sexual Orientation Employment Law” District of Columbia Bar, Labor and Employment Law Section, January 2008.
Moderator, “Burlington Norther One Year Later: A Major Change to Retaliation Claims or a Decision of No Real Consequence?” District of Columbia Bar, Labor and Employment Law Section, February 2007.
Program Chair, “Fair Labor Standards Act Basic Law and Procedures,” District of Columbia Bar, Labor and Employment Law Section, March 2006.
“Current Developments in Employment Law,” delivered to the annual Human Resources Development symposium, Bowie State University, April 2002.
Panelist, “Settlement Techniques,” delivered to a meeting of the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers’ Association, May 2000.
Panelist, “Employment Law Issues for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People,” Public Presentation to the Gay and Lesbian Lawyers Association of Washington, May 2000.
Panelist, “The Interplay of Labor and Employment Law; a Practitioner’s View,” delivered to a meeting of the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers’ Association, March 2000.
Panelist, “Zealous but Ethical: Proper Deposition Conduct,” delivered to the Annual Convention of the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers’ Association, February 2000.
Professorial Adjunct, American University College of Law, 1999 -2000.
Judge, Catholic University, Columbus School of Law, Moot Court Association competition, November 1998.
“Employment Issues for Human Resources Professionals,” delivered at Bowie State University’s graduate program in Human Resources Development, October 1998, January 1997, and October 1996.
Fulton County/City of Atlanta Land Bank Authority: Progress and Promises, The Atlanta Project of the Carter Center, 1994. Evaluated the formation, successes, and necessary policy and law reforms necessary to make the Land Bank an effective tool in decreasing decrepit and tax-delinquent properties in Atlanta.
Moderator, Emory University School of Law Diversity Day Panel Discussion on Diversity in the Legal Community April 1994.
Moderator, “Where has Justice Gone?” (panel program on teaching justice in legal education) September 1993.
Mr. Salb is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association. He is also a member of the American Bar Association, the ABA’s Section on Estate Planning & Property, and the Estate Planning section’s Committee on Financial Planning and Risk Management. Mr. Salb is also a long-time member of the ABA sections on Labor & Employment Law and Litigation.
He was elected to the Washington Estate Planning Council in 2010.
He was elected by the members of the District of Columbia Bar Section on Labor and Employment Law to the Steering Committee in 2005, where he served until his term expired in 2010. He served as co-chair of the Steering Committee from 2008 through 2010. Mr. Salb also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association from 2006 through 2008.
Mr. Salb has served as a section author of the DC Bar’s DC Practice Manual since 2006.
Mr. Salb served as the chair of the Governance Committee of the Board of Directors of Adventure Theatre, the award-winning children’s theater in Glen Echo, Maryland, from 2010 to 2014. He volunteers at Jewish Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital and the Ohev Sholom synagogue.
