Sam Cheris

Current

• Principal at Samuel David Cheris, Esq.
• Special Advisor to the Board at CSCPA
• Arbitrator & Mediator at Sole proprietorship

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Past

• Chair, FOC at US Fencing Association
• Of Counsel at Hutchins & Associates
• CFO and General Counsel at Blackhawk GeoServices

• Member executive committee at Federation International d'escrime
• SVP and General Counsel at Relera
• Member, CFO, Executive Committee at Hall & Evans

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3 more...

Education

• Stanford University Graduate School of Business
• Stanford University Law School
• City University of New York-Brooklyn College

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Recommended

5 people have recommended Sam

Connections

234 connections

Industry

Legal Services

Sam Cheris’s Summary

Former General Counsel and CFO. Looking for opportunities to assist enterprises in transition - M&A, Management or ownership succession, Organizational structuring, Roll-ups, Turn-arounds, Non-bankruptcy liquidations.

Sam Cheris’s Specialties:

Mergers and Acquisitions, Entrepreneurial entities,
Corporate Tax,
Negotiations,
ADR

Sam Cheris’s Experience

• Principal

  Samuel David Cheris, Esq.

  (Legal Services industry)

  March 2004 — Present (5 years 10 months)

  Legal and financial consulting to companies in transition: M&A; Management & ownership succession planning; Finance

• Special Advisor to the Board

  CSCPA

  (Legal Services industry)

  2003 — Present (6 years )

• Arbitrator & Mediator

  Sole proprietorship

  (Alternative Dispute Resolution industry)

  1980 — Present (29 years )

  I have more than 25 years of experience as an arbitrator for AAA, US Anti-Doping Agency (administered by AAA) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and Colorado Mediators and Arbitrators (CoMA). Have served as sole arbitrator, panel member and panel chair for more than 60 matters in the last 10 years, handling cases dealing with the following types of issues: business valuation; cable and satellite television; partnership dissolutions & terminations; tax malpractice; contracts; dope testing (Olympic movement); education; health care; insurance; investment and securities; patent infringement; real estate; oil & gas and telecommunications. AAA Faculty: ACE003 - Arbitrator Ethics and Disclosure, 2004, 2005; ACE002 - Pro Se: Managing Cases Involving Self-Represented Parties, 2004.

• Chair, FOC

  US Fencing Association

  (Sports industry)

  2008 — 2009 (1 year )

• Of Counsel

  Hutchins & Associates

  (Legal Services industry)

  2005 — 2009 (4 years )

• CFO and General Counsel

  Blackhawk GeoServices

  (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Civil Engineering industry)

  May 2003 — March 2004 (11 months)

  Responsible for law, administration and finance for a geophysical and UXO remediation company. Upgraded IT and accounting systems, remodeled headquarters, renegotiated leases, revised collections procedures (cut over 90 A/R by almost 50%), increased utilization rates.

• Member executive committee

  Federation International d'escrime

  (Legal Services industry)

  1996 — 2004 (8 years )

• SVP and General Counsel

  Relera

  (Privately Held; 501-1000 employees; Internet industry)

  June 2000 — March 2003 (2 years 10 months)

  Responsible for procurement, law, risk management, tax, and business development. Managed a staff of 15.
  
  Law - Negotiated and documented in excess of $300 million of equity financing from banks and venture capital firms, debt facilities in excess of $20 million and real estate leases in 11 jurisdictions. Negotiated and documented contractual relationships with strategic partners.
  
  Business Development - Established strategic partner relationships with co-suppliers of goods and services to Relera’s customers.
  
  Procurement - Managed contracting for products and services to provision and start-up the 11 IDCs. Had responsibility for expenditures in excess of $200 million.
  
  Risk Management - Established company’s insurance program including errors and omissions insurance. Created and managed the contractual risk mitigation and dispute resolution processes and procedures.
  
  Tax - Established entity structure and state and local tax strategy to minimize tax liabilities.

• Member, CFO, Executive Committee

  Hall & Evans

  (Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Law Practice industry)

  September 1972 — June 2000 (27 years 10 months)

  Firm Administration - Chief Financial Officer and member Executive Committee. Responsible for computerization of billing systems, accounting system and secretarial and legal functions, purchasing, negotiation of lease obligations and banking relationships.
  
  Departmental Leadership - Head of commercial practice group. Handled matters in banking, M&A, real estate, estate planning & probate, tax, bankruptcy, director and officer responsibility, trademark and copyright and general commercial litigation.
  
  Practice - Focus of practice was M&A, entity organization and reorganization, corporate taxation, ownership and management succession planning, real estate leasing and acting as general counsel for enterprises without an in-house counsel. Worked in the following industries: manufacturers, design professionals, accounting firms, oil & gas service companies, public relations companies, consumer products companies, telecommunications cable and IDCs and construction companies.

Sam Cheris’s Education

• Stanford University Graduate School of Business

  MBA , Finance, International Business , 1968 — 1971

• Stanford University Law School

  JD , Law , 1967 — 1971

  Activities and Societies:

  Stanford Law Review
  Stanford Journal of International Studies
  Stanford Fencing Team

• City University of New York-Brooklyn College

  BS , Accounting , 1963 — 1967

  Activities and Societies:

  Alpha Phi Omega
  Fencing Team
  Student Government

Additional Information

Sam Cheris’s Interests:

Fencing Ballroom Dancing Travel Hiking

Sam Cheris’s Groups:

International Hearing Dog,
Colorado Society of CPAs,
Association of Corporate Counsel,
Financial Executives, Inc.,
Aurora Election Commission,
International Fencing Federation (FIE),
US Fencing Association,
National Association of Corporate Directors
Colorado Bar Association
Denver Bar Association
ACTEC
DEPC
US Fencing Association
International Fencing Federation (FIE)
SCI
Littleton Town Hall Arts Center
Association for Corporate Growth

•    Business Professionals Fencing Network
•    Executive Suite
•    LInked Business Strategists
•    Venture Capital Cafe (+5000 Members)
•    M&A Working Group
•    2012 London Olympics & Paralympics
•    Entrepreneur's Network
•    Stanford Business School Alumni Association
•    Stanford Law School
•    Brooklyn College Alumni
•    Venture Capital Group
•    Colorado Society of CPAs
•    ACC Colorado -
•    Denver Executives In Transition
•    Entrepreneurs Meet Investors
•    Commercial and Industry Arbitration and Mediation Group
•    ST.EN - Start-ups & Entrepreneurs
•    Fencers in Finance
•    Lawyers With Swords

Sam Cheris’s Honors:

Order of the Coif
Order of St Ives
Member of Honor - International Fencing Federation (FIE)
Pro Bono Achievement Award - Association of Corporate Counsel - Colorado

Sam Cheris’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• career opportunities
• consulting offers
• new ventures
• expertise requests
• reference requests
• getting back in touch