Business Succession and Transition (Business Law Institute 2025 session)

Sean-Tamba Matthew is a shareholder of the law firm Stevens & Lee and also works with its affiliated business, SES ESOP Strategies. He advises companies, business owners, boards of directors and employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) trustees on transactional, corporate governance and formation matters related to the design and implementation of ESOPs. Sean is a frequent guest speaker on a range of ESOP-related issues. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law. In addition, Sean is a member of the leadership council for the Business Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, an advisory board member of Talley Management Group, an employee-owned company, and a member of the executive committee of The ESOP Association’s Public Policy Council. In addition to his professional work, Sean serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Independence Mission Schools, a network of 15 independent Catholic schools providing a transformative education to children of all faiths across Philadelphia, and Nutritional Development Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, an organization dedicated to alleviating food insecurity in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Sean was named among the 2021 Greater Philadelphia Region’s “40 Under 40” honorees by the Philadelphia Business Journal. He received his J.D. from Temple University Beasley School of Law and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania.

Paul T. Rushton, Esq. is a partner with the law firm of Rosenn, Jenkins & Greenwald, LLP and is the Chair of its Business & Finance Department. Paul practices exclusively in the areas of corporate law and mergers and acquisitions and frequently advises clients on governance issues and preparing for the sale of their business. Paul is a member of the Title 15/Business Associations Committee of the Section on Business Law of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Section’s Council and the Section’s Closely Held Business Committee. Paul is the current Vice Chair of the Business Law Section and Chair of the Section’s Closely Held Business Committee. He regularly presents seminars and prepares articles about corporate issues affecting closely held businesses.

Michael D. Ecker is Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Business Law Section and serves as a course planner for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Business Lawyer Master Class Series, successor to the PBA BLS’s long-standing Business Law Institute. A frequent lecturer and author, he has presented numerous continuing legal education programs on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, business transactions, healthcare law, technology licensing, and emerging business issues. Mr. Ecker retired from Eckert Seamans following more than four decades of corporate and transactional practice representing entrepreneurs, closely held and emerging businesses, financial institutions, healthcare organizations, and other business clients. He continues to advise a limited number of long-time clients on selected business law matters. An active leader in the Pennsylvania legal community, Mr. Ecker has served in numerous leadership positions within the Pennsylvania Bar Association Business Law Section and is committed to advancing the education and professional development of business lawyers throughout the Commonwealth. Outside his legal practice, Mr. Ecker serves on the Board of Directors of Children’s Guidance Resource Centers, Inc., and volunteers with First Tee and Wissahickon Trails. Mr. Ecker earned a B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University and a J.D./M.B.A. from Emory University. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and before the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Pennsylvania and holds an AV® Preeminent™ peer rating from Martindale-Hubbell®.Mr. Ecker can be reached at [email protected].