Kristina R. Jones concentrates her practice in public finance and public law. She has served as bond counsel, issuer’s counsel and underwriter’s counsel for tax-exempt and taxable financings, including general obligation bonds, revenue bonds and tax anticipation notes. Ms. Jones also provides legal advice pertaining to public sector employee benefit plans and compliance with local law.

Experience

• Represents a county development authority in numerous taxable and tax-exempt bond issues for 501(c)(3) entities and private companies.


• Advises a bi-county hospital authority on compliance with local laws, various contractual arrangements and interaction with the 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation organized for the purpose of operating the hospital.


• Advises government and nonprofit entities with respect to governance, operation and compliance issues, particularly under Georgia law, including Georgia’s Open Records and Meetings Acts, Public Retirement Systems Standards Law, Hospital Authorities Law and Development Authorities Law.


• Represents employee benefit plans sponsored by a large, nonprofit hospital and a county board of education.


• Advises retirement plan administrators on a variety of issues including fiduciary considerations in making investment decisions, fiduciary obligations in selecting and monitoring service providers, fiduciary obligations in negotiating vendor contract submissions, applications for compliance statements under the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System and determination letter submissions.


• Advises on the requirements of the federal healthcare reform law (PPACA) as applicable to sponsors and administrators of group health plans.


• Advises clients with respect to their compensation and severance agreements, including provisions relating to Code Sections 162(m), 280G and 409A.


• Successfully petitioned the IRS to waive more than $100,000 in penalties and interest for an entity that failed to file IRS Forms 990.

Publications

“Fiduciary Aspects of Day-to-Day Plan Operations,” in ERISA Fiduciary Answer Book, 7th ed. (forthcoming)

“Benefits,” “Health Care Continuation” and “HIPAA,” in Georgia Human Resources Manual: A Guide to Georgia and Federal Employment Laws and Regulations (2011)

In addition, Ms. Jones writes client advisories on employee benefit law changes.

Pro Bono Activities

Ms. Jones has provided more than 250 hours of pro bono legal services. She primarily volunteers with Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta and provides general corporate and governance advice to Future Foundation, Inc. She has also assisted with the preparation of wills, powers of attorney and advance directives for health care throughout the AVLF Wills Project, Atlanta Legal Aid Breast Cancer Legal Project and DeKalb Medical Wills Project.

Previous Experience

Prior to joining Schiff Hardin, Ms. Jones was an associate in the Atlanta office of an international law firm. Before that, she served as a legal intern for a Georgia law firm, and while in law school, Ms. Jones was a legal intern for the Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta.

Awards and Honors

Outstanding Student Award, State Bar of Georgia, Taxation Law Section (2009)