Frank Sommerville

Frank Sommerville (J.D.) is a shareholder in the law firm of Weycer, Kaplan, Pulaski & Zuber, P.C. in Houston and Dallas, Texas. He received his bachelor’s degree in business from Texas Wesleyan University. He received his master’s in professional accounting from the University of Texas at Arlington. His law degree is from the University of Houston Law Center. He holds a license as a Certified Public Accountant. He is also board-certified in tax law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is rated AV (highest possible) by the Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory.

Frank has served non-profit institutions of all sizes as a bookkeeper, accountant, auditor, tax advisor and advocate, litigator, and legal advisor. He has presented seminars on non-profit taxation since 1981. He has presented lectures on non-profit litigation at the University of Texas Law School's 8th, 9th, 18th, 20th, and 23rd Annual Non-Profit Organizations Conferences. He also presented lectures for the State Bar of Texas Governance of Non-Profit Organizations Courses. He regularly assists churches in preventing litigation, including cases that originate with accusations of sexual misconduct. Frank is a member of the American Bar Association (Litigation and Tax Sections, member of the Exempt Organizations Committee), the State Bar of Texas (Litigation and Tax Sections, 2002-2010: Chairman of the Non-Profit Corporation Subcommittee), Tarrant County Bar Association (Litigation and Tax Sections), Christian Legal Society, and the TSCPA. For TSCPA he served on the Relations with IRS Committee for three years. He served on the Texas Tax Institute Committee (Chairman in 2000) and on the Non-Profit Organizations Conference Committee (Chairman for 2009-2010). He was a member of the National Board of Directors for Christian Management Association (CMA) from 1993 to 1999. He has spoken at numerous CMA national conventions.

Due to his significant contributions to the church administration profession, he was inducted into the National Association for Church Business Administration Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2005, 2006, and 2007, The Church Report, a magazine serving larger churches, named Mr. Sommerville one of the 50 Most Influential Christians in America. 

Frank is one of the contributing authors to PPC’s Non-Profit Tax & Governance Guide: Helping Organizations Comply (2010). He is a regular contributor to many publications, including Christianity Today and Your Church. He is a member of the Experts Panel for ChurchSafety.com and posts answers regularly. He has written more than 60 articles on non-profit issues, most of which are available at wkpz.com, and he is a part of the WKPZ team that assists with employment and ERISA issues. He has represented non-profit and religious organizations in disputes with former employees regarding benefit plans, retirement plans, and termination including employee discipline. He counsels non-profit and religious organizations regarding compensation planning, employee handbooks, employment policies, employment agreements, intellectual property policies, and proper treatment of clergy and rabbis.

Frank has served on the boards of various non-profit organizations. At various times he has acted as chairman, secretary, and treasurer for non-profit organizations. His volunteer activities have served a wide range of organizations from United Way agencies to the Dallas Center for Non-Profit Management, and his local church.