Our Employee Benefits lawyers handle a broad range of ERISA and employee benefits matters.
Our clients range from large, publicly traded companies to midcap and startup companies and tax-exempt and not-for-profit entities. In our frequent role as outside ERISA and employee benefits counsel, we advise on all aspects of plan qualification rules under the Internal Revenue Code, plan administration and compliance issues under ERISA and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as well as COBRA compliance and HIPAA privacy requirements. We design and help our clients administer employee pension and welfare benefit plans and other compensatory arrangements. We guide plan sponsors and their boards of directors or trustees, as well as plan administrative and investment committees, through a wide range of fiduciary responsibility and liability issues under ERISA.
We also advise plan sponsors and plan administrative committees in participant claims for benefits in accordance with the Department of Labor (DOL) claims procedure regulations and actions filed under ERISA §502 in federal court, and have presented client education programs on a variety of issues.
We submit requests for the IRS for compliance statements and closing agreements under the IRS Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System, including component programs such as the Voluntary Correction Program. We request and receive IRS private letter rulings and DOL advisory opinions, and maintain good relationships with IRS and DOL personnel. We also advise clients in dealing with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation regarding its defined benefit pension plans.
We also bring practical business sense to bear on the compensation issues that arise in highly competitive markets. We counsel on executive retention, compensation and severance, change-in-control situations and golden parachute issues, deferred compensation, and the design and operation of incentive plans, equity-based plans and similar arrangements.
