We provide clients with a complete package of legal services for their employee benefits and compensation programs.
Drawing on years of litigation and tax, labor and employment, corporate, and health law experience, our lawyers are trusted collaborators in constructing and operating compensation and benefits solutions. We work directly with our clients’ executives, human resources, and benefits staff to strategically execute their goals and predict liabilities in order to avoid them. We also provide guidance to benefit-plan fiduciaries and financial services providers. Our long-term representation of Taft-Hartley plans, with their specialized issues under ERISA, enables us to offer sophisticated and practical advice.
When clients face litigation over the administration of pension and welfare plans, our lawyers offer effective ERISA representation in court. We educate and empower clients to contain costs, manage liabilities, and comply with laws and regulations. Our comprehensive experience positions us to help manage benefit plan exposures and costs and avoid expensive plan lawsuits, allowing businesses to save time and money. We help clients ensure compliance, designing effective plan structures and preventive plan reviews to preempt problems and preclude investigations or litigation.
Our Clients
- Public companies, including national and multinational corporations
- Taft-Hartley collectively bargained pension and welfare plans
- Tax-exempt nonprofits, educational institutions, and hospitals
- Employees negotiating employment agreements, equity compensation, SERPs, and separation pay packages
- Registered investment advisors and trustees providing investment services plans
- Third-party administrators, banks, and other benefit service providers
Our Services
- Advising on IRS code sections 401(k), 403(b), and 457 savings plan documentation, investment, and compliance
- Participating in the review of 401(k) and other savings plan investment options and service provider contracts
- Obtaining IRS rulings on plan tax-qualified status and obtaining plan compliance relief under voluntary correction programs
- Regularly attending board of trustees, plan investment committee, and appeals committee meetings
- Assisting with IRS and Department of Labor audits of retirement and benefit plans
- Designing and implementing retirement benefits for government and nonprofit employers
- Responding to Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) concerns over plan terminations, plan funding, and corporate transactions
- Assisting with collective bargaining negotiations over pension and other benefits issues, including multi-employer plan issues
- Advising multi-employer plans and private companies on withdrawal liability issues
- Designing and implementing stock option and other incentive compensation plans
- Consulting on the design of group health and welfare plans, including cafeteria plans
- Ensuring COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA, and ADA compliance for benefit plans
- Advising investment advisors, plan trustees, and other plan service providers on ERISA fiduciary duties and other ERISA compliance issues
- Negotiating and preparing executive employment agreements, SERPs, and separation agreements
- Consulting on ESOP implementation and ESOP transactions
- Defending employers against retirement and benefit plan lawsuits and regulatory actions
- Defending our clients in ERISA litigation