Compensation & Benefits Senior Attorney – Qualified Plans

About the Role

Our client is seeking a Senior Attorney to join its Compensation & Benefits practice, with a focus on tax-qualified retirement plans and health & welfare plans.

This role is ideal for an attorney with 6+ years of experience advising clients on ERISA compliance, plan design, plan administration, and regulatory matters. The successful candidate will counsel clients on employee benefit issues arising in mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions while advising on the ongoing operation and compliance of qualified benefit plans.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience with qualified retirement plans, health and welfare plans, IRS and Department of Labor compliance, and employee benefits counseling within a sophisticated law firm environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Advise clients on the design, implementation, and administration of:

  • Tax-qualified retirement plans

  • Health and welfare plans

• Counsel clients on:

  • ERISA compliance

  • Employee benefit regulations

  • Plan governance and administration

  • Fiduciary considerations

• Provide employee benefits support for:

  • Mergers & acquisitions

  • Corporate transactions

  • Business reorganizations

• Draft, review, and update:

  • Qualified retirement plan documents

  • Health and welfare plan documents

  • Participant disclosures

  • Required regulatory filings

• Advise clients on:

  • IRS compliance

  • Department of Labor filings

  • Government audits

  • Compliance testing

  • Plan correction programs

• Collaborate with corporate, tax, employment, and executive compensation attorneys on multidisciplinary matters

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 6 years of experience in employee benefits and executive compensation law

• Significant experience advising on:

  • Tax-qualified retirement plans

  • Health and welfare plans

  • ERISA compliance

  • Plan design and administration

• Experience supporting employee benefit matters in mergers & acquisitions and other corporate transactions

• Experience with:

  • Drafting plan documents

  • Participant disclosures

  • Compliance testing

  • IRS filings and audits

  • Department of Labor filings and audits

  • Plan correction matters

• Excellent drafting, analytical, written, and verbal communication skills

• Strong academic credentials from a nationally recognized law school

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree required

• Admission to practice law in the applicable jurisdiction or eligibility for admission

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with:

  • Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)

  • ERISA plan asset rules

  • Complex executive compensation matters

  • Large corporate benefit plans

• Experience advising public companies and private equity clients

• Background at a national or international law firm

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Senior employee benefits attorney with deep ERISA and qualified plan expertise

• Strong technical knowledge of retirement and health & welfare plans

• Business-minded advisor who partners effectively with corporate and tax teams

• Exceptional drafting and client counseling skills

• Comfortable managing sophisticated client matters independently

Preferred Background

Best-fit candidates likely come from:

• Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation practices

• ERISA practices

• Tax practices with benefits specialization

• Am Law 100 law firms