Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation
We are experienced in counseling clients with regard to all aspects of their employee benefit plans. Our day-to-day practice involves designing and drafting plans, providing guidance to help clients understand how their plans work, advising them of changes in the law that affect their plan design or operation, and negotiating with the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, when necessary, to resolve problems.

RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS

• Drafted/reviewed executive compensation plans/agreements for public and private employers
• Acheived client goals in negotiations with IRS, DOL & PBGC over retirement plan issues
• Assisted companies in financial distress in meeting obligations to retirement plans
• Successfully represented the estate of a deceased participant in recovering claims for over $1 million in ERISA welfare benefits that had been wrongfully denied.
• Drafted and implemented a revamped ERISA welfare benefit plan for a collectively-bargained workforce.
• Successfully assisted Board of the Trustees of a multi-employer defined benefit plan in recouping misappropriated plan assets.
• Restructured and drafted non-qualified deferred compensation plans to comply with the new regulations under IRC 409A.
• Successfully represented a company with collectively-bargained workforce in avoiding ERISA withdrawal liability.
• Achieved successful outcomes on requests for IRS Voluntary Correction Statements.

 

• 401(k) plans
• COBRA and HIPAA compliance
• Cross-tested plans
• Debtor and Creditor Rights Issues
• Defined benefit plans
• Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
• ERISA Litigation
• ESOPs
• Executive compensation planning
• Health and welfare plans
• IRS Voluntary Correction Program
• IRS, DOL and PBGC investigations
• Money purchase plans
• Multi-employer plans
• Plan mergers and terminations
• QDROs and other divisions of retirement savings
• Target Benefit Plans
• Traditional profit sharing plans

• July 12, 2010: Long-Awaited Funding Relief for Employers of Defined Benefit Plans
  Long-Awaited Funding Relief for Employers of Defined Benefit Plans
• August 8, 2008: Deferred Compensation Arrangements Must be Updated by December 31, 2008
  Deferred Compensation Arrangements Must be Updated by December 31, 2008
• August 8, 2008: §403(b) Plans: A New Universe
  §403(b) Plans: A New Universe
• August 8, 2008: Retirement Plans: Time for Another Look?
  Retirement Plans: Time for Another Look?
• August 8, 2008: Do You Have a Conflict of Interest Under Your ERISA Plan?
  Do You Have a Conflict of Interest Under Your ERISA Plan?
• March 3, 2008: Congratulations New Members of Thomas & Libowitz, P.A.
  Congratulations New Members of Thomas & Libowitz, P.A.
• April 12, 2007: What Do We Need to Tell Our Workers About Their Retirement Plan Now?
  Benefits Alert; April 2007
• January 2, 2007: Robert A. Snyder, Francis R. Laws and Barry D. Berman Recognized by Maryland Super Lawyers 2007
  Robert A. Snyder, Francis R. Laws and Barry D. Berman Recognized by Maryland Super Lawyers 2007
• August 24, 2006: Chambers & Partners Recognizes Barry D. Berman
  Barry Berman named as a notable practitioner in Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation.
• August 15, 2006: Berman, Laws and Snyder Named as Maryland Super Lawyers
  Thomas & Libowitz is proud to announce that Barry Berman, Frank Laws and Bob Snyder were named as Maryland super lawyers....
• September 25, 2005: Former PBGC Assistant Chief Counsel Joins Growing Erisa Practice at Thomas & Libowitz
  Baltimore-based Thomas and Libowitz, P.A., announced today that John Paliga has joined the firm's growing ERISA practice.

• Barry D. Berman
• John R. Paliga

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