Pension, Profit-Sharing, Welfare, and Other Compensation Plans
Free PodCast
Listen to "Annual Litigation Update: What a Year!" from the program Pension, Profit-Sharing, Welfare, and Other Compensation Plans originally presented October 2-4, 2008
Why Attend?
Three days of intensive analysis provide the breadth and depth you need on advanced employee benefits issues!
Are you ready for health care reform? An expert faculty gets you up-to-date with the latest developments.
Do you know why cash balance plans might be of greater interest to small businesses and professional groups after major market losses?
Has your company or client retroactively corrected operational failures and adopted a written document in accordance with the latest 403(b) guidance?
What are the conditions for implementing an option exchange program?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you need to attend this course!
What You Will Learn
This annual advanced course of study, comprising 20 full hours of instruction, examines the most important aspects of pension, profit-sharing, welfare, and other compensation plans, including recent developments in litigation, legislation, and federal regulations, enforcement, and guidance. Top private practitioners, other benefits specialists, and current and former government speakers provide their insights on the latest issues, and will be available to answer your most pressing questions throughout the program. The discussions throughout the course are transactional, dealing with “how to do it” and not offering merely an explanation of the law itself.
Topics include:
2009 Litigation Update
IRS/Treasury priorities for 2009-2010
Methods of terminating a defined benefit plan
Ethical issues in employee benefits practice (60 minutes)
The interplay between bankruptcy and employee benefits
What you need to know about IRAs
Planning Chairs
(also on faculty)
Pamela Baker, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, Chicago
William F. Sweetnam, Jr., Groom Law Group, Chartered, Washington, D.C.; former Benefits Tax Counsel, U.S. Department of the Treasury
Faculty
FROM THE GOVERNMENT
Avaneesh Bhagat, Program Coordinator, Employee Plans Voluntary Compliance, Tax Exempt and Government Entities, Internal Revenue Service, Laguna Niguel, California
James E. Holland, Jr., A.S.A., E.A., Assistant Director, Employee Plans Rulings and Agreements, Internal Revenue Service, Washington, D.C.
Alan N. Tawshunsky, Deputy Division Counsel/Deputy Associate Chief Counsel (Employee Benefits), Tax Exempt and Government Entities, Internal Revenue Service, Washington, D.C.
Allison Wielobob, Senior Benefits Law Specialist, Office of Regulations and Interpretations, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Department of Labor, Washington, D.C. (invited)
PRIVATE PRACTITIONERS AND BENEFITS SPECIALISTS
Harold J. Ashner, Keightley & Ashner LLP, Washington, D.C.
Gregory C. Braden, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Washington, D.C.
T. David Cowart, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, Dallas
Althea R. Day, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Washington, D.C.
Beth J. Dickstein, Sidley Austin LLP, Chicago
Elizabeth E. Drigotas, Principal, Washington National Tax Group, Deloitte Tax LLP, Washington, D.C.
Jennifer Eller, Groom Law Group, Chartered, Washington, D.C.
Evan B. Giller, Giller & Calhoun, LLC, New York
David R. Godofsky, F.S.A., Alston + Bird LLP, Washington, D.C.
Michael R. Maryn, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, Washington, D.C.
Frank Palmieri, Palmieri & Eisenberg, Princeton, New Jersey
Pamela D. Perdue, Summers Compton Wells P.C., St. Louis
Bruce J. Temkin, The Temkin Group, Brentwood, Tennessee
Seth H. Tievsky, Seth H. Tievsky PLLC, Washington, D.C. (invited)
Robert J. Toth, Jr., Giller & Calhoun, LLC, Ft. Wayne, Indiana
John L. Utz, Utz Miller Kuhn & Eickman LLC, Overland Park, Kansas
ALI-ABA Staff Attorney: Amy S. Weinberg, Assistant Director, Office of Courses of Study
Program Schedule
Note: The program below is current and reflects scheduling changes that arose after the brochure went to print.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
7:30 a.m. Registration and Networking Session
WEBCAST SEGMENT A
8:30 a.m. Introductory Remarks
8:35 a.m. Health Care Issues, Including Cafeteria Plan Documentary Compliance - Messrs. Palmieri and Sweetnam
10:30 a.m. Networking Break
10:45 a.m. Update on the 2009-2010 Treasury/IRS Priority Guidance Plan - Mr. Tawshunsky
11:15 a.m. Defined Contribution Practitioner Issues - Ms. Day
11:45 a.m. Questions and Answers
12:00 noon Lunch Break
WEBCAST SEGMENT B
1:30 p.m. 401(k) Fee Disclosure Update - Mss. Eller and Wielobob
2:15 p.m. Target-Date Funds - Ms. Dickstein
3:00 p.m. Networking Break
3:15 p.m. 409A Corrections and Income Inclusion - Ms. Baker
4:00 p.m. Fiduciary Case Studies - Mss. Eller and Perdue
4:45 p.m. Questions and Answers
5:15 p.m. Adjournment for the Day; Networking Reception for Registrants and Faculty
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2009
8:00 a.m. Networking Session
WEBCAST SEGMENT C
8:30 a.m. What’s New in Employee Benefits Litigation – Part I - Mr. Braden
9:15 a.m. Cash Balance Plans - Messrs. Cowart and Holland
10:30 a.m. Networking Break
10:45 a.m. Defined Benefit Practitioner Issues - Messrs. Godofsky and Holland
11:30 a.m. Questions and Answers
11:45 a.m. Lunch Break
WEBCAST SEGMENT D
1:15 p.m. What’s New in Employee Benefits Litigation – Part II - Mr. Braden
2:00 p.m. Bankruptcy and Employee Benefits - Ms. Perdue
2:45 p.m. Networking Break
3:00 p.m. Ethical Issues in Employee Benefits Practice - Mr. Utz
4:00 p.m. Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) - Mr. Cowart
4:45 p.m. Questions and Answers
5:00 p.m. Adjournment for the Day
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2009
8:00 a.m. Networking Session
WEBCAST SEGMENT E
8:30 a.m. Late-Breaking Developments - Ms. Baker and Mr. Sweetnam
9:05 a.m. Self-Correcting under the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS) - Messrs. Bhagat and Tievsky
10:15 a.m. Networking Break
10:30 a.m. Implementing Recent 403(b) Plan Guidance and Regulations - Messrs. Giller and Toth
11:15 a.m. Underwater Options and Option Exchange Programs - Ms. Drigotas
12:00 noon Questions and Answers
12:15 p.m. Lunch Break
WEBCAST SEGMENT F
1:30 p.m. Severance and Retention Plans - Mr. Maryn
2:15 p.m. Everything You Need To Know about IRAs - Messrs. Sweetnam and Temkin
3:00 p.m. Networking Break
3:15 p.m. Defined Benefit Plan Termination Walk-Through - Mr. Ashner
4:00 p.m. Designing Plans for Small Businesses and Sole Proprietorships - Mr. Temkin
4:45 p.m. Questions and Answers
5:00 p.m. Adjournment
Total 60-minute hours of instruction: 20, including one hour of ethics
Suggested Prerequisite: Substantial experience in legal practice in subject matter
Educational Objective: Development of proficiency in performance of intricate and complex legal tasks within a narrow area
Level of Instruction: Advanced
Here's what registrants have said about this course:
“This program continues to be the best high level annual update pensions seminar presented in the U.S. The presentations and insight provided by government officials are particularly useful and informative. Great program.” – Richard A. Naegele, Wickens, Herzer, Panza, Cook & Batista, Avon, OH (March 2009 registrant)
“Wonderful and informative course. I plan to return each year.” - March 2009 registrant
“Extraordinarily good program. Speakers had very current information and provided practical advice.” - March 2009 registrant
“Great course for the employee benefits practitioner, especially for specific practice issues.” – Michael Levy, Retirement Planning Co., Inc., Las Vegas (March 2009 registrant)
“This was an excellent program. I learned a lot and will definitely be back in future years.” - March 2009 registrant
“Excellent background. EPCRS, 403(b), and both IRS and DOL updates were worth the price of admission.” – Robert B. Jones, Innovative Compensation and Benefits Concepts, Bryn Mawr, PA (October 2008 registrant)
“The new team of chairpersons have done an admirable, excellent, conscientious job…I was pleasantly surprised by how useful and well-planned this program was. My kudos and thanks to them. Pam Baker and Bill Sweetnam – bravo!” – October 2008 registrant
“Well done course. I’ve been away from serving as an ERISA attorney for four years and am coming back to the field. This course brought me up to date focusing on the latest issues with employee benefits.” – October 2008 registrant
