All open roles

Employee Benefits Attorney

Legal · Posted 4 months ago

We need someone with 4–10 years of substantive employee benefits experience at a law firm, with a primary focus on the retirement / ERISA side — qualified plans, 401(k), pension, deferred compensation, and plan compliance counseling. You should be comfortable advising plan-sponsor employers on complex ERISA matters and...

Way of working
Hybrid
Location
Rochester, NY, Buffalo, NY, Albany, NY
Pay range
$139,000 to $192,000
Level
Mid
Experience
4 to 10 years
Type
Full time
Visa sponsorship
Not offered for this role
The company
50 to 200 people

What you would be doing

  • Design, draft, and amend 401(k), pension, profit-sharing, and other qualified retirement plans for a sophisticated client base ranging from local employers to Fortune 100 and international public companies
  • Advise plan sponsors and fiduciary committees on day-to-day plan compliance, nondiscrimination testing, plan corrections (EPCRS/VFCP), and IRS/DOL audits
  • Implement SECURE Act / SECURE 2.0 changes and stay current on ongoing regulatory developments affecting plan sponsors
  • Collaborate closely with the firm's active corporate and capital markets groups on M&A benefits diligence — reviewing target plans, identifying liabilities, drafting reps and warranties, and handling plan integration post-closing
  • Counsel clients on nonqualified deferred compensation (409A), executive compensation arrangements, equity and incentive plans, and severance agreements
  • Engage directly with demanding institutional clients, particularly around year-end deadlines, with client-facing opportunities available for those seeking to build toward partnership
  • Work within a collegial, lockstep-with-accountability partnership model that structurally incentivizes cross-selling and early associate development — no eat-what-you-kill dynamics

The full description

What we're looking for:

We need someone with 4–10 years of substantive employee benefits experience at a law firm, with a primary focus on the retirement / ERISA side — qualified plans, 401(k), pension, deferred compensation, and plan compliance counseling. You should be comfortable advising plan-sponsor employers on complex ERISA matters and have a track record of handling qualified plan design, compliance, and M&A benefits diligence. Bonus points if you bring executive compensation experience (409A, equity plans, employment agreements) or a Tax LL.M. / CPA background.

What you'll do:

- Design, draft, and amend 401(k), pension, profit-sharing, and other qualified retirement plans for a sophisticated client base ranging from local employers to Fortune 100 and international public companies - Advise plan sponsors and fiduciary committees on day-to-day plan compliance, nondiscrimination testing, plan corrections (EPCRS/VFCP), and IRS/DOL audits - Implement SECURE Act / SECURE 2.0 changes and stay current on ongoing regulatory developments affecting plan sponsors - Collaborate closely with the firm's active corporate and capital markets groups on M&A benefits diligence — reviewing target plans, identifying liabilities, drafting reps and warranties, and handling plan integration post-closing - Counsel clients on nonqualified deferred compensation (409A), executive compensation arrangements, equity and incentive plans, and severance agreements - Engage directly with demanding institutional clients, particularly around year-end deadlines, with client-facing opportunities available for those seeking to build toward partnership - Work within a collegial, lockstep-with-accountability partnership model that structurally incentivizes cross-selling and early associate development — no eat-what-you-kill dynamics

How hiring runs

  1. 1Screen Interview
  2. 2In-Person Second Round – Panel Interviews
  3. 3Informal Lunch or Coffee

Interested in this one?

There is no apply button here on purpose. Tell us about yourself, we book a short call, and if this role fits we walk you through the company and ask before anything is sent. Always free for you.

Tell us about you
Tell us about you