Overview
Stephen Harris is a partner in the Tax Department of Paul Hastings, and co-chair of the firm’s Executive Compensation, Benefits, and ERISA practice. Steve is a recognized leader in compensation, benefits, and ERISA law. He has been ranked by Chambers USA as one of the top employee benefits and executive compensation lawyers in California and Chambers has noted that he “maintains an impressively broad practice that includes IRS, HIPAA and COBRA compliance.”
Steve has extensive experience leading the employee benefit, executive compensation, and employment aspects of corporate transactions and bankruptcies, and working with senior executives to negotiate employment and severance agreements. He also advises clients with respect to utilizing “top hat” and severance plans as a work around to noxious state law non-compete restrictions.
Steve routinely advises clients on benefit plan design, implementation and compliance, and advises plan committees on ERISA fiduciary matters, compliance, and best practices.
In addition to being a trusted advisor, he is also a zealous advocate, representing clients in litigation proceedings and before the IRS, the Department of Labor and corollary state agencies in audits and settlement negotiations.
Steve has been consistently ranked as one of the top employee benefits and executive compensation lawyers in California since 2013 by Chambers USA (receiving the prestigious Band 1 ranking since 2019) which has also consistently ranked Paul Hastings’ employee benefits and executive compensation practice in Band 1. He also has been recognized by The Legal 500 for Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation and Retirement Plans – Transactional, and by The Best Lawyers in America for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Employment Law – Management and Tax Law, included being recognized as Lawyer of the Year for Tax Law in 2024 and 2021.
Steve’s published works include authoring a treatise covering the Federal WARN Act and state analogs and co-authoring the fiduciary responsibility chapter of Employee Benefits Law. He was also a contributing author for Reductions in Force.
Recognitions
- Ranked in Chambers USA since 2013, Band 1 since 2019
- Recognized in The Legal 500 U.S.
- Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2013
- Lawyer of the Year for Tax Law – 2024, 2021
- Paul Hastings Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Practice ranked by Chambers USA since 2019, Band 1
Education
- University of Southern California Law School, J.D.
- University of California Los Angeles, B.A.
Representations
Notable Representations:
- Outside Benefits Counsel: Steve worked closely with clients to advise and implement a wide range of important strategic initiatives, including benefit plan changes; amending and restating qualified pension plans; revamping plans’ claims procedures to reduce risk; eliminating certain non-qualified deferred compensation plans and obligations; eliminating “Rabbi trusts” in a trust-busting exercise; handling benefit claims as well as advising on numerous Internal Revenue Code Section 105(h), 162(m), 280G, and 409A issues. Steve recently devised a strategy that resulted in the IRS approving a retroactive qualified plan amendment that saved the client millions of dollars when a scrivener’s error introduced a faulty provision into the retirement plan.
- Transactions and Bankruptcies: Steve regularly leads the benefits, labor, employment, executive compensation, and international labor and employment aspects of corporate transactions, restructurings and bankruptcies. He led the representation of a client in a major bankruptcy with respect to all matters involving pension and welfare plans in the bankruptcy proceedings, taking depositions of plan actuaries and representing the client in the court proceedings related to collective bargaining matters.
- Won Several Defined Benefit Class Actions: Steve won summary judgment against class claims brought by plaintiffs alleging that they were unjustly denied defined benefit plan benefits.
- Won Several Single-Plaintiff Benefits Cases: Steve won summary judgment on behalf of a client who offset long-term disability benefits by certain pension plan benefits in the face of adverse Ninth Circuit authority and, in doing so, convinced the Ninth Circuit that the offset did not violate ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, or the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. He prevailed at arbitration against a plaintiff’s claim that she was entitled to “good reason” resignation benefits under a change in control plan. Steve won perhaps the very first Affordable Care Act case claiming that retiree annual or lifetime limits are illegal.
Reported Litigation Victories:
- Various arbitration matters, including several complete wins with respect to allegedly forfeited non-qualified plan benefits (on both the employee and employer side) and a complete verdict with respect to “good reason” severance benefits.
- Impress Communications v. UnumProvident Corp.
- Grenell v. UPS Health and Welfare Package
- Serpa v. SBC Telecomms. Inc.
- Safavi v. SBC Disability Income Plan
- Stewart v. AT&T Inc.
- Barnes v. AT&T Pension Ben. Plan-Nonbargained Program
news
- Paul Hastings Advised CWT US, LLC in Agreement to be Acquired by Global Business Travel Group in $570 Million Transaction - April 11th, 2024
- Paul Hastings Advised Flexpoint Ford on Strategic Investment in Public Trust Advisors - January 16th, 2024
- Paul Hastings Advised Micronics Engineered Filtration Group in Acquisition of AFT - July 28th, 2023
- Paul Hastings Advised Nuveen in Acquisition from Omni Holdings - May 10th, 2023
- Paul Hastings Advised PartnersAdmin LLC in Sale to TMF Group - March 27th, 2023
- Paul Hastings Advised Clarion Capital in Majority Stake Acquisition of Vin Di Bona Productions - January 20th, 2023
- Paul Hastings Advises IEQ Capital in a Growth Investment from Stone Point Capital LLC - January 19th, 2023
- Paul Hastings Advised Underscore Talent in Sale of Majority Stake to TheSoul Publishing - December 13th, 2022
- Paul Hastings Advises HyperloopTT in Business Combination with Forest Road Acquisition Corporation II - November 28th, 2022
- Paul Hastings Advises Banc of California in Acquisition of Deepstack Technologies - September 16th, 2022
- Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery to Sell Majority Stake in The CW Network - August 15th, 2022
- The Agency Acquires Triplemint, Combining a Best in Class Luxury Real Estate Brand with Revolutionary Technology - May 4th, 2022
- Black Rifle Coffee Company Completes $1.7 Billion Business Combination with SilverBox Engaged Merger Corp I - February 10th, 2022
- Fox Entertainment Acquires MarVista Entertainment - December 15th, 2021
- Paul Hastings Honored with TMT Deal of the Year at ALB Korea Law Awards 2021 - December 3rd, 2021
- Black Rifle Coffee Company to Go Public in $1.7 Billion Business Combination with SilverBox Engaged Merger Corp. - November 2nd, 2021
- Vance Street Capital Partners Acquires McFarlane Aviation - October 27th, 2021
- SpotOn to Acquire Appetize Technologies for $415 Million - September 15th, 2021
- Trusted Media Brands Announces Acquisition of Jukin Media to Form Multi-Faceted Digital Media Company - August 12th, 2021
- Moody's to Acquire RMS for $2 Billion - August 5th, 2021
Recognitions
- Paul Hastings Global Compensation Practice Top Ranked by Chambers USA 2022 - June 1st, 2022
- Recognized by Chambers USA 2021 - May 21st, 2021
- Recognized by Chambers USA 2020 - May 1st, 2020
- Ranked by Chambers USA 2019 - April 26th, 2019
- Recognized by Chambers USA 2018 - May 15th, 2018
- Recognized by Chambers USA 2017 - June 5th, 2017
- Recognized by Chambers USA 2016 - June 8th, 2016
- Recognized by the Daily Journal’s as Top Labor and Employment Lawyers for 2015 - June 3rd, 2015
- Law360 Awards - Top Practice Groups of the Year - January 2nd, 2013
insights
- ‘Perpetual’ COVID Furloughs Invite Suits in Hospitality Space - May 25th, 2021
- Key Business Tax Provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 - January 11th, 2021
- Department of Labor Allows Private Equity Investment Exposure in 401(k) Plans - June 9th, 2020
- IRS Dramatically Relaxes Mid-Year Section 125 Election Changes for Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance and Flexible Spending Accounts - May 19th, 2020
- Legislature Amends N.J. WARN Act to Provide COVID-19 Relief - April 22nd, 2020
- PH COVID-19 Client Alert Series: COVID-19 and Equity Compensation Valuations - March 19th, 2020
- PH COVID-19 Client Alert Series: The WARN Act and Similar State Laws - March 16th, 2020
- COVID-19 Paul Hastings LLP Hospitality & Leisure Client Alert - March 16th, 2020
- PH COVID-19 Client Alert Series: Employment Issues - March 8th, 2020
- Unprecedented Private Equity Funds ERISA Decision Is Reversed - December 3rd, 2019
- Who’s Covered and What’s Grandfathered? A Look at the New 162(m) Guidance - August 24th, 2018
- Unhappy New Year—New Tax Law Adversely Affects Certain Executive and Equity Compensation Arrangements - December 29th, 2017
- No Corporate Tax Deduction for Sexual Harassment or Sexual Abuse Settlements? - November 16th, 2017
- Heads-Up: Proposed Tax Law Would Doom Nonqualified Deferred Compensation (Including Stock Options and Other Equity-Based Compensation) As You Know It - November 3rd, 2017
- Asset Buyers Beware: PBGC Attempts to Hold Asset Buyer Liable for Seller’s Underfunded Single Employer Pension Plan Termination Liabilities - February 1st, 2017
- Feel The Burn? Equity Compensation Plan Amendment to Increase Withholding is Not a Material Amendment - October 20th, 2016
- 2017: New Year, New Retirement Requirements for California Employers - October 17th, 2016
- EEOC Issues Final ADA and GINA Wellness Program Regulations - May 25th, 2016
- You Can Bank On Your Incentive Pay - Eventually: Proposed Regulations Would Require Sweeping Changes - April 26th, 2016
- Unprecedented Private Equity Court Decision Collapses Related Funds Triggering Their ERISA Withdrawal Liability for Portfolio Company’s Union Pension Obligations - April 12th, 2016
Engagement & Publications
- Webinar: New FTC Rules on Non-Compete Agreements – April 26, 2024
- Webinar: COVID-19: Employment Update - March 19th, 2020
- Intersection of Wage and Hour and Employee Benefits Issues: Preventing and Resolving Claims - June 4th, 2015
- ERISA Teleconference: Inadequate or Mistaken Benefit Plan Disclosures - May 24th, 2011
Involvement
- Previous board member, Junior Achievement of Southern California and Menorah Housing
- Served as counsel for various charities on a pro bono basis