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

• 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

• Previous board member, Junior Achievement of Southern California and Menorah Housing
• Served as counsel for various charities on a pro bono basis