Employee Benefits

Dean Mead’s Employee Benefits Team counsels clients on all aspects of their benefits programs. We represent a wide range of employers, including NYSE and NASDAQ listed companies, local middle market employers and an extensive number of professional associations in the medical, legal, accounting, architectural, and engineering fields.

Our Team assists clients with each stage of the development, implementation, and operation of their programs, including determination of the best benefits structure, drafting and adoption of specific plans, ongoing administration and compliance work, preparation of the necessary employee communications, and satisfaction of applicable governmental reporting requirements.

Our Team assists with the design, installation, and ongoing operation of tax-qualified and nonqualified deferred compensation plans, such as safe harbor 401(k) plans, cross-tested profit sharing plans, defined benefit pension plans, employee stock ownership plans, supplemental executive retirement plans, and qualified and non-qualified stock option plans. Also, we amend those plans periodically as needed to comply with changes in federal and state laws. We routinely counsel clients on COBRA health care continuation coverage issues, the implementation of Section 125 cafeteria plans and self-insured medical benefit plans, and the preparation and review of qualified domestic relations orders (QDROs).

In addition, we advise our clients on the employee benefit aspects of the purchase, sale, or merger of their businesses, as well as on the termination of their employee benefit plans.

Areas of Experience
COBRA Health Care Continuation Coverage
Equity Based Compensation Plans
Incentive Stock Option Plans
Nonqualified Stock Option Plans
Restricted Stock Plans
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plans
Executive Bonus Plans
Phantom Stock Plans
Rabbi Trusts
SERPS
Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs)
Qualified Medical Child Support Orders (QMCSOs)
Qualified Retirement Plans
Cross Tested Profit Sharing Plans
Defined Benefit Pension Plans
ESOPs
Safe Harbor 401(k) Profit Sharing Plans
Section 125 Cafeteria Plans
Self-Insured Medical Plans

Notable Work
Prepared several private letter ruling (PLR) requests to the IRS concerning the taxation of employer securities distributed from employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs).

Assisted numerous clients to rectify operational and fiduciary issues concerning their qualified retirement plans through the preparation of submissions under the IRS Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS) and DOL Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program (VFCP).

Amended and restated over 125 retirement plans to maintain their tax qualified status after the enactment of federal legislation known as GUST and EGTRRA and the promulgation of various federal regulations.

Provided employee benefits counsel to two ESOP owned companies in stock sale and merger transactions.

Assisted a publicly traded company with the employee benefits aspects of several stock and asset acquisitions.