Jeff Witt advises public and private companies on a wide array of matters related to qualified retirement plans, executive compensation arrangements, and severance programs. Jeff has many years of experience counseling clients on defined benefit plans (including plans with cash balance benefit formulas) and defined contribution plans, including plan design, plan drafting, participant communications and disclosures, compliance, IRS ruling and corrections, audits (Department of Labor, IRS, and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation), and M&A activity. During the same period he has counseled clients in these matters for supplemental executive retirement programs, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, and non-qualified excess plans. His past experience includes in-house counsel with legal responsibility for retirement programs and executive compensation at a Fortune 500 company. That experience, along with his knowledge of the law and administrative operations of both qualified and non-qualified retirement programs, enables him to provide a comprehensive and practical solutions to clients. As part of his day-to-day and strategic counseling for clients, recent issues have included: Advising multiple clients on pension plan de-risking strategies to reduce administrative costs and exposure to fluctuations in pension liabilities. Advising clients on compliance with final hybrid plan regulations for cash balance plans. Advising a Fortune 500 company on design, drafting, and implementation of qualified and non-qualified retirement programs in large business spinoff of over 20,000 employees. Advising a client on the acquisition of a business with over 10,000 US employees and how to integrate the retirement programs. Designing union and non-union retirement programs, drafting plan documents, coordinating administration with plan record keepers, and communicating benefit programs to new employees on behalf of plan sponsors. Honors & Distinctions Leading Lawyer, The Legal 500 US, Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design (2019) Leading Lawyer, The Legal 500 US, Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional (2019)
Publications IRS and PBGC Give Sponsors Until January 4, 2021 to Make Contributions Under the CARES Act Groom PublicationNovember 18, 2020
Publications IRS Issues Final Regulations Updating Minimum Required Distribution Rules Groom PublicationNovember 17, 2020
Publications UK Pension Regulator Issues New Guidance to Employers and Trustees for Pension Risk Transfers to “Superfunds” Groom PublicationOctober 28, 2020
Publications The IRS Provides Relief for Mid-Year Reductions in Employer Contributions to Safe Harbor Plans COVID-19 ResourceJuly 7, 2020
Publications IRS Guidance on 2020 Required Minimum Distribution Waivers and More COVID-19 ResourceJune 25, 2020
Publications IRS Issues Anticipated CARES Act Guidance On Plan Loans and Distributions COVID-19 ResourceJune 24, 2020
Past Events Webinar: CARES Act Revisited: IRS Issues Anticipated Guidance on Retirement Plan Distributions, Loans, and RMDs (July 2, 2020) COVID-19 Webinar SeriesJuly 2, 2020
Publications IRS Allows Remote Notarization of Participant Elections for 2020 COVID-19 ResourceJune 4, 2020
Publications First Look: IRS Answers Frequently Asked Questions on CARES Act Retirement Provisions COVID-19 ResourceMay 5, 2020