Stephen L. Ferszt

Practice Group Leader Stephen L. Ferszt concentrates his practice in employee benefits matters and advises clients on tax, estate and succession planning matters as part of the Tax & Personal Planning practice.

Stephen’s practice is primarily focused on ERISA and employee benefits matters where he represents clients on the design, implementation and administration of qualified, non-qualified and welfare benefit plans, including health and life insurance benefits and cafeteria plans. He also counsels corporations and executives on executive compensation matters.

As part of his Tax & Personal Planning practice, Stephen advises clients on estate and succession planning, wealth preservation and transfers, as well as their responsibilities as estate fiduciaries.

Understanding that ERISA and tax matters are complex, he works with clients to diligently explain each aspect and distills technical regulatory procedures so that clients feel confident and empowered about their decisions.

Stephen represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and various state agencies. He advises boards of directors, companies and plan fiduciaries on a wide range of plan administration matters, including voluntary compliance initiatives with the IRS, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the DOL, where he has obtained numerous correction resolutions for his clients. He counsels clients on welfare benefits, including health and life insurance as well as cafeteria plans. He also assists clients in securing private letter rulings from the IRS.

Having served as Chairman of the IRS Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT), he provided the IRS with direct input on the development and implementation of IRS policy. The ACT was established to provide advice to the IRS Commissioner on a wide range of tax administration matters relating to employee retirement plans, tax-exempt organizations, tax-exempt bonds and federal, state, local taxation and Indian tribal government issues.

Stephen is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events covering a broad spectrum of topics of interest to attorneys, accountants, third-party administrators and other pension and tax professionals.

Stephen lectures for the New Jersey Institute of Continuing Legal Education, the New Jersey State Bar Association and other associations, covering a broad spectrum of topics of interest to attorneys, accountants, third-party administrators and other pension and tax professionals.

Prior to joining Olshan, Stephen was a partner and Chair of both the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation and the Trusts and Estates practices at Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP.

Professional & Community Affiliations

American Bar Association

American College of Trust and Estate Counsel - Employee Benefits in Estate Planning Committee

IRS Northeast Area Pension Liaison Group

Small Business Council of America - Legal Advisory Board

New Jersey State Bar Association - Past Chair of the Tax Section and of the Employee Benefits Committee

New York State Bar Association

Press Releases