Practice Areas
Honors
- Chair, Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT) of the Internal Revenue Service
- Employee Benefits in Estate Planning Committee of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)
- Stephen has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law | Trusts and Estates since 2007
- New York magazine’s “Top Lawyers”, Employee Benefits and Trusts and Estates Law
- Stephen has been consistently named to the New York Super Lawyers list, a Thomson Reuters lawyer rating service, for 2009, 2013-2022
- Martindale-Hubbell AV ("Preeminent") rated by his peers
- New Jersey Super Lawyers
- Awarded Deal of the Year and Activist Campaign of the Year by The Deal for representation of George Feldenkreis in his nomination of directors and successful unsolicited acquisition of Perry Ellis
Education
J.D., Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, 1985
B.A., Boston University, 1982
- Psi Chi Honor Society
Bar & Court Admissions
- New York, 1986
- New Jersey, 1986
- U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 1986
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, 1989
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 1989
Stephen serves as the practice group leader for Employee Benefits. His 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 - Executive Council of the Taxation Law Section
New Jersey State Bar Association - Past Chair of the Tax Section and of the Employee Benefits Committee
New York State Bar Association
Media Mentions/News
- November 3, 2022
- September 29, 2022
- August 18, 2022
- June 22, 2022
- March 11, 2022
- November 5, 2021
- November 4, 2021
- October 26, 2021
- October 1, 2021
- August 19, 2021
- July 13, 2021
- November 25, 2020
- November 5, 2020
- October 28, 2020
- August 20, 2020
- July 20, 2020
- April 6, 2020
- March 25, 2020
- March 3, 2020
- January 16, 2020
- January 8, 2020
- November 1, 2019
- October 4, 2019
- September 20, 2019
- September 12, 2019
- August 15, 2019
- June 24, 2019
- April 2, 2019
- December 21, 2018
- November 9, 2018
- November 1, 2018
- October 23, 2018
- September 19, 2018
- August 24, 2018
- August 15, 2018
- November 17, 2017
- November 1, 2017
- September 20, 2017
- August 15, 2017
- August 15, 2017
- December 7, 2016
- December 5, 2016
- November 1, 2016
- October 7, 2016
- September 21, 2016
- August 15, 2016
Speaking Engagements
- February 4, 2020Woodbridge, NJ
- January 24, 2020New Brunswick, NJ
- September 24, 2019Woodbridge, NJ
Articles & Alerts
- January 2023
- November 2022
- December 2021
- September 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- March 2021
- August 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- March 2020
- March 2020
- November 2019
- June 2019
- December 2018
- September 18, 2018
- May 2, 2018
- January 12, 2018
Press Releases
- November 3, 2022
- September 29, 2022
- August 18, 2022
- November 4, 2021
- October 1, 2021
- August 19, 2021
- November 5, 2020
- October 28, 2020
- August 20, 2020
- November 1, 2019
- September 12, 2019
- August 15, 2019
- March 28, 2019
- November 1, 2018
- September 17, 2018
- August 15, 2018
- November 1, 2017
- September 20, 2017
- August 15, 2017
- November 1, 2016
- September 21, 2016
- August 15, 2016
- June 1, 2016
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