Employee Benefits Practice Group
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
Our Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation attorneys are here to help you created and administer retirement and health benefit plans for your employees.
Our Services
Retirement Plan Design
We advise clients in the selection and maintenance of qualified retirement plans, including profit-sharing plans, 401(k) plans, cash balance plans, employee stock ownership plans, and many others. These plans are tailor-made to meet your individual needs.
Participant Claims and Appeals
We help clients defend claims and appeals in ERISA matters.
Representation in Federal Examinations
We provide representation and advice in the event of an audit or an examination by the IRS or DOL.
ERISA Compliance
We assist clients through the processes within the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution Systems and the Voluntary Fiduciary Correction program to help ensure Federal compliance to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. (ERISA)
Qualified Domestic Relations Orders
We work with domestic relations attorneys in preparing to divide retirement benefits in the event of a divorce. We have a streamlined approach to prepare and review QDRO's in a way that makes our services both timely and cost-effective.
Health and Wellness Plan Designs
We regularly consult with businesses and their advisors on complicated issues involved employer-sponsered health and welfare plans, including self-funded plans, wellness plans, and FSA.
Health Care Reform
We counsel employers on the impact that the Affordable Care Act has had on their group health benefits. We work with clients to assist them in keeping their existing health plans in compliance with new federal requirements.
Our Employee Benefits Team
Partner
Christine Moehl
Christine assists and advises public and private sector plan sponsors, third-party administrators, and investment professionals in all aspects of establishing and operating employee benefit plans. She is particularly adept at designing health and retirement plans to fit the individual needs of her clients. She also has extensive experience in guiding clients through the process of correcting plan administration errors through the IRS Employee Plans Correction Resolution System (“EPCRS”).
Christine is passionate about assisting employers in meeting the compliance challenges of ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, and the Affordable Care Act. She enjoys navigating the regulatory framework of retirement plans and health plans to meet the individual needs of her clients.
Partner
Randall Cook
Randy Cook is well versed in legal matters related to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), including qualified and nonqualified retirement plans and executive compensation. Randy counsels employers, executives, and financial institutions in all aspects of establishing and maintaining qualified and nonqualified retirement plans. He has extensive experience in designing 401(k) plans, profit-sharing plans, employee stock ownership plans, cash balance plans, and traditional defined benefit plans. For more than 30 years Randy has been advising fiduciaries and financial advisors on the intricacies of complying with ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. He regularly defends employers against claims by participants and serves as legal counsel during IRS and Department of Labor audits. In the realm of executive compensation, Randy has counseled large companies throughout the Northwest on designing competitive and tax-efficient compensation packages.
Philosophy
The Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group provides comprehensive services to a wide range of businesses. Group clients include private employers of every size, publicly held companies, tax-exempt organizations, governmental entities, and financial institutions. Lawyers in the group advise clients on issues relating to qualified retirement plans, executive compensation plans, health and welfare benefit plans, and regulatory compliance. They provide firm clients with effective strategies and innovative solutions in this complex and heavily regulated area.
The Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Practice Group is rated “First Tier” in the U.S. News & World Report – Best Lawyers Law Firms® .
Why Saalfeld Griggs?
Saalfeld Griggs is a respected business law firm with clients in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, and beyond. Founded in Salem, Oregon in 1932, the firm is large enough to handle complex litigation and business transactions, yet small enough to develop close working relationships with its clients. Lawyers in each group have developed a thorough understanding of the legal issues that arise in their particular practice group, allowing them to provide firm clients with highly effective and innovative legal strategies and solutions. When a client’s legal issues are complex enough to cross-practice groups, the teams work together to share their expertise. The goal of the firm is to learn about each client’s business, understand their needs and goals, and efficiently develop a practical and cost-effective legal strategy.