Stephen L. Ferszt

Stephen Ferszt guides businesses and high-net-worth individuals through the complexities of employee benefits, ERISA and executive compensation issues. He also advises on tax, estate and family and business succession planning. Steve chairs Olshan’s Employee Benefits Practice and is a member of the Employment and Tax & Personal Planning Practices.

With a nuanced understanding of ERISA and employee benefits matters, Steve advises on the design, implementation and administration of qualified and nonqualified benefit plans as well as welfare benefit plans. These include defined benefit, defined contribution, 401K retirement, and welfare benefit and cafeteria plans, as well as multiemployer and multiple employer plans, and multiple employer welfare arrangements (MEWAs). He also advises on and negotiates executive compensation, incentive, retention, and severance packages and provides guidance to corporations and executives in change-of-control situations including company mergers, acquisitions, restructurings and dispositions. He excels in maximizing tax efficiencies and avoiding tax penalties.

Clients rely on Steve’s astute advice on estate and business succession planning, wealth preservation, and transfer strategies, as well as on their responsibilities as estate fiduciaries. He helps clients maximize their estates and ensure smooth business transitions and personal wealth transfers while limiting tax exposure. Clients benefit from Steve’s deep knowledge and rare ability to advise at the intersection of estate, compensation, benefits, business and tax to meet their immediate needs and ensure they are well-positioned for the future.

Knowing how complex ERISA and tax matters are, Steve reviews and distills technical regulatory procedures for clients and establishes a clear plan so clients feel confident and empowered in making decisions. He advises on parachute payments, accelerated compensation issues, 409A, withdrawal liability, and a host of other issues. As rules and regulations governing compensation arrangements change, Steve keeps his clients informed, ensures their compliance, and helps them avoid costly missteps. 

In addition to advising clients, Steve represents them 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 plan administration matters, including voluntary compliance initiatives with the IRS, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the U.S. Department of Labor, where he has obtained numerous correction resolutions for his clients. He also assists clients in securing private letter rulings from the IRS.

As Chairman of the IRS Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT), Steve provided the IRS with direct input on the development and implementation of IRS policy. He knows how the IRS and Treasury Department operate and leverages that knowledge and his experience to resolve matters quickly and favorably for his clients.

A recognized authority in his fields, Steve is a sought-after speaker at industry conferences and events covering issues and trends for attorneys, accountants, third-party administrators, and other pension and tax professionals. He frequently lectures for the New Jersey Institute of Continuing Legal Education, the New Jersey State Bar Association, and other associations.