Employee Benefits Partner Seth Perretta Joins Crowell & Moring, Strengthens ERISA and Executive Compensation Capabilities

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Mar 10, 2011, 10:33 ET

WASHINGTON, March 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to announce the addition of partner Seth T. Perretta to the firm's Corporate, Labor & Employment, and Health Care groups in the Washington, D.C. office. Perretta will spearhead the firm's work on critical employee benefits issues, with a focus on the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), executive compensation, related federal tax matters and issues for employee health benefit plans under the federal health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("PPACA"). He joins the firm from Davis & Harman LLP.

"Seth will lead the firm's work in the employee benefits arena for clients who require seasoned counsel on matters ranging from complex mergers and acquisitions to the design, amendment, and termination of qualified retirement, health benefit and welfare plans. Our employee benefits practice reaches across the broad range of Corporate, Labor & Employment, and Health Care group clients to serve their needs in this increasingly important and complicated area," said Corporate Group chair and Crowell & Moring Management Board member James R. Stuart III.

Perretta's practice encompasses qualified retirement and pension plans, executive compensation arrangements, federal income and employment taxes, and health and welfare benefit plans, including with respect to PPACA. Perretta represents employers, financial institutions, insurance companies, trade associations, and public policy organizations on a wide range of policy, planning, and technical compliance matters. He counsels clients on all aspects of employee benefit plans, including plan design, related trust and financing issues, and various issues arising under ERISA, such as plan terminations, fiduciary liability, and the rules regarding prohibited transactions.

"My clients are navigating incredible changes in the employee benefits arena that impact their ability to attract the best people while protecting their business goals, from the Dodd-Frank Act's 'say-on-pay' and the Department of Labor's efforts to redefine fiduciary for employee sponsored plans, to work with employers on health reform. I am proud to join Crowell & Moring, so that I may offer my clients cross-disciplinary counsel to tackle these complex issues head on," said Perretta.

In the executive compensation area, Perretta has significant experience in the design of equity-based compensation arrangements, such as stock options, stock appreciation rights and restricted stock agreements, and those implicating Internal Revenue Code sections 409A, 162(m) and 280G.

As for counseling on health and welfare plan arrangements, his practice includes advice on cafeteria plans, medical savings accounts (such as flexible spending arrangements), health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs), and the use of voluntary employees' beneficiary associations (VEBAs) and other health financing arrangements.

Perretta is a recognized expert on PPACA, and he regularly speaks to client groups and professional organizations regarding the implications of PPACA for employers and insurance providers. Perretta also speaks regularly on a host of other employee benefits matters including executive compensation arrangements, qualified retirement and pension plans, and federal income and payroll tax considerations, including issues regarding domestic partner taxation.

Currently the Chair of the Employee Benefits Committee of the District of Columbia Bar, Tax Section, Perretta earned a B.S. from Cornell University and his J.D. from New York University School of Law.

Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with nearly 500 lawyers representing clients in litigation and arbitration, regulatory, and transactional matters. The firm is internationally recognized for its representation of Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes litigation, as well as its ongoing commitment to pro bono service and diversity. The firm has offices in Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, Anchorage, London, and Brussels. Visit Crowell & Moring online at www.crowell.com.