Richard G.Schwartz

Partner

Employee Benefits

rschwartz@seyfarth.com

New York

+1 (212) 218-5516

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Richard works with clients to manage and maintain their benefit and compensation programs to reach the most elegant solutions possible—ones which are practical, efficient, and consistent with the clients' corporate culture.

More About Richard

The employee benefits area is highly technical, requiring knowledge of two overlapping statutory schemes—the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Practicing in this area requires an understanding of tax-qualified retirement plans, such as 401(k) plans, nonqualified retirement plans (including deferred compensation), and executive compensation concepts. Richard takes these complex legal concepts and requirements, breaks them down to the elemental components, explains them for clients in clear terms, and provides solutions.

Having more than three decades of experience in the employee benefits and executive compensation areas gives Richard a perspective that only time can provide. He has worked with clients in a broad spectrum of industries, including financial, insurance, retail clothing and high-end jewelry, manufacturing, shipping, beer and spirits manufacturing, and distribution and hospitality. A particular area of focus for Richard is tax-exempt organizations, such as large hospital and medical systems, and higher education. In the past two decades, there has been a significant consolidation of the hospital industry. This requires experience determining the benefit implication of an acquisition or merger, identifying areas of exposure or risk, integrating benefit programs of the parties to the merger or other transaction, executive retention and separation, and eliminating redundancies among the parties' benefit programs.

Having a great amount of experience over such a broad range of industries gives Richard the ability to understand not only the matters being discussed, but also the context of the clients' particular industries and business. This provides a value to his clients beyond a mere knowledge of the legal concepts in play. Richard collaborates with clients as if he's part of their in-house human resources or legal teams, getting to know them both professionally and personally. He understands their business capabilities and limitations, and provides practical, pragmatic advice they can feasibly implement.

Richard enjoys the collegial atmosphere at Seyfarth. The employee benefits team is very knowledgeable and helpful at Seyfarth. When the inevitable happens, and he needs input from his colleagues, there is never a shortage of folks who raise their hands to offer assistance and thoughts. Richard often draws upon Seyfarth's wealth of practice areas with top-notch attorneys.

  • LLM, New York University School of Law
    Tax
  • JD, Boston University School of Law
  • BA, Queens College, City University of New York
    Accounting
  • New Jersey
  • New York

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