It all started when…
Sandra Cohen and Carol Buckmann co-founded Cohen & Buckmann in 2016 after recognizing that, even though their practice skill set is usually found at large national law firms, many other law firms also deserve sophisticated ERISA and compensation advice for themselves, their clients and transactions.
Our Law Firm Practice:
Law Firm benefits and retirement planning
We are proud to be the lawyers that other law firms turn to for advice on their own pensions and benefits. We know law firms and we know law firm pension plans. When it comes to setting up a tax-qualified retirement plan, such as a cash balance pension plan, 401k plan or simple employee pension (SEP), and maintaining it according to the tax rules - the rewards for law firm partnerships can be high. We help lawyers navigate the special twists for partners in a partnership that arise because they count as employees for some purposes and partners for others. We also have our finger on the pulse of “what’s market” and what plan designs are other firms providing for their lawyers and staff.
2. Supporting The Clients and Transactions of Other Law Firms
We act as the outside benefits department for about two dozen corporate law firms, serving sophisticated clients from Wall Street to Silicon Valley. By partnering with us, law firms gain access to an experienced benefits and compensation team that is always at the cutting edge of executive compensation and ERISA issues. We provide an indispensable resource, allowing you to offer your clients a full suite of legal services. We give your clients the top level service the same way you do - and we always respect the relationship they have with you, their primary attorney. For law firms, we provide sophisticated support on:
Design and implementation of customized equity plans and incentives.
Equity plan documents and grant advice, on an affordable fixed fee subscription basis
M&A Transactions - all benefits, pensions and compensation issues
280G Golden Parachute Advice, Calculations and Vote Documents
Executive Team Representations
Retention and Carve-out Plans
Equity Plans, Option rollovers and Extensions
Pension plans - ESOPs in Transactions
Benefits harmonization post-merger advice
We always deal with heavy tax issues, which differentiates us from other employment lawyers because executives are often compensated with pensions, deferred compensation, stock plans and more.
We’re always looking to make new law firm relationships. Feel free to email Partner Gretchen Harders at gretchen@cohenbuckmann.com or Managing Partner, Sandra Cohen sandra@cohenbuckmann.com to learn more about how we can enhance your firm’s offerings and help drive your success.