Greta E. Cowart
Partner
Profile
Greta E. Cowart is known for her expertise in fixing complex employee benefit plan issues and has secured significant results in Internal Revenue Service employee plans team audits and in U.S. Department of Labor audits of employee benefit plans. During Greta's 26-year career, Greta has also resolved significant employee benefit compliance issues through the various voluntary compliance programs. Greta has represented employers in disputes with government agencies, participants and counseled employers with colective bargaining units regarding beenfit disputes in the grievance process and in negotiations. She has served as an expert in benefit plan disputes. Through her work on the Employee Benefits Committee of the American Bar Association, Section of Taxation, she has worked with the technical provisions governing retirement plans and executive compensation. Greta has worked extensively with Code section 409A and the regulations under such section governing nonqualified deferred compensation, and other employee benefits issues in depth and provided recommendations to the government for its use in rule making. Greta is a former Chair of the Employee Benefits Committee of the American Bar Association's Section of Taxation. Greta's extensive knowledge of employee benefits and executive compensation provides her with the background to assist corporations quickly with plan design and administration issues, including litigation of benefit disputes.
Joined the Law Firm in: 1996
Areas of Practice
- Benefit Disputesin Grievances and in Litigation
- Counseling For Plan Fiduciaries
- Creative Reolution of Plan Design and Operation Issues
- Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation
- ESOPs And Other Stock-Based Plans
- Executive And Incentive Compensation
- Expert Opinions in Benefit Disputes
- Government Audits And Investigations
- Health and Welfare Plans
- Labor and Employment
- Retirement Plan Design And Counseling
Litigation Percentage 5%Professional Career
Significant Accomplishments
Representing health care system in an employee plans large case Internal Revenue Service audit of all of its retirement, welfare, fringe benefit and executive plans (employee plans large case audits were the predecessor to employee plans team audits).
Representing state school system in Internal Revenue Service audit of its 403(b) and 457 plans.
Representing numerous clients before the Internal Revenue Service in correcting qualification issues in a number of qualified retirement plans under the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System.
Representing clients before the Internal Revenue Service to correct violations in 401(k), defined benefit and other qualified retirement plans, and 403(b) plans and to fix complex qualified plan issues.
Representing numerous clients successfully through U.S. Department of Labor audits of their 401(k), ESOPs, welfare benefit plans and other employee benefit plans.
Representing numerous clients in outsourcing of benefits.
Assisting clients with reversing outsourcing of benefits administration.
Obtaining private letter rulings resolving difficult defined benefit plan issues.
Representing clients in connection with collective bargaining grievances related to benefits and other related issues.
Representing corporations on merger strategy and benefit integration negotiation teams.
Working with corporations analyzing their nonqualified deferred compensation issues under Code section 409A and proposing alternate designs.
Analyzing extensive health plan issues under COBRA, HIPAA portability, GINA, Michelle's Law, ADA, HIPAA privacy, HITECH and other laws.
Providing expert opinion to plan administrator in contested appeal of health plan benefit denial.
Assisting corporations and managed care organizations regarding legal operating issues related to employee benefit plans.
Professional Associations
- American Bar AssociationACEBC
ACTC
Bar Admission
Indiana; Texas
Education
J.D., Indiana University, 1985, cum laude
B.S., Accounting, Indiana University, 1982, with high distinction
United States