Lisa Tavares is a member of the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Group. She assists clients with the design and implementation of qualified and nonqualified deferred compensation plans and welfare plans. She also counsels clients on all types of executive compensation, including supplemental executive retirement plans (SERPs), rabbi trusts, executive employment agreements, incentive compensation and similar projects. Ms. Tavares advises public and private employers on all areas related to ERISA. Her practice regularly includes the administration of both pension and welfare plans, including negotiating service provider contracts and working extensively with clients confronting issues related to mergers and acquisitions. These matters can include due diligence, plan mergers, terminations, transition planning and employee relations issues.

Her practice also involves compliance issues with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of Labor (DOL) and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). Ms. Tavares regularly assists clients in the preparation of employee communications and responses to governmental inquiries.

Ms. Tavares joined Venable after five years as an attorney with the Internal Revenue Service, Office of Chief Counsel, National Office, where she concentrated on qualified plan issues under examination and in litigation. Her responsibilities included advising the IRS Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division, IRS Appeals Officers and IRS Agents. She worked extensively on litigation regarding plan disqualification, partial termination, prohibited transactions and worker classification issues. Ms. Tavares also has a background in Directors and Officers Liability and ERISA Fiduciary Liability Insurance.

Activities

Ms. Tavares is the Chair of the Subcommittee on Self-Correction, Determination Letters and Other Administrative Practices of the ABA Tax Section, Employee Benefits Committee in which she interfaces directly with IRS and DOL officials on issues related to retirement plan administration, regulatory compliance and governmental enforcement initiatives. She also is a member of the IRS Mid-Atlantic Pension Liaison Group that meets with IRS officials several times a year to discuss qualified plan, regulatory, compliance and examination issues. In addition, Ms. Tavares is a member of the Retirement Income Task Force of the American Benefits Council (ABC).