Thomas G. Schendt

Alston & Bird LLP
Thomas Gerard Schendt is a partner in the firm's Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Group. His practice focuses on employee plan litigation, agency civil and criminal audits, investigations and disputes and voluntary compliance initiatives involving the Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury, Department of Labor, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, US Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice. Tom also regularly counsels large employers on the practical effect of various qualification requirements that are issued by appropriate government agencies. This includes assisting clients with the execution of various plan administration and qualification requirements under Titles I & II of ERISA. Tom also focuses on fiduciary issues affecting plan providers, including plan fee disclosure, exemption issues, and implications of recent PPA provisions.  Prior to joining the firm, Tom was with the Internal Revenue Service since 1988, where he held a number of positions. As technical assistant to the associate chief counsel, Employee Benefits and Exempt Organizations (EBEO) for the Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service, Tom assisted in the coordination of national employee benefits litigation for the IRS, including plan disputes and compliance initiatives. He also acted as a liaison between the National Office of the Internal Revenue Service and various field offices, including Exam and Appeals. The unique combination of Tom's prior experience dealing with sensitive IRS, DOL and SEC compliance issues plus his understanding of the practical aspects in the administration and management of retirement plans provides clients with strategic alternatives in a cost effective manner. Tom serves as the outside counsel to The SPARK Institute, the industry's premiere plan provider association that represents 98% of the employee benefit plans across the country. He is also co-chair of ASPPA's Mid-Atlantic IRS Benefits Conference, DOL's National Conference and serves as chairman of the IRS Liaison Group for the Mid-Atlantic Region. This group provides the IRS with practical business experience in assisting them in developing guidance in the employee benefits area. Tom also serves as chairman of the advisory board for BNA's new Web-based “ERISA Compliance and Enforcement Library.”  He is a member of the advisory board for BNA's Pension and Benefits Reporter, and Corporate Accountability Report, the editorial board of Aspen Publishers' Pension Plan Administrator and the editorial board of the Journal of Pension Planning & Compliance. Tom is a frequent speaker on the topic of employee benefits. He has spoken to a variety of groups, including SPARK's National Conference, The SPARK Institute's Washington, DC Leadership Series, ASPPA, ALI-ABA, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Tax Management Institute, Institute for Applied Management and Law, The SPARK Institute and other seminars. Tom is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for 2006, 2007 and 2008. He received his B.S. degree in finance and his M.B.A. from Marquette University before receiving his law degree from Marquette Law School in 1985, where he served as an editor of the Marquette Law Review.
 
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