40 Years of Experience

Schedule an MCLE Presentation in your Office

Meredith J. Sesser, senior attorney at Brucker & Morra, APC, offers a free MCLE-accredited informative presentation for law firms.  The presentation, entitled “Retirement Plan Audits: What You and Your Clients Need to Know,” provides advice on how to avoid (and/or prepare for) a retirement plan audit.

Below is a summary of the presentation:

Retirement Plan Audits: What You and Your Clients Need to Know

Audits and investigations can be triggered for a number of reasons; being selected doesn’t necessarily mean there is a flaw in the plan.  What do attorneys need to know when their client’s retirement plan is being investigated by the Department of Labor (DOL) or audited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?  “As attorneys, we need to prepare and advise our clients on what to do if our clients are being investigated by the DOL or audited by the IRS.  The right preparation and advice will avoid risk, exorbitant legal costs and substantial paperwork,” says Meredith.  “We need to counsel our clients to prevent these time-consuming and costly investigations before they happen.”

Meredith’s presentation will cover topics such as:

  • Red flags that can trigger DOL and IRS investigations
  • Preventative measures attorneys should advise clients to take to avoid an investigation
  • Best practices to streamline the investigation process
  • Common tax-related mistakes uncovered during audits

To schedule a complimentary presentation at your office, please contact Cindi Goldstein at 310/405-7284 or cindi@berbay.com.

Meredith J. Sesser, a senior attorney with Brucker & Morra, APC, has 14 years of experience in pension and ERISA law.  Ms. Sesser regularly represents employers in DOL and IRS controversies, including investigations, audits, and voluntary compliance to prevent or correct plan disqualification and fiduciary breaches (EPCRS, VCP, DFVCP, and VFCP).  She counsels clients on inadvertent filing errors, resolves inaccuracies and works vigorously to successfully abate IRS penalties charged to employers with late or negligent filings of Form 5500 (Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan).