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Jeff
Minzel
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Jeff Minzel is an ERISA and employee benefits lawyer who advises a broad range of public and private clients. Specific areas of experience include employee benefit issues in mergers and acquisitions; qualified plan design and compliance; health and welfare plans (Affordable Care Act); Code Section 409A compliance and nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements, including severance and employment agreements; fiduciary liability; prohibited transactions; voluntary correction (EPCRS, VCP, and DFVCP); multiemployer withdrawal liability claims; ERISA litigation; and retirement plans for nonprofit and government entities (403(b) and 457 plans).
Jeff has represented clients before the IRS, the Department of Labor, the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, and federal and state courts. Jeff has successfully defended plans and plan sponsors in IRS audits and federal court litigation involving qualified plan compliance, ERISA matters, disability claims, and multiemployer withdrawal liability.
Jeff is a frequent speaker in the area of ERISA and employee benefits. Upon graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in accounting, he passed the Certified Public Accounting (CPA) examination. He is actively involved in the Western Pension and Benefits Conference and focuses his pro bono work on child and youth immigration issues.
Selected Publications & Presentations
| 04.23.2013 |
Service Provider and Participant Fee Disclosure Rules and Practical Issues
Presentation, Western Pension & Benefits Conference |
| 03.18.2013 |
Affordable Care Act: A Brief Overview of Play-or-Pay
Presentation, Webinar |
| 11.13.2012 |
Deferred Compensation Arrangements That Condition Payment on Employee Action Presentation
Presentation, Webinar |
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10.12.2012
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Review Compensation Arrangements by Year End to Determine if Amendments Are Needed to Comply with Code Section 409A
Update
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04.25.2012
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Multiemployer Pension Plans: Current Risks and Strategies
Presentation, Western Pension & Benefits Conference
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06.10.2011
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Health Care Reform Update
Presentation, International Society of Certified Employee Benefits Specialists (ISCEBS)
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10.29.2010
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In 2010 Employers Should Respond to New Developments for Existing and Future Separation Arrangements
Update
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07.28.2010
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Interim Final Regulations Could Mean Trouble for Grandfathered Health Plans
Update
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04.02.2010
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April 15 Deadline Approaching: Employers Should Consider Filing Protective FICA Refund Claims Related to Certain 2006 Severance Payments
Co-Author, Update
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1997
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Employee Benefits Deskbook
Co-Author, Book
Published by the Association of Washington Businesses & Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
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Fall 1996
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The FMLA and Employee Benefits: A Comprehensive Review of How the Family and Medical Leave Act Affects the Operation of Employee Benefit Plans
Author, Article
Journal for Pension Planning and Compliance
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Professional Recognition
- Western Pension and Benefits Conference, Member and former chair of the Updates Committee
- Prior Certified Employee-Benefits Specialist Instructor, University of Washington
Professional Leadership
- President of Not Forgotten, a 501(c)(3) organization that provides food and clothing to homeless individuals in the Pioneer Square area of Seattle, WA.
- Past Board President of the Operational Emergency Center, a food bank in Seattle's Rainier Valley.
- Elder in the Presbyterian Church; served on church council for five years.
Related Employment
- Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Seattle, WA
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- University of Notre Dame Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1992
- University of Washington, B.A., Accounting, 1989
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