Global law firm Goodwin today announced that Melissa Sandak joined the firm’s ERISA and Executive Compensation practice as a partner, resident in the New York office.
“Demand for Goodwin’s employee benefits services continues to increase alongside our clients’ transactional activity,” said Jim Mattus, co-chair of Goodwin’s ERISA and Executive Compensation practice. “Melissa’s extensive experience with benefits and ERISA fiduciary and private funds issues makes her an excellent fit for our clients’ needs.”
Sandak works on a wide variety of employee benefits matters for private and public companies, private equity and hedge funds, and single and multiemployer plans. She focuses primarily on the design, implementation, and ongoing administration and compliance of a broad range of health and welfare packages and programs and retirement plans. Sandak has extensive experience counseling clients with respect to federal health and welfare laws, especially the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, COBRA, and HIPAA.
Sandak routinely represents clients in connection with Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor, and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation investigations, audits, and filings. She also advises boards of trustees of multiemployer plans on all aspects of governance and compliance. In addition, Sandak is highly experienced in negotiating ERISA plan asset investments, and advising fund managers regarding ERISA’s fiduciary and prohibited transaction rules in connection with the offering and structuring of investment vehicles.
Goodwin is recognized by the Legal 500 for excellence in Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation. Refinitiv’s latest league tables ranked Goodwin the number one firm for global M&A by deal count in calendar year 2021.