|
| |
Deborah M. Lerner
 The chair of Willig, Williams & Davidson’s employee benefits department, Deborah M. Lerner has more than 30 years of experience in tax and employee benefits law. She counsels and represents numerous public and private-sector single and multi-employer funds on a broad range of benefit and tax matters.
Deborah specializes in representing trustees of single and multi-employer pension and health and welfare plans with respect to tax, ERISA and plan administration issues. She also advises individuals regarding employment, pension and benefit matters.
Deborah also serves as an adjunct professor at Temple University Beasley School of Law, where she teaches courses in the school’s graduate tax program. She is a member of the editorial board of theJournal of Taxation of Exempt Organizations . As a lecturer, Deborah has presented for groups such as the American Bar Association, the Conference of Consulting Actuaries, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.
 |
In 2006, Deborah’s peers elected her to membership in the prestigious American College of Employee Benefit Lawyers, the highest honor afforded to a practitioner in this practice area. She has been consistently selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the field of Employee Benefits Law (Copyright 2012 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.) since 2006. Deborah has also been consistently named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters, published annually in Philadelphia magazine, since 2004.
Deborah earned an LL.M. in taxation from Villanova University School of Law in 1986. She received the Prentice Hall Award in Federal Income Taxation and was valedictorian of her graduating class. She also earned her juris doctor from Villanova University School of Law, where she was on the moot court board and served as a teaching assistant.
Deborah is AV® rated by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell® a registered certification mark of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies.
Education - Villanova University School of Law, LL.M., 1986
- Villanova University School of Law, J.D., 1977
- Bryn Mawr College, A.B., Cum Laude, 1973
Experience - Willig, Williams & Davidson, Partner, 1994-Present
- Temple University Beasley School of Law, Adjunct Professor, 1999-Present
- The Benefits Department, Partner, 1993-1994
- Klett, Lieber, Rooney & Schorling, Of Counsel, 1993-1994
- Pepper, Hamilton & Scheetz, Senior Associate, 1986-1993
- Joymar Corp., Vice President, 1982-1986
- Abrahams & Lowenstein, Associate, 1978-1986
- City of Philadelphia, Assistant City Solicitor, 1977-1978
Court Admissions - Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1977
- United States District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1977
- United States Tax Court, 1986
Professional Affiliations - American Bar Association, 1977-Present; Section Labor Law and Employment Co-Chair Welfare Plans Committee of Employee Benefits Committee, 2001-present
- International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, 1994-Present; Appointed Member of CLE Committee, 2005-2007
- Adjunct Professor, Villanova University School of Law
- Member, Board of Advisors of Taxation of Exempts
Honors - American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, Fellow, 2007-Present
- Best Lawyers in America, 2006-2018
- Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, 2004-2016, 2018
- Top Rated Lawyer, American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell, 2013
Publications - Chapter Editor: Employee Benefits Law, Third Edition, 2015 Cumulative Supplement, BNA Books, 2015
- Chapter Editor: Employee Benefits Law, 2nd Edition, BNA Books, 2001
- “IRS Rules that VEBA Can Offer Benefits Choice Outside of Cafeteria Plan Rules,” Journal of Taxation of Exempt Organizations, 2000
- “IRS Issues Final Audit Guides For Section 403(b) Plans,” Journal of Taxation of Exempt Organizations, 2000
- “Final COBRA Regulations Provide Helpful Guidance to Employers,” Journal of Taxation of Exempt Organizations, 1999
- “Simplified Correction Mechanism Extended to Section 403(b) Plans,” Journal of Taxation of Exempt Organizations, 1998
- “TRA ‘97 Mandates Changes in Employee Benefit Rules,” Journal of Taxation of Exempt Organizations, 1997
- “Voluntary Compliance Program,” Journal of Taxation of Exempt Organizations, 1994
- “RRA'93 Changes Compensation Rules,” Journal of Taxation of Exempt Organizations, 1994
- Co-author: “Deferred Compensation Arrangements are Part of an Executive's Investment for Retirement,” Taxation of Investments, 1994
- “Unemployment Compensation Amendments Bring New Rollover and Withholding Requirements,” Journal of Taxation of Exempt Organizations, 1993
- Co-author: “Use of Trust Assets to Pay Administrative Expenses,” Taxation of Investments, 1991
- Co-author: “Fiduciary Issues Under ESOPs,” Taxation of Investments, 1990
- Co-author: “Creating and Administering ESOPs,” Taxation of Investments, 1989
- “Tax Changes Affecting Executive Compensation and Benefits,” Money World, 1987
Speaking Engagements - “Legislative/Regulatory Developments in the Public Sector,” 51st Annual Employee Benefits Conference, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, 2005
- “Plan Mergers and Terminations,” Attorneys Forum on Employee Benefits, 2000
- “The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA),” 46th Annual Employee Benefits Conference, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Honolulu, HI, 2000
- Participant: “Pension Roundtable,” 40th Annual Employee Benefits Conference, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, 1994
Articles & News - 14 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named 2018 PA Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
May 18, 2018 - 14 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named Among 2018 'Best Lawyers in America'
August 15, 2017 - 12 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named Among 2017 'Best Lawyers in America'
August 15, 2016 - 12 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named 2016 PA Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
May 13, 2016 - 12 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named to 2016 'Best Lawyers in America'
August 17, 2015 - 11 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named 2015 PA Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
May 15, 2015 - 10 Willig, Williams & Davidson Lawyers Named to 2015 'Best Lawyers in America'
August 18, 2014 - 11 Willig, Williams & Davidson Lawyers Named as 2014 PA Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
May 23, 2014 - IRS Recognizes Married Same-Sex Couples Regardless of Place of Residence
October 9, 2013 - Ten Willig, Williams & Davidson Lawyers Included in U.S. News & World Report Best Lawyers in America 2014
August 15, 2013 - U.S. Supreme Court Strikes DOMA Down - What Does It Mean?
July 12, 2013 - Nine Willig, Williams & Davidson Lawyers Named to 2013 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers List
May 30, 2013 - Nine Willig, Williams & Davidson Lawyers Included in U.S. News & World Report Best Lawyers in America 2013
October 3, 2012 - Employee Benefits Attorney Deborah Lerner Comments on the SAG and AFTRA Union Merger and Subsequent Unification of Pension and Health Plans
February 2, 2012 - Nine Willig, Williams & Davidson Lawyers Named to 2011 List of
Pennsylvania Super Lawyers
May 24, 2011 - Eight Willig, Williams & Davidson Lawyers Included in U.S. News & World Report Best Lawyers in America 2011
March 3, 2011 - Highlights on Health Care Reform Legislation
May 20, 2010
Related Videos |
| |
|
|
