Subscribe

  • How Can We Help You?

    Global Problem Solving from Covington: Deal with Complex Problems Anywhere in the World

Friedman_Sarah_1000x714_ENV

Sarah Friedman

Associate

Washington +1 202 662 5035

  • About
  • Representative Matters
  • Credentials
  • About

    Sarah Friedman works with private, public, and non-profit clients of all sizes to design and maintain their employee benefits and executive compensation programs. She also advises executives on compensation arrangements in connection with employment, separation, and change-in-control agreements.

    In particular, Sarah counsels clients on compliance with ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, and agency regulations. She has experience drafting and advising on tax-qualified retirement plans, health and welfare plans, and cash and equity incentive compensation plans. Sarah also advises on ERISA litigation, including on claims related to investment fees and breaches of fiduciary duty.

    Sarah maintains an active pro bono practice, both as part of her employee benefits practice as well as outside of it. She has a particular interest in helping clients with life planning documents.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Practices and Industries
  • Representative Matters

    Tax-Qualified Retirement Plans

    • Advise clients on design of defined contribution and defined benefit retirement plans, including implementation of discretionary and required amendments.
    • Assist client in termination of cash-balance plan, including IRS determination letter application and PBGC review.
    • Counsel clients on corrections for plan operational and fiduciary errors and prepare voluntary correction procedure (VCP) and voluntary fiduciary correction program (VFCP) filings.

    Health and Welfare Plans

    • Advise clients on implementation of COVID-19-related relief for health and welfare plans, including deadline extensions and cafeteria plan flexibility.
    • Draft plan documents and participant communications, including summary plan descriptions and summaries of material modifications.
    • Design qualified transportation fringe benefit plan and advise on compliance with local transportation benefits legislation.
    • Advise client on health reimbursement arrangement design and compliance.

    Executive Compensation and Agreements

    • Counsel clients on design of executive cash and equity compensation, deferred compensation, and incentive compensation, in connection with employment, separation, and change-in-control agreements, including compliance with Section 409A.
    • Advise clients on restrictive covenant agreements and invention assignment agreement notice requirements.
    • Advise clients on welfare benefits packages for executives.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Credentials
    Education
    • The George Washington University Law School, J.D., 2019
        • Order of the Coif
        • With highest honors
        • The George Washington Law Review, Managing Editor
    • Mount Holyoke College, A.B., 2012
        • magna cum laude
    Bar Admissions
    • District of Columbia
    • Virginia
    Pro Bono
    • Prepared submissions on behalf of nonprofit organization under the Internal Revenue Service Voluntary Correction Program to remedy plan operational failures.
    Previous Experience
    • U.S. House of Representatives, Law Clerk, Office of General Counsel (2016-2019)

    Areas of Expertise

News and Insights

Events