Employee Benefits and Compensation

Our employee benefits practice group advises clients in a wide variety of matters involving employee benefits and compensation and in working with employers in designing, implementing and administrating all types of benefits and compensation programs.  The practice group handles the full range of issues that affect cash or deferred contribution arrangement plans, profit sharing plans, employee stock ownership plans, pension plans, non-qualified deferred compensation and executive compensation plans, health and welfare benefit plans, employment agreements and fringe benefit plans.

Within the services we provide in the employee benefit areas are: designing and drafting plan documents, including summary plan descriptions; implementing benefit plans; review of plans for compliance with applicable law; drafting trust instruments; submitting the plan and trust for qualification; filing with the respective governmental agencies; counseling fiduciaries; assisting with audits process; on-going counseling related to employee benefit plans; drafting FMLA and COBRA policies and forms; counseling on drug testing and related rehabilitation programs; reasonable accommodation issues related to benefit plans; plan terminations; drafting of plan amendments; counseling in law changes; and assisting clients in the preparation and submission of reports for plan participants, the Puerto Rico Department of Treasury, the U.S. and P.R. Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service, and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

Our practice in Puerto Rico encompasses the areas that are typically covered in the United States, FMLA, ERISA, COBRA, FLSA, but also covers the particularities of Puerto Rico.  For example, our practice covers matters such as local disability insurance laws, mandatory vacation and sick leave, special protections for pregnant and nursing employees, paid witness and jury leave, disabilities leaves, mandatory meal periods, flexitime agreements, daily overtime, mandatory closing laws, mandatory annual bonus, among others.

This practice group has vast experience representing clients in a wide variety of litigation, arbitration and administrative proceedings involving benefit plans and employee compensation