Brian Kopp
Partner

Practice Areas

Experience

Brian Kopp’s practice focuses on the variety of legal issues that impact employee benefit plans and executive compensation.  He drafts and counsels employers on all types of traditional benefit plans, including defined benefit pension plans, defined contribution plans, 401(k) plans, multiemployer plans, medical benefit plans, cafeteria plans, disability plans, and other benefit plans.  This counseling includes advising clients on the federal and state laws that apply to benefit plans, such as the Employee Retirement Income Security Act ("ERISA") and its fiduciary duty, prohibited transaction, reporting/disclosure, and withdrawal liability rules.

Mr. Kopp also has substantial experience with executive compensation issues. For example, he has drafted, implemented and provided advice on non-qualified deferred compensation plans, supplemental executive retirement plans, severance plans, change-in-control agreements and stock-based compensation plans, including plans that grant options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights, performance shares and other equity-based awards.

Mr. Kopp's practice includes assisting the firm's corporate attorneys on benefits issues arising in mergers and acquisitions, as well as ERISA issues arising when investing in and structuring private equity and similar investments. For the firm's not-for-profit clients, he has extensive experience with 403(b) and 457(b) plans, as well as the unique deferred compensation rules that apply to tax-exempt employers.

Admissions

Mr. Kopp is admitted to practice in the State of New York.

Education

Cornell Law School, J.D., magna cum laude
New York University Graduate School of Business Administration, M.S., Accounting
Colgate University, B.A., Chemistry, cum laude

Affiliations

Director, New York Employee Benefits Conference
Member of the Monroe County, New York State and American Bar Associations