- Negotiated with the Internal Revenue Service to reduce by 80% a monetary sanction the IRS proposed in connection with an audit of an employer’s 401(k) plan
- Represented United Airlines in creating and operating the largest employee stock ownership plan in the United States
- Represented SAIC, Inc. in its transition from employee ownership by means of that company’s initial public offering
- Represented fiduciaries of an ESOP in a shareholder dispute concerning corporate control
- Represented Hughes Electronics in California’s most significant case concerning qualified domestic relations orders – In re Marriage of Oddino
- Assisted a number of employers in ensuring that benefit plan coverage was not inadvertently extended to contingent workers, such as independent contractors and “leased” employees
- Represented Phase II Systems with respect to the retirement and exit incentive programs for numerous public agencies
- Provides ongoing advice concerning pension, deferred compensation, 401(k), stock options, employee stock purchase plans, health plans, and other benefit programs for numerous publicly and privately held companies
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- California
Court Admissions
- US District Court, Central District of California
- US Tax Court
- US Supreme Court
Education
- University of Southern California, J.D., 1982: Order of the Coif; Southern California Law Review, 1980-1982
- University of California, Los Angeles, A.B., 1979: magna cum laude
Honors & Awards
- Recognized by Best Lawyers® for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law in Newport Beach, CA (2022-2026); Wayne has been listed in Best Lawyers® since 2003
- Recognized by The Legal 500 US for Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation and Retirement Plans: Transactions (2020)
- Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (2011-2018)
- Named a “Super Lawyer” in a survey conducted by Law & Politics Media Inc. and published in Los Angeles magazine (2004, 2006-2015)
Professional Activities
Member
- American Bar Association, Taxation Section
- Orange County Bar Association, Taxation Section
Lecturer
- 2017 NFP HR & Benefits Seminar, ERISA and Benefit Plans: Navigating an Era of Uncertainty
- ERISA Litigation Conference, Western Pension and Benefits Conference
- National Institute of Pension Administrators
- Los Angeles County Bar Association, Tax Section, Employee Benefits Committee
- Prentice Hall Law and Business Employee Benefits Compliance Conference