JOHN J. SOHN
Professional Experience
The Wagner Law Group, A Professional Corporation, Boston, MA. 2009 –
Partner
Responsible for advising financial institutions with respect to both investment and retirement-related products and services, including asset management firms, registered investment advisers, broker-dealers, banks and trust companies, insurance companies and platform providers. He also has extensive experience advising plan sponsors with regard to all aspects of their compensation and benefit arrangements, including executive compensation and securities laws, nonqualified and tax-qualified retirement benefits, plan governance and the investment of plan assets, as well as health and welfare benefit arrangements.
Responsibilities:
- All aspects of ERISA Title I investment matters, including prohibited transaction exemptions, trading, custody, registered investment advisers and retirement platforms;
- Responsible for the overlap between securities law and ERISA;
- Designing employee benefit plans, including:
- qualified retirement plans and tax-sheltered annuities;
- nonqualified deferred compensation; and
- health and welfare plans (and related funding arrangements such as VEBAs);
- Drafting plan documents;
- Negotiating with IRS to obtain favorable IRS determination letters for all types of qualified plans;
- Representing clients during IRS, DOL, and PBGC audits of employee benefit plans;
- Counseling clients on employee benefit issues
- Regulation of advisory firms and their registered representatives and investment adviser representatives;
- Plan-related transactions and investment vehicles, trust and custody requirements for plan assets, and prohibited transaction rules and exemptions;
- Voluntary correction programs and examinations by the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of Labor; and
- Advising on plan design and operational requirements, and drafting plan and trust documentation for all types of plans.
Legg Mason, Inc., Stamford, Connecticut. 2005 – 2008
Associate General Counsel
Citigroup Inc., New York, New York. 2000 – 2005
Associate General Counsel
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, New York, New York. 1999 - 2000, 1996 – 1998
Director, Senior Manager
Cravath, Swaine & Moore, New York, New York. 1998 – 1999
Associate
Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett, New York, New York. 1994 – 1996
Associate
EDUCATION
Harvard Law School, J.D. (cum laude), Cambridge, Massachusetts. 1994
Harvard College, A.B. (cum laude), Cambridge, Massachusetts. 1991
AUTHORSHIPS AND PRESENTATIONS
- "Best Practices: Compliance with Retirement Issues," Speaker and co-panelist at 2011 New England Regional Meeting for National Society of Compliance Professionals, Inc., May 14, 2011 (Boston, MA)
- "What's Up in Washington, Effects on You and Your Clients," (PDF) Speaker at John Hancock Retirement Plan Services Conference, Scaling New Heights, May 6, 2010 (Boston, MA)
- "DOL Proposes New Regulations for Investment Advice," (PDF) 401(k) Advisor, April 2010
- "A Plan Sponsor's Fiduciary Duties Under ERISA: With Great Responsibility Comes Great Potential Liability," (PDF) 401(k) Advisor, February 2010
- "Best Practices Evolving from 401(k) Fee Litigation" (PDF), Marcia Wagner and John Sohn, 401(k) Advisor, February 2010
- "ERISA Viewpoint: Make the Most of Auto-Enrollment Rules – Taking Advantage of the QDIA, ACA, EACA and QACA Standards." Legg Mason's The Retirement Edge, Fall 2008
- "ERISA Viewpoint: Participant Education Can Reduce the Employer's Risk." Legg Mason's The Retirement Edge, Summer 2008
- "ERISA Essentials." Internal presentation to Legg Mason's annual conference for Chief Compliance Officers, September 12, 2006 (Baltimore, Maryland)
- "Credit Risks Associated With Underfunded Pension Plans." Speaker and co-panelist at Salomon Smith Barney conference, March 13, 2003 (New York, New York)