Steve's practice emphasizes executive compensation, employee benefits and estate planning. Steve is also the Founder and Co-Chair of the firm's Global Benefits & Compensation Practice and the Chair of the firm's Miami Tax Practice.
Lawyer Profile

Steven B. Lapidus
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Recognized Since:1995
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Recognized in:Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
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Website:
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Location:333 Southeast Second Avenue, Suite 4400Miami, FL 33131
Steve's practice emphasizes executive compensation, employee benefits and estate planning. Steve is also the Founder and Co-Chair of the firm's Global Benefits & Compensation Practice and the Chair of the firm's Miami Tax Practice.
Lawyer Bio
Bar Admissions:
- Florida, The Florida Bar
Affiliations:
- American Bar Association - Member
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for work in:
- Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Awards:
- AV Preeminent® 5.0 out of 5
- Super Lawyers magazine, Florida Super Lawyers, 2007-2010
- Chambers USA Guide, 2004-2012
- The Legal 500 United States, 2011-2013
- South Florida Legal Guide, "Top Lawyers in South Florida," 2005 and 2010-2014
Areas of Expertise:
- ERISA
Firm Details
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
https://www.gtlaw.com
Headquarters
MetLife Building
200 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10166
(212) 801.9200
38
Office Locations
in 10
Countries
News & Media
Featured Publications
Lawyer Case History
Areas of Concentration
- Executive compensation
- Employee benefits
- ERISA
- Estate planning
Significant Representations
- Developing and implementing executive compensation strategies for closely-held, emerging and publicly-held clients, including incentive and non-qualified stock options, restricted stock, stock appreciation rights, phantom stock and other forms of equity compensation, negotiating and documenting executive employment agreements, designing and drafting non-qualified executive retirement and deferred compensation plans and arrangements, including 401(k) wraparound plans, and rabbi trusts and other funding arrangements for those plans, employee stock purchase plans, split dollar life insurance arrangements, and change in control severance (golden-parachute) agreements.
- Advising clients with respect to Section 409A compliance for arrangements that provide for a deferral of compensation, and amending plan documents and agreements to satisfy the requirements of Section 409A.
- Advising investment funds with respect to ERISA compliance matters, including the requirements for qualifying as a venture capital operating company or a real estate operating company, or for other exceptions under the "plan asset" rules.
Part 2
- Providing advice and services with respect to qualified pension, profit sharing and 401(k) plans (including techniques to satisfy non-discrimination requirements and maximize contributions for highly compensated executives), ESOP transactions, health and welfare plans, cafeteria plans and other employee benefit programs.
- Providing advice and services to plan fiduciaries with respect to their duties and responsibilities under ERISA, including compliance with Section 404(c) of ERISA and other methods of minimizing risk, and compliance with reporting and disclosure requirements.
- Advising with respect to various executive compensation and employee benefit plan issues in connection with corporate mergers and acquisitions, including due diligence services, analyzing and helping to minimize tax costs associated with excess parachute payments, and integrating the buyers and sellers benefit programs post-closing.
- Representing governmental entities and other tax-exempt organizations with respect to their employee benefit programs, including qualified plans, and Section 403(b) and 457 plans, and helping solve the unique problems faced by these organizations in providing deferred compensation for their executives.
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