Biography
Alisha Sullivan is a member of the firm's Employee Benefits + Compensation Group. She focuses her practice on counseling a wide range of clients on issues arising from the creation and administration of employee benefit plans, including all aspects of plan design and administration, adhering to ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, and other applicable laws, and plan compliance and correction issues.
Retirement Plan Design and Administration
Ms. Sullivan's practice addresses a broad array of issues relating to the design, drafting, and operation of qualified and nonqualified defined benefit and defined contribution plans, including 401(k), profit-sharing, multiemployer, employee stock ownership and Section 403(b) and 457(b) plans of tax-exempt organizations. She assists with consultation and negotiation with the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor, and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation with regard to plan terminations, audits of plans, qualification submissions, plan corrections and other matters.
Governmental Plans
Ms. Sullivan frequently works with state and municipal governmental clients sponsoring and administering benefit plans and programs. She advises these clients on qualified retirement plans and 457(b) plans, from generally applicable requirements to unique rules addressing vesting requirements for governmental plans, pick-up of employee contributions, compliance with Section 415 of the Code, purchase of service and 415(m) excess plans. Additionally, she advises clients on state statutes relating to the implementation and governance of public plans, as well as the interpretation of specific enabling statutes creating various governmental entities. She also assists municipalities and related entities with respect to Length of Service Award Programs (LOSAP), and their creation, design, and administration.
Health and Welfare Benefit Plans
Ms. Sullivan counsels clients on a wide range of health and welfare benefits matters, including issues related to the Affordable Care Act, self-funded health arrangements, wellness and disease management programs, HIPAA privacy and security rules, COBRA administration, cafeteria plans, and various state laws and regulations governing health and welfare plan design and administration.
Executive Compensation and Equity Arrangements
Ms. Sullivan assists with the design, implementation, and maintenance of executive and outside-director compensation and incentive programs, including equity-based plans.
Fiduciary Advice
Ms. Sullivan counsels boards of directors, trustees, investment committees, plan administrators, and plan fiduciaries regarding their duties and responsibilities under federal law. She counsels plan sponsors on all aspects of ERISA fiduciary compliance, including plan governance and plan administration issues.
Pro Bono
Ms. Sullivan provides pro bono services to Connecticut non-profit organizations through the Pro Bono Partnership on a wide range of employee benefit and compensation issues.
The author of numerous articles on employee benefit matters, Ms. Sullivan also is a contributor to the firm's ERISA Claim Defense Blog, a platform that offers commentary and insight on administration, evaluation, and litigation of group benefits claims as well as other compliance and litigation issues involving ERISA, and the Data Privacy + Security Insider blog.
Prior to joining Robinson+Cole, Ms. Sullivan worked in the law department of a Fortune 500 financial institution, focusing on the area of employee benefits and compensation.