Cameron Bernard is a Syracuse-based attorney in the firm's Trust and Estates and Employee Benefits Practice Groups.

Trust & Estates Planning and Administration

Cameron understands that planning your estate can be a difficult task, especially where underlying family dynamics play a role.  Cameron endeavors to learn about his client’s values and goals to develop an estate plan that suits their needs, which may include:

• Wills and trusts that include provisions for tax and family management issues;
• Living wills, healthcare proxies and powers of attorney;
• Medicaid planning;
• Creation of LLCs or trusts for the management of family property such as a camp;
• Gift and estate tax considerations;
• Providing for a loved one with special needs.

Cameron also advises trustees in their administration of trusts and prepares fiduciary income tax returns for estates and trusts.

Employee Benefits

Cameron advises clients on how to design and implement pension and employee benefit plans. His work includes helping organizations set up tax-qualified retirement plans, 403(b) plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, cafeteria plans, and other types of fringe benefit programs.

Once a plan is in place, it must be managed in strict compliance with ERISA and federal tax law. These rules can be complex and difficult for employers to navigate. Cameron’s deep understanding of ERISA and the federal tax code helps clients meet their fiduciary duties and keep the tax benefits that these plans provide for both employers and employees.

When compliance problems occur, Cameron uses his experience with IRS and Department of Labor correction programs to find practical solutions. He helps clients fix plan violations while preserving the plan’s tax advantages. He also assists with terminating tax-qualified defined benefit and defined contribution plans, and he represents clients during audits by the IRS, the Department of Labor, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROS)

In addition to advising organizations, Cameron also works with other attorneys and individuals on dividing retirement assets during divorce. Because retirement assets are often among the most valuable assets a person owns, it is important that separation agreements or divorce judgments use clear and accurate language. Cameron provides guidance through every step of the process—from drafting agreement language to preparing Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs) and orders for non-qualified retirement plans, including Federal, Military, and New York State pensions.

Affiliations & Acknowledgements

• Super Lawyers Upstate New York Rising Star – 2023

Community Involvement

• Hiscock Legal Aid Society – Chair, Board of Directors; Previously served as Treasurer on the Board

Cameron is a native of Hilton, NY, a small community northwest of Rochester and now resides in Liverpool, NY.

Education

Syracuse University College of Law – Syracuse, NY
Juris Doctor, May 2015
University at Buffalo – Buffalo, NY
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, magna cum laude, May 2011

Admissions

New York
Florida