
Sharon is a member of the firm and serves as Chair of the Employee Benefits/ERISA Practice Group. Her practice areas include employee benefits, mergers and acquisitions, trusts and estates, and the division of retirement assets through qualified domestic relations orders (QDROs).
Experience
Sharon’s experience includes advising clients with regard to the establishment, administration, and termination of qualified retirement plans, cafeteria plans, and other fringe benefit plans, and representing clients in connection with Internal Revenue Service, Pension Benefit and Guaranty Corporation, and Department of Labor matters. She has also acted as co-counsel on ERISA litigation matters.
Estate planning
Sharon assists clients in all aspects of the estate planning process. She has extensive experience in the planning and preparation of wills and trusts. In addition, she assists clients in property transfers, changes in beneficiary designations, and estate administration.
Background
Prior to obtaining her law degree, Sharon was the Director of Employee Benefits for Green & Seifter, Certified Public Accountants, PLLC, where she supervised all aspects of plan compliance and annual administration for over 250 employee benefit plans, including cafeteria plans, defined benefit plans, defined contribution plans, 401(k) plans and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). Previously, Sharon has been an instructor in the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist Program sponsored by the Wharton School of Business and International Foundation of Employee Benefits. She is also a frequent lecturer for the local bar associations.
Affiliations
- New York State Bar Association
- Onondaga County Bar Association
- Central New York Women’s Bar Association
Community Involvement
- Visiting Lecturer, Syracuse University College of Law – Pension and Employee Benefits Law
- Loretto Independent Living Services, Inc (PACE CNY), Past Member Board of Trustees
- St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center – Past Member Board of Trustees
- New York Employee Benefits Conference, Past Director
Presentations And Seminars
- May 2016
Understanding State and Federal Retirement Plans in Matrimonial Disputes – NYSBA (Albany/Westchester) - October 2015
Advanced Topics Involving Retirement Accounts, QDROs, Federal Statues and Employee Plans – American Association of Matrimonial Attorneys - June 2015
Retirement, Annuity & Life Insurance Benefit Planning – NYSBA - June 2015
Negotiation Regarding QDROs-DROs – CNY Collaborative Family Law Professionals - May 2015
Helping Your Clients with Retirement Plan Compliance CE – Society for Financial Services Professionals – CNY Chapter - March 2015
Negotiating and Preparation of QDROs/DROs CLE – Oneida County Bar Association
View More Presentations
- January 2015
- Helping Your Clients with Retirement Plan Compliance – TransAmerica Client Seminar
- October 2014
- Financial Fitness Presentation – St. Joseph’s Health Center Foundation
- September 2014
- Surviving the Ever-Changing World of Employee Benefits and Labor Laws – Watertown Chamber of Commerce
- June 2014
- Dividing Retirement Benefits in a Matrimonial Action – CLE- Hiscock Legal Aid Society
- September 2013
Current Developments in Employee Benefits – Bousquet Holstein Seminar - July 2013
Helping your Clients Survive the Ever Changing World of Health Care Reform and Employee Benefits – Grossman St. Amour, CPAs - June 2013
Help for Small Businesses: Surviving the Ever-Changing World of Health Care Reform and Employee Benefits – Adirondack North Country Association - May 2013
ERISA Evolving Requirements – Morgan Stanley, Ithaca, NY - March 2013
Don’t Just Say Majauskas – Dividing Retirement Benefits in a Matrimonial Action – CNY Collaborative Family Law Professionals - March 2013
Dividing Retirement Benefits in a Matrimonial Action – CLE- Oneida County Bar Association. - February 2013
The Continuing Complexity of Employer Responsibilities- CenterState CEO - October 2012
Dividing Retirement Benefits in a Matrimonial Action – CLE – Onondaga County Bar Association. - September 2012
The Continuing Complexity of Employer Responsibilities – Employee Benefits Update - May 2012
Matrimonial and Family Law Basics and Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs) – CLE – CNY Women’s Bar Association
Education
J.D., Syracuse University College of Law, 1992
M.P.A. Maxwell School of Syracuse University, 1979
B.A., University of Notre Dame, 1974
Admissions
New York