Profile: Craig R Pett

Employee Benefits

Biography: Employee Benefits

Craig Pett is a partner in Alston & Bird's employee benefits and executive compensation group. Mr Pett concentrates his practice on ERISA, qualified retirement plans and executive compensation.

Mr Pett advises clients on matters involving defined benefit pension plans, 401(k) plans and ESOPs; legal audits and dispute resolution with the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, including IRS, DoL and PBGC audits and voluntary correction of errors involving qualified retirement plans; mergers and acquisitions involving ERISA plans; 403(b) plans and other qualified and non-qualified retirement plans for tax-exempt entities; early retirement windows and initiatives; and executive incentive and deferred compensation.

Mr Pett has assisted many clients with the IRS voluntary correction and compliance programmes and Department of Labor correction programmes. Craig assisted a client in correcting errors in its 401(k), with consequences for tens of thousands of employees.

Mr Pett is a member of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel. Craig is an adjunct professor at Emory Law School in Atlanta, Georgia, where he teaches the ERISA and Deferred Compensation course. He is on the editorial advisory board of the Benefits Law Journal. He is a contributing editor to the legal treatise, '401(k) Plans', published by the Employee Benefits Institute of America.

Mr Pett received his BS, cum laude, MA and JD, cum laude, from Brigham Young University, where he was editor of Brigham Young University Journal of Legal Studies. He has passed all parts of the certified public accountant exam.