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Tom Schendt is a partner in Alston & Bird's Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Group. His practice focuses on employee plan litigation, agency civil and criminal audits, investigations and disputes and voluntary compliance initiatives involving the Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury, Department of Labor, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Department of Justice. Schendt also regularly counsels large employers on the practical effect of various qualification requirements that are issued by appropriate government agencies. This includes assisting clients with the execution of various plan administration and qualification requirements under Titles I & II of ERISA. In addition, Schendt also focuses on fiduciary issues affecting plan providers, including plan fee disclosure, exemption issues, and implications of recent PPA provisions. Prior to joining Alston & Bird, from 1988 to 1996, Schendt held a number of positions with the Internal Revenue Service. As technical assistant to the associate chief counsel, Employee Benefits and Exempt Organizations (EBEO) for the Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service, Schendt assisted in the coordination of national employee benefits litigation for the IRS, including plan disputes and compliance initiatives. He also acted as a liaison between the National Office of the Internal Revenue Service and various field offices, including Exam and Appeals. Schendt is a member of the Bloomberg BNA Pension & Benefits Publications Advisory Board, and is also the executive editorial adviser to the Bloomberg BNA Benefits Practitioners' Strategy Guide, available as part of the Bloomberg BNA Benefits Practice Resource Center. He has received B.S., M.B.A., and J.D. degrees from Marquette University.
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