Top Employee Benefits Official at U.S. Treasury Joins Groom Law Group
WASHINGTON, DC, April 3, 2005 -- Groom Law Group, Chartered, the Nation's largest employee benefits specialty law firm, located in Washington, D.C., announced today that William F. Sweetnam, Jr., who recently served as the principal legal advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury on employee benefits matters, will join the firm as a principal and Chair of the firm's Public Policy and Legislation Practice Group.
Sweetnam commented that, “I wanted to join the best employee benefits practice in the United States – the firm with the broadest and deepest expertise and the greatest credibility in Washington. I am confident that Groom Law Group is that Firm.”
Lou Mazawey, the firm Chair, said that, “Bill's distinguished service at Treasury and on the Senate Finance Committee, his invaluable knowledge and experience, and his unparalleled insights into benefits and tax policies will further strengthen the firm's capabilities and underscore its reputation as a leader in employee benefits law and policy matters. We are excited to welcome Bill to the firm.”
Mr. Sweetnam served as Benefits Tax Counsel at the Department of the Treasury from July 2001 until February of this year. In that capacity, he advised the Secretary of the Treasury on all aspects of employee benefits taxation and related matters, including pensions, health care and executive compensation. Mr. Sweetnam was the Treasury's primary contact with Congress with regard to the IRA and pension provisions in the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 ("EGTRRA"), the Pension Funding Equity Act of 2004, and the Deferred Compensation Provisions of the American Job Creation Act of 2004. Mr. Sweetnam also spearheaded the Treasury's efforts to provide timely published guidance in major areas, such as for Health Savings Accounts and other consumer-directed health care vehicles, the new deferred compensation legislation and 401(k) plans.
Before joining Treasury, Mr. Sweetnam was Tax Counsel on the Majority Staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, where he handled tax matters in the areas of employee benefits including pensions, health plans, executive compensation, insurance and tax-exempt organizations. Mr. Sweetnam was the key Senate staffer on the 2001 "EGTRRA" legislation, which made significant changes in many of these areas – including increasing IRA and 401(k) contribution limits and providing other incentives for pension growth – and which is widely viewed as the most important legislation affecting retirement plans since the Tax Reform Act of 1986.
Mr. Sweetnam is a member of the New York State bar. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University and a Juris Doctor degree from Fordham University. He is a member of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel.
About Groom Law Group
Groom Law Group's 45 attorneys practice in all aspects of employee benefits law: public policy and legislation, fiduciary responsibility, plan design and taxation, health care, litigation, plan funding and restructuring, public and multiemployer plans, and executive compensation. The firm represents many of America's largest companies, financial institutions, multiemployer plan sponsors, and non-profit organizations. Combining a broad view of the benefits landscape with in-depth technical expertise, the firm's attorneys spot key trends for their clients, prepare them for new laws and regulations, and provide them with practical and comprehensive strategies for addressing and resolving benefits issues.
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