Sheryl C Bayani-Alzona

Sheryl Alzona concentrates her practice on ESOP consultation, operations and documentation.  She brings to her law practice 11 years of experience as a consultant and administrator of ESOPS, pension and 401(k) plans, SIMPLE IRAs, Self-Directed IRAs and SEPs.  She has a comprehensive understanding of her clients’ needs which allows her to anticipate issues that may arise from plan design and document language, and to formulate creative solutions for ESOPs and other individually designed plans.  Sheryl performs due diligence review of corporate transactional documents, government forms and financial data in connection with all ESOP transactions.

Sheryl advises clients on notice requirements, plan terminations and distributions of plan assets for ESOPs and 401(k), profit sharing and pension plans. She counsels clients on fiduciary issues, self-dealing and prohibited transactions, fiduciary and tax issues, and unrelated business income tax associated with retirement plan and self-directed IRA investments, including self correction under VCP, EPCRS, DFVC and VFCP.  She advises debtors and bankruptcy attorneys on creditor protection for retirement assets under ERISA and California law, and strategizes to determine which exemptions to utilize to obtain the best protection for the client.

Sheryl represents clients who are under Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audits and Department of Labor (DOL) investigations.  She coordinates with third-party administrators, CPAs and attorneys to ensure the efficiency and accuracy of responses to the IRS and/or the DOL to minimize liability for income and excise taxes, interest and penalties.