Partner
office: (858) 444-2300 | fax: (858) 444-2345
Practice Areas: Employee Benefits, Employee Stock Ownership Plans, Pension and Profit Sharing Plans, ERISA, ERISA Litigation, Business Law, Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs), Tax Law
Marc Schechter specializes in the areas of employee benefits, ERISA, and business matters. In addition to handling a wide range of business transactional matters, he has extensive experience designing, drafting and implementing all types of qualified and nonqualified employee benefit programs for his clients, with special emphasis on ESOP transactions.
Mr. Schechter earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1980 from Rowan University. He received a juris doctor degree, magna cum laude, from California Western School of Law in 1984 and graduated second in his class. Mr. Schechter received the Scriba Regis Award for authoring the best Law Review article; the Miller Tax Award for earning the highest grade point average in tax courses; and the Highest Academic Achievement Award in the subjects of federal income tax and estate and gift tax. He was active with the Law Review as a staff writer from 1982-83 and as Head Notes and Comments Editor from 1983-84.
Mr. Schechter lectures on employee benefit law topics for a wide range of organizations. He has written articles on Employee Benefit topics for a wide range of periodicals. He has also taught the ERISA/Employee Benefits course as adjunct professor at California Western School of Law.
Mr. Schechter has received an AV® Peer Review rating from the Martindale Hubbell International Law Directory.
Mr. Schechter has been named by San Diego Super Lawyers magazine as one of the top attorneys in San Diego for 2008, 2009, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Only five percent of the lawyers in San Diego are named by Super Lawyers.
Education
- Rowan University (B.A., 1980)
- California Western School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 1984)
Bar and Court Admissions
- 1984, California
- 1984, U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
- 1984, U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- 1985, New Jersey
- 1985, U.S. Tax Court
- 1996, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- 2000, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
- 2001, U.S. Supreme Court
Professional Memberships
- State Bar of California (Employee Benefits-Taxation Section)
- San Diego County Bar Association (Taxation Section)
- San Diego Chapter of the Western Pension and Benefits Council
- ESOP Association of America (former member of the Legislative and Regulatory Advisory Committee)
- The National Center for Employee Ownership
Reported Cases
- Micha v. Sun Life Assur. of Can. Inc., 874 F. 3d 1052 [published opinion]
- Wayne v. Pacific Bell, 189 F.3d 982, opinion amended and superseded, 238 F.3d 1048 (9th Cir. 2000), cert. denied, 122 S.Ct. 40 (2001); Courtney v. American Airlines, Inc., 40 F.Supp.2d 389 (N.D. Tex 1999); Meoli v. American Medical Services of San Diego, 35 F.Supp.2d 761 (S.D. Cal. 1999).
Beyond the Office
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Attorney of the Month Marc Schechter. Doing What He Loves . . . But Still Playing The Blues.
San Diego Attorney Journal, Cover Feature, April 2014 -
"Rock On" by Marc S. Schechter [PDF]
This story appeared in the July/August 2013 issue of San Diego Lawyer. It is posted with the permission of the San Diego County Bar Association. - Lawyer Joke
Recent Blog Posts
Are ESOPs Right for California Breweries?
Ending an Employee Stock Ownership Program
ESOPs: Survive the 'Silver Tsunami' and Maintain A Vibrant Local Economy - Retain Jobs and Root Wealth in San Diego
Power to the ESOP: Incredible Tax Savings Benefits for Employers and Employees
ESOPs: Legislative Updates
Recommendations
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They are very professional and had excellent response time...
"I would highly recommend the Schechter Firm. They are very professional and had excellent response time, email and questions were answered immediately. They completed the work quickly and within time frames. They are prompt and completed our very complex [QDRO] quickly. Thank you Marc and Dianne...