Former In-house Counsel to ESOP Advisors Michael Pasahow Joins Faegre Drinker Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice in San Francisco

Faegre Drinker announced today that Michael Pasahow has joined the firm as counsel in the benefits and executive compensation practice group in the San Francisco office. Pasahow comes to the firm from the employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) advisory firm Menke & Associates, Inc., where he was senior corporate counsel.

Pasahow is a trusted adviser to corporate clients who focus on employee benefits law and employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) transactions. In particular, he counsels businesses, fiduciaries and investment funds on the design and use of ESOPs and other tax-qualified plans to facilitate ownership transitions.

“Michael brings to Faegre Drinker more than a decade of client-side experience, and his addition further bolsters our growing ESOP capabilities,” benefits and executive compensation practice leader Sarah Bassler Millar said in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome Michael to the team.”

Clients rely on Pasahow to implement ESOP stock purchase transactions, and he partners with clients to devise competitive employee benefits plans while also minimizing corporate taxes and protecting the bottom line. He also advises clients on the benefits implications of corporate transactions.

Pasahow earned his bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College and his Juris Doctor from University of California Berkeley School of Law.

As a full-service provider, Faegre Drinker counsels and defends clients in all types of ESOP matters — from plan adoption/termination to compliance to dispute resolution. The firm’s bench is comprised of sophisticated strategists with practical experience advising clients across the country on establishing ESOPs and adhering to corporate and plan governance best practices. They provide straightforward advice on fiduciary duties and work with clients to make sense of the regulatory maze. They help clients of all sizes — from small businesses to large corporations — navigate whatever their needs require, whether a financing, restructuring, stock purchase or sale, succession planning, or mergers and acquisitions. They also provide vigorous representation in disputes of all kinds, including high-stakes private-plaintiff class actions, as well as audits, investigations and litigation brought by the DOL and IRS.

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