Biography

Ms. Downie has extensive experience in the executive compensation and employee benefits aspects of mergers, acquisitions and financings. She represents senior executives and companies in the negotiation and drafting of employment and severance agreements. She also advises as to the design and operation of executive and employee benefit arrangements including equity compensation and cash incentive plans, change in control and retention arrangements and nonqualified deferred compensation plans. In addition, Ms. Downie regularly advises employers on the design and operation of tax-qualified retirement plans, including 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans and 457(b) plans, as well as health and welfare benefit plans.
Ms. Downie advises clients on pension plan investment and compliance with ERISA’s fiduciary obligations and prohibited transaction rules. She regularly counsels private fund sponsors in connection with ERISA’s “plan asset” regulations and with VCOC, REOC and similar issues.
Ms. Downie has been recommended for Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation by Legal 500 US, is named among the Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers and is recognized for Employee Benefits by Super Lawyers. She served as Chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Committee and is a member of the Steering Committee of the New York Chapter of Worldwide Employee Benefits Network.
Firm News & Announcements, Awards and Recognition, Speaking Engagements, Guides and Resources, Latest Thinking, Latest Thinking, Firm News & Announcements
Awards and Recognition
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Sarah Downie Recommended for Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation
Award Brief —
Legal 500 US
Sarah Downie Recommended for Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation ...
- Sarah Downie Named Among the 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers Award Brief — Lawdragon
Speaking Engagements
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PLI’s Tax Strategies for Corporate Acquisitions, Dispositions, Spin-Offs, Joint Ventures, Financings, Reorganizations & Restructurings 2020
Speaker(s):
Joseph M. Pari,
Stuart J. Goldring,
Kimberly S. Blanchard and
Sarah Downie
October 14-16, 2020 — New York, NY — Co-Chair of Weil’s Tax Department Joseph Pari, Weil Tax partners Stuart J. Goldring and Kimberly S. Blanchard and Weil Executive Compensation & Benefits partner Sarah Downie spoke on panels titled “Current Issues in Divisive Strategies – Spin-Offs,” “Tax Strategies for Financially Troubled Businesses and Other Loss Companies,” “Cross-Border Acquisitions and Divestitures” and “Dealing with Restricted Stock, Stock Options and Executive Compensation in COVID-19 Era Corporate M&A Transactions,” respectively, as part of PLI’s Tax Strategies for Corporate Acquisitions, Dispositions, Spin-Offs, Joint Ventures, Financings, Reorganizations & Restructurings 2020.
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PLI’s ERISA Fiduciary Investment Basics 2019
Speaker(s):
Sarah Downie
March 18, 2019 — New York, New York — Weil partner Sarah Downie spoke on a panel titled, “The Launch – Establishing a Plan Assets Fund,” which reviewed basic ERISA issues from the perspective of a hedge fund.
Latest Thinking
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Be Careful Before Amending Your Severance Arrangement
Blog Post — Tax Blog
— By
Sarah Downie and
Travis Bruno
— April 10, 2020
In light of these uncertain times, it is likely that employers may be contemplating amending their severance arrangements, particularly to reduce benefits. Before doing so, a severance arrangement should be analyzed to determine whether it constitutes an “employee benefit plan”, as defined under and subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as […]
The post Be Careful Before Amending Your Severance Arrangement appeared first on Weil Tax BLOG.
... -
The CARES Act – Considerations for Tax-Exempt Organizations
Blog Post — Tax Blog
— By
Morgan Bale,
Devon Bodoh,
Sarah Downie,
Stuart J. Goldring,
Lyuba Goltser,
Mark Hoenig,
Michael Nissan,
John O'Loughlin,
Joseph M. Pari,
Gregory Silbert and
Paul J. Wessel
— April 07, 2020
In response to COVID-19, a number of significant legislative and administrative steps have been taken to, among other things, ameliorate the impact of the crisis on individuals, businesses, and tax-exempt organizations. At the federal level, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act), a ~$2 trillion stimulus package, was enacted on March […]
The post The CARES Act – Considerations for Tax-Exempt Organizations appeared first on Weil Tax BLOG.
... - Sun Capital Update: First Circuit Rules Affiliated Investment Funds Not Responsible for Portfolio Company’s Pension Liability, Reversing District Court Alert — By Sarah Downie and Maliha Ikram — PDF — November 25, 2019
- Voting Rights Gone in a Snap – Unequal Voting Rights Back in the Spotlight Alert — Governance & Securities — By Kaitlin Descovich, Melanie A. Conroy, Catherine T. Dixon and Ellen J. Odoner — PDF — April 03, 2017
- The Trump Administration Launches its (De)Regulatory Initiatives Alert — Governance & Securities — By Catherine T. Dixon, Sarah Downie, David E. Wohl, Ariel Kronman and Ellen J. Odoner — PDF — February 06, 2017
Firm News & Announcements
- Weil Advised EQT Infrastructure in its Sale of Synagro Technologies, Inc. Deal Brief — December 21, 2020
- Weil Advises Foley Trasimene Acquisition Corp. II in its Pending $9 Billion Merger with Paysafe Deal Brief — December 09, 2020