Robert M Cipolla

Practice Areas

Rob Cipolla is a Partner with Calfee’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation group. He assists a wide variety of clients including public, private, tax-exempt, and governmental entities in matters including qualified retirement plans, health and welfare plans, and other related benefit matters.

Rob finds practical business solutions that meet each client’s needs arising within the technical regulatory framework of employee benefits law under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. He has significant experience advising clients regarding the design, administration, operations, reporting, and disclosure of defined benefit plans, 401(k) retirement plans, 403(b) and 457 plans, employment agreements, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, multi-employer plans, and health plans.

Rob helps employers attain favorable rulings from the IRS, DOL, and other governmental agencies, and he assists clients in obtaining the desired outcomes in audits by such agencies.

Rob has significant experience advising clients on the employee benefit aspects of mergers and acquisitions, which he uses to help clients assimilate plans and workforces following transactions.

A member of the Central Virginia Employee Benefits Counsel and the American Bar Association, Rob regularly speaks at employee benefit programs and conferences. He has taught classes at the Southeastern Trust School.

Professional Memberships

Central Virginia Employee Benefits Counsel, Member

Southeastern Trust School, Former Adjunct Faculty Member

Experience

The following experience was gained while serving as a Partner at a previous law firm:

Obtained a private letter ruling from the IRS that saved a plan sponsor $20 million in additional pension costs.

Represented a public company in the spin-off of a new public company; assisted the companies in the establishment of all employee benefit plans for the new public company, including defined benefit plans, defined contribution plans, executive compensation plans, and welfare benefit plans.

Advised on the design and restructuring of several defined benefit pension plans and defined contribution plans for a Fortune 500 company.

Represented several university general counsels and boards of trustees in the design and negotiation of employment agreements and deferred compensation plans for executive officers and athletic coaches.

Represented a multinational corporation in a merger and identified $2 million in savings from potential costs associated with non-compliant, non-qualified deferred compensation plans.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Virginia

Education