Mary J. Steichen

Mary Steichen’s practice encompasses a broad range of corporate and employee benefit services involving all facets of qualified retirement, health and welfare plans, including the design, implementation, administration, correction and termination of such plans. She has handled controlled group analysis, corporate transactions, governance matters, mergers and acquisition work, non-qualified plans, executive compensation, employment agreements and related labor matters. Mary has extensive experience representing clients before the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Labor, including submissions for determination of tax qualified status, audits, compliance resolution programs, and governmental reporting. She has worked with employee stock ownership plans, stock purchase plans, stock appreciation rights, stock bonus plans, and employer stock related issues.

She has more than 25 years experience working with employee benefits and has represented a broad range of clients, including Fortune 500 companies, multinational corporations, middle market companies, publicly traded and closely held businesses, corporate trustees, fiduciary investment advisors, hospitals, health care providers, and partnerships. Working previously in a corporate fiduciary capacity, Mary has particular experience in trustee, fiduciary, compliance, recordkeeping, agency, prohibited transactions, individual retirement account, and investment issues.

In addition to her legal practice, Mary is co-owner of Silvertop Farm & Vineyards, a 3,500-acre agricultural enterprise which was named 2010 Outstanding Agritourism Attraction by the Oklahoma Tourism Department and Oklahoma Travel Association. 

Prior to joining McAfee & Taft, Mary practiced in Texas as an attorney in the employee benefits and executive compensation group with the international law firm of Vinson & Elkins. Her career experience also includes serving in various employee benefits-related management positions with financial institutions JPMorgan Chase (Texas Commerce), Bank of Oklahoma, and Interfirst Bank Dallas (Bank of America).  

Active in the professional community, Mary is a member and frequent speaker at conferences for the SouthWest Benefits Association and previously served as treasurer (2006) and chairman (2007) for the Employee Benefits Section of the Dallas Bar Association. She is a member of the Internal Revenue Service Gulf Coast Tax Exempt/Government Entities Council and was recently selected to serve as secretary for the council.

• Represented numerous clients before the Internal Revenue Service and with plan self-corrections utilizing the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS). 
• Handled compensation and benefits aspects of mergers and acquisitions, including due diligence, agreements, plan corrections, and related labor matters. 
• Drafted, amended and restated qualified plans, welfare plans and non-qualified plans, including plan documents, summary plan descriptions, summary of material modifications, participant communications and benefits summaries.
• In connection with corporate mergers, restated multiple plans, utilized Internal Revenue Service correction methods, and merged plans into acquisition company plans.
• Embedded at a major corporation to clean up benefit plans, including plan documents, summary plan descriptions and benefit offerings and agreements.
• Developed turnkey service for middle market clients of large investment company, including non-prototype plan amendments, Internal Revenue Service corrections and determination letters for tax exempt status and plan terminations.
• Analyzed complex controlled group issues and QSLOB formation for several large, private real estate holding companies.  
• Represented companies with Department of Labor audits, organized documentation, and trained plan committees and plan administrators.
• Designed and administered qualified plan policies and procedures, QDRO policies and procedures, QMSCO procedures, HIPAA privacy documents, domestic partner policies, claims procedures and investment policies.
• Developed fiduciary training manual for plan committees and benefits personnel and conducted training sessions.