Steven W. Rabitz

Steven W. Rabitz is co-chair of Dechert’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice and leads the firm's national fiduciary practice in New York. He focuses his practice on the fiduciary responsibility, prohibited transaction and funding rules of ERISA, specifically how they relate to financial products and services, U.S. Federal income tax, securities and other legal matters concerning compensation and benefits. In addition, Mr. Rabitz assists clients on how ERISA rules are applicable to the design, implementation and ongoing operation of retirement and health benefits.

Mr. Rabitz advises clients such as broker-dealers, futures commission merchants, banks, investment managers, trustees, mutual fund complexes, alternative fund sponsors and other financial market participants on the conduct of their businesses as applied to U.S. retirement clients. He also represents both private and public companies in a variety of matters involving compensation and benefits, as well as cross-border related considerations. He is regularly featured in Chambers USA for his work in employee benefits and executive compensation and in Best Lawyers for his ERISA-related practice. He is nationally recommended by The Legal 500 and was recognized on the “Hall of Fame” list in 2022. In addition, he has been ranked in Super Lawyers and was recognized as a top 20 practitioner in the area of Employee Benefits and ERISA by Lawdragon in 2019.

Mr. Rabitz’s writing on current legal topics and issues has appeared in numerous publications, including, Tax Management Compensation Journal, Pension & Benefits Daily, Derivatives: Financial Products Report, The Hedge Fund Law Report, and Neuberger Berman's DC Insights, and he has been quoted in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Institutional Investor, Barron’s, Bloomberg, Hedge Fund Law Report, International Business Times and Law 360. In 2015, he received the Burton Award for excellence in legal writing. Mr. Rabitz frequently presents at conferences and webinars held by organizations, such as the Practising Law Institute (including one which he organized and currently chairs), IBA, SIFMA, the Institutional Investor Legal Forum, Regulatory Compliance Association and International Longevity Markets Association.

Prior to private practice, Mr. Rabitz pioneered and led the ERISA, executive compensation and benefits legal function at Lehman Brothers and served in a similar capacity at Barclays Capital. He also worked as part of a dedicated team of ERISA and compensation lawyers at Goldman Sachs earlier in his career. Prior to joining Dechert, Mr. Rabitz was a partner at a national leading law firm.