Corey Schechter has been a goal-oriented individual from an
early age. As a child, he aspired to one day become a professional golfer on
the PGA Tour. His desire and hard work to attempt that feat earned him a
collegiate athletic scholarship and a spot on the Division I Golf team at Seton
Hall University where he began to realize his academic rather than his athletic
potential. While attending Seton Hall, Mr. Schechter took a course in Political
Science where he developed a deep appreciation for the rule of law in our
society and the importance of the judicial system within the United States
where disputing parties can be heard and their differences resolved in a
civilized manner. It was at that point that Mr. Schechter had a sudden change
of heart regarding his intended career, choosing to major academically in
Political Science with one goal in mind – to go to law school and one day
become an attorney alongside his father whom he had personally witnessed work
so hard to ensure the best possible results for his clients. He is proud to say
that he has lived up to that goal.
Mr. Schechter's passion these days is helping others who
face complex decisions involving the often difficult situation of securing a
financially-sound future for themselves and their families. In doing so, he has
chosen to focus his practice on legal matters arising under the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act (also known as “ERISA”). His day-to-day work
consists of litigating claims on behalf of employees for workers' disability
insurance benefits, life insurance benefits, and retirement benefits which have
been wrongfully denied by their employers and/or large insurance companies. Mr.
Schechter also assists in the designing and preparation of tax-qualified (or
“tax-favored”) retirement plan documents including defined contribution plans
(including 401(k) and profit sharing plans, among others) and defined benefit
plans (such as traditional pension plans), and also assists in the designing
and preparation of non-qualified deferred compensation plans for employers of
all sizes situated throughout the United States.
A large portion of Mr. Schechter's law practice is also
devoted, unsurprisingly, to the additional transactional work that is required
for the employee retirement benefit plans he helps create, such as preparing
required amendments due to legislative changes in the laws regulating employee
benefit plans in order for these employee benefit plans to maintain the
tax-favored status, preparing discretionary amendments for these employee
retirement benefit plans when the employer has a change in circumstances resulting
in a desired modification to the terms of the retirement benefit plan they
provide to their employees, and preparing stock purchase and redemption
agreements for the sale and transfer of shares between an employer and its
Employee Stock Ownership Plan (commonly referred to as an “ESOP”).
More recently, Mr. Schechter has chosen to dedicate a
significant amount of his legal practice to the preparation of state domestic
relations orders and Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (or “QDROs” for short)
which are typically required in order to divide the retirement benefits of
recently-divorced couples where at least one of the former spouses made
contributions (or had contributions made on their behalf) to a retirement
benefit plan during their marriage. He also reviews QDROs and state domestic
relations orders that have previously been prepared by other counsel for
compliance with the law and for protection of the interest of the ex-spouse
seeking a review of a previously prepared order.
Despite his tireless effort and the natural affinity Mr.
Schechter has for performing and providing the highest quality legal services
to each of his clients (and the significant expenditure of time that involves),
he still manages to do his best to get himself out on the golf course whenever
the opportunity presents itself!
EDUCATION:
California Western School of Law, J.D. – 2011
National University of Ireland, Galway (International Human
Rights Law) – 2010
University of San Diego, B.A., Political Science, Magna Cum
Laude – 2008
Seton Hall University (Political Science) – 2004-2006
ADMISSIONS:
California State Bar – 2011
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals – 2012
United States Tax Court – 2012
United States District Courts:
Southern District of California – 2011
Central District of California – 2012
Northern District of California – 2012
AWARDS:
Super Lawyers, Rising Star – 2016, 2018-2021
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:
American Bar Association
State Bar of California
San Diego County Bar Association
Orange County Bar Association
Western Pension and Benefits Council, San Diego Chapter
San Diego Family Law Bar Association
REPORTED CASES:
Cheap Easy Online Traffic Sch. v. Peter
L. Huntting & Co.,
818 F. App'x 683 (9th Cir. 2020)
Micha v. Sun Life Assur. of Can. Inc., 874 F. 3d 1052
[published opinion]
Wong v. Flynn-Kerper, 999 F.3d 1205 (9th Cir. 2021)
AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him
or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
Distinguished: An excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. This rating indicates the attorney is widely
respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.
Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
