Law Firm Overview

DARREN J. GOODMAN

Darren J. Goodman is the founder and sole owner of QDRO Prep, a law practice dedicated to assisting attorneys and non-attorneys with the division of retirement plan assets in the context of a domestic relations proceeding.

Before establishing QDRO Prep in 1997, Darren spent over five years working as an Employee Benefits/Pension consultant and attorney assisting private employers and labor unions in the design, implementation and operation of retirement plans. In the course of such representation, Darren worked with all types of defined benefit plans. Specifically, he was responsible for drafting plan documents and amendments, submitting plans to the Internal Revenue Service for determination letters, curing plan defects through IRS correction programs, conducting plan audits to ensure overall compliance with ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code and handling a variety of other legal issues.

In addition to the above mentioned tasks, Darren was responsible for "qualifying" domestic relations orders on behalf of plan administrators. As part of this process, he developed QDRO procedures, sample QDRO language, and QDRO guidelines--all of which are sensitive to changes in tax laws and court cases dealing with retirement plans.

Darren's experience with retirement plans and dedication to this highly specialized field of law has given him recognition among family law attorneys, as well as many superior court judges and commissioners in California, as a "so-called" QDRO "expert". He frequently appears as a speaker and lecturer at local bar association functions and attorney meetings. He also disseminates his own firm newsletter to family law attorneys throughout California and has written articles for family law journals and other publications.

Areas of Practice

• Division of Retirement Plan Assets
• Domestic Relations Proceedings

Published Works

• "Transferring the Alternate Payee's Retirement Benefits at Death", The Family Law News - official publication of the State Bar of California Family Law Section, 1998
• "Pension Plan Ordered to Restore Full Benefits to Participant at Alternate Payee's Death"

West Practice Categories

Pensions, Benefits & Compensations -- Employee, Family Law, Divorce