Partner
201 St. Charles Ave
New Orleans, LA 70170-5100
504.582.8394 tel
504.589.8394 fax


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Susan Chambers is a partner in the Tax & Estates Practice Group and practices from the firm's New Orleans office. Ms. Chambers' areas of practice include qualified plans and nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements, such as cash balance plans, profit-sharing plans, money purchase plans, employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), pension plans, and plans subject to Code Section 409A. 

Ms. Chambers also addresses her clients' fringe benefit and welfare benefit plan needs, such as flexible benefit (cafeteria) plans, health savings accounts (HSAs), multiemployer welfare arrangements (MEWAs), and the tax aspects of life, disability, and health insurance. She has represented buyers and sellers in a variety of corporate transactions in which she has negotiated benefit issues, reviewed benefit plans, and drafted representations and covenants.

In 2007, Ms. Chambers was part of Jones Walker's team that advised Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. in its acquisition of Phelps Dodge Corporation for $25.9 billion in cash and stock. The deal was featured in The American Lawyer in the publication's "Big Deals" section.

Noteworthy

• Mentioned in The American Lawyer's "Big Deals" section in February 2007 as part of Jones Walker's team that represented Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. in its $25.9-billion acquisition of Phelps Dodge Corporation.
  
• Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2012 (Copyright 2011 by Woodward/White, Inc.) in the area of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law (listed annually since 2009)
  
• AV® Peer Review Rating in Martindale-Hubbell
• Recipient of the Louisiana Chapter of the International Association, Personnel in Employment Society's Group Citation Award (2000)
  

News

• Eighty-Two Attorneys Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2012
• Seventy-Three Attorneys Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2011
• 2010 Best Lawyers in America Rankings Showcase Jones Walker’s Depth, Growth
• Sixty-Three Jones Walker Attorneys Named in The Best Lawyers in America® 2009; Jones Walker Top-Listed in Louisiana
• Jones Walker Attorneys Appear in "Big Suits" in The American Lawyer
• Jones Walker Presents HIPAA Seminar

Presentations

• "Department of Labor Project on Defined Contribution Plan Fees", June 9, 2008
• "Changes in Qualified Defined Contributions Plans Under the Pension Protection Act of 2006", April 2, 2007
• "Current Developments in Deferred Cooperation", April 24, 2006
• "Congress Changes the Rules on Deferred Compensation", December 13, 2004
• "Final COBRA Regulations", September 21, 2004
• "Taking the Mystery Out of the HIPAA Medical Privacy Rules for Employers and Group Health Plans", July 11, 2003, HIPAA Seminar, Sponsored by Jones Walker and The Sellers Group, LLC

Publications

• "Delinquent Filer Voluntary Compliance Program"
  Louisiana Employment Law Letter, 1995
• "Effect of FMLA on COBRA Continuation Coverage"
  Louisiana Employment Law Letter, 1995
• "To Accrue or Not to Accrue: How Does FMLA Leave Affect an Employee's Retirement Benefits?"
  Louisiana Employment Law Letter, 1995
• "New Veterans' Rights Law Affects Pension and Health Plans"
  Louisiana Employment Law Letter, Part I, November 1994
• "A Few Words about COBRA"
  Louisiana Employment Law Letter, 1994
• "Veterans' Reemployment Rights Part II"
  Louisiana Employment Law Letter, 1994

Memberships

• American Bar Association (Member, Sections of Employee Benefits and Taxation)
• Association of Employee Benefit Planners of Louisiana (Board Member, Secretary, 2003–2006)
  
• Board-Certified Tax Specialist as Certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization
• Certified Public Accountant (inactive status)
  
• Louisiana State Bar Association (Member, Section of Taxation)