Sariyah S. Buchanan ensures that benefit plans and compensation arrangements comply with US state and federal laws including ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. Sariyah drafts employment agreements, equity plans, grant agreements, and proxy materials, and prepares custodial agreements, disclosures, and election and beneficiary designation forms for IRA custodians. She assists clients in corporate transactions and represents clients before the IRS, PBGC, and DOL. Sariyah’s clients include startup and Fortune 500 clients in financial services, insurance, real estate, pharmaceutical and life sciences, technology, and energy.
Sariyah assists with single-employer and multiemployer retirement and welfare plan design and administration, drafts related documents, and advises individual retirement account custodians.
Her strong commitment to pro bono work includes serving several nonprofits including organizations dedicated to improving maternal and child health, mentoring at-risk youth, and providing legal services to low-income families. She assists these clients with matters related to corporate governance, securing and maintaining 501(c)(3) status, and 403(b) retirement plan compliance.
Before joining Morgan Lewis, Sariyah was a law clerk to Judge Petrese B. Tucker of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Prior to attending law school, Sariyah was a management consultant for a boutique consulting firm that specialized in assisting Fortune 500 companies in designing, implementing, and assessing the performance of their shared services organizations.
Education
Duke University, 1999, A.B.
Howard University School of Law, 2009, J.D., Cum Laude
Admissions
Pennsylvania
Awards and Affiliations
Member, Law Firm of the Year, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Chambers USA (2019)
Member, Law Firm of the Year, Employee Benefits (ERISA Law), US News/Best Lawyers – Best Law Firms (2019)
