Maria S. Stefanis

Maria Stefanis focuses her practice on federal and state income tax issues, executive compensation, ERISA and benefit-related matters for private and publicly-held corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Ms. Stefanis has extensive experience in designing and implementing nonqualified deferred compensation plans and equity plans. She has assisted clients with the compliance aspects of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. She has been part of client service teams involved in the planning and execution of acquisitions and corporate reorganizations. Ms. Stefanis has also represented several clients before the National Office of the IRS in obtaining private letter rulings on their behalf and before the Department of Labor in obtaining advisory opinion letters.

Maria Stefanis focuses her practice on federal and state income tax issues, executive compensation, ERISA and benefit-related matters for private and publicly-held corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Ms. Stefanis has extensive experience in designing and implementing nonqualified deferred compensation plans and equity plans. She has assisted clients with the compliance aspects of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. She has been part of client service teams involved in the planning and execution of acquisitions and corporate reorganizations. Ms. Stefanis has also represented several clients before the National Office of the IRS in obtaining private letter rulings on their behalf and before the Department of Labor in obtaining advisory opinion letters.

Before joining the firm, Ms. Stefanis was a partner with Hofheimer Nusbaum, P.C., which merged with Williams Mullen in 2004. Prior to her tenure at Hofheimer Nusbaum, P.C., she was a principal at the National Tax Group of Arthur Young (Ernst & Young) in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Stefanis is a member of the American Bar Association and the Virginia State Bar. She has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for Tax Law and is listed in Virginia Business magazine as one of Virginia’s “Legal Elite.” Ms. Stefanis is a founder of the Hampton Roads Chapter of the Organization of Women in International Trade, served as the organization’s first president and currently serves on the board of directors. She serves on the board of trustees for the Norfolk Botanical Gardens and VOLUNTEER Hampton Roads and is the treasurer and serves on the Parish Council for the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Norfolk. She also serves on the Finance Committee for the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey and is a member of Leadership 100 and Fellowship 1000. Ms. Stefanis was an adjunct faculty member in the masters of taxation program at Old Dominion University where she taught a course in deferred compensation. She is also a past president of the Hampton Roads Tax Forum and a graduate of Leadership Hampton Roads.

Ms. Stefanis received her law degree from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary in 1991. She earned her bachelor of science degree in accounting from the University of Kentucky in 1978.