Press Release

Cohen & Buckmann Welcomes Partner Victoria Zerjav to Lead M&A ECEB Practice

Issued by Cohen & Buckmann P.C.

Mar. 8, 2026

We are pleased to announce that leading executive compensation and employee benefits (ECEB) attorney Victoria H. Zerjav has joined Cohen & Buckmann as a partner. Zerjav brings more than 20 years of experience advising on the compensation structures that sit at the center of mergers, leadership transitions and executive negotiations. 

Zerjav has worked on hundreds of transactions throughout her career, including sophisticated national and international deal work. She represents executives, management teams, private equity sponsors and companies in high-stakes compensation and transactional matters. Zerjav’s work spans equity awards, deferred compensation arrangements, change-in-control protections and tax-sensitive issues under Sections 409A and 280G, often in the context of complex deals and leadership transitions. 

“With so many corporate law firms looking to us for benefits support on their M&A deals,  Victoria brings judgment earned from decades inside complex transactions, executive compensation design and employee benefits strategy,” said Sandra Cohen, co-founder and managing partner of Cohen & Buckmann. “For many companies and executives, these moments happen once or twice, whereas Victoria has handled them hundreds of times. Her perspective is essential for clients making consequential compensation decisions.” 

Prior to joining Cohen & Buckmann, Zerjav was a partner at Holland & Knight, where she handled executive compensation, employee benefits and employee relations. She is also a former partner at multiple other international law firms.  

Zerjav has represented both companies and individuals, giving her a practical sense of market standards, how negotiations are likely to unfold and where leverage exists. She also holds a master’s degree in social psychology and has worked closely with HR professionals and executive leadership teams throughout her career. That background informs her understanding of how compensation decisions impact organizations — not just how they are drafted. 

“Victoria combines deep technical knowledge with a very practical and approachable style,” said Carol Buckmann, co-founder and chair of Cohen & Buckmann’s fiduciary and plan governance practice. “Executive compensation issues in transactions often raise novel and complicated questions, and Victoria has the experience and judgment to help clients navigate them thoughtfully.” 

At Cohen & Buckmann, Zerjav will oversee aspects of the firm’s M&A benefits support work while continuing to expand her executive compensation practice. 

“I am thrilled to be a part of this talented group of executive compensation and employee benefits attorneys,” Zerjav said. “Cohen & Buckmann’s focused platform aligns with my approach to client service, recognizing that executive compensation decisions don’t happen in isolation and that executives are best served by a holistic approach to their unique needs.” 

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