Employee benefits and executive compensation programs are highly valued by employees. They also are financially significant to employers, providing a means to attract and retain valuable employees, foster sound financial planning, gain tax benefits and manage labor relations challenges.
Benefits programs, however, are highly regulated and increasingly complex. ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, EGTRRA and other laws have placed federal constraints that often frustrate good intentions and confuse both employers and employees.
To help employers offer competitive benefits programs without falling into serious legal traps, Baker & Daniels benefits and executive compensation lawyers concentrate on the full range of benefits and compensation law. Our experience covers plan design to litigation, health insurance to stock options and corporate finance to union disputes. By working closely with clients, we develop strategies to keep them in compliance with government regulations.
On a regular basis, Baker & Daniels counsels clients on qualified retirement plans; health, disability, severance and other welfare plans; executive compensation programs; corporate transactions; personal financial planning; and litigation of employee benefits issues. Our professionals also offer a variety of benefits-related education and training programs and workshops.
Even though the scope is wide, our benefits and executive compensation lawyers share a common set of principles that include quality analysis and counsel, prompt responses, practical solutions and clear communication.
Services
Baker & Daniels provides legal advice and analysis, design and preparation, planning and counseling, and steps for government compliance on various employee benefits programs and compensation programs, including:
Qualified Retirement
- 401(K) plans
- Defined benefit and contribution pension plans
- Employee stock ownership plans
- Stock bonus and profit-sharing plans
- Multiemployer pension plans
Health, Disability and Other Welfare
- Insured and self-insured health plans
- Cafeteria plans
- Severance plans
- VEBAs
- COBRA and HIPAA compliance
Executive Compensation
- Stock option programs
- Phantom stock plans
- Change of control agreements
- Retention plans
- Other nonqualified deferred compensation and incentive arrangement programs
Corporate Transactions
- Employee benefits plans on acquisitions, sales and lending transactions
Personal Financial Planning
- Retirement plan elements of estate planning and marital dissolution
Litigation of Employee Benefits Issues
- Claim for benefits
- Fiduciary duty issues
- Plan interpretation issues
- Plan termination disputes
Education and Training Programs
- Fiduciaries
- Participant education programs
- HIPAA privacy
- Benefits managers and administrators