Robert B. Wynne Partner

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Robert focuses his practice on all areas of executive compensation and employee benefits law.

His practice includes equity and non-equity-based incentive arrangements; non-qualified deferred compensation; tax-qualified retirement, health and welfare plans; compensation and benefits issues in the M&A context; multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liability; and issues involving ERISA fiduciary responsibilities. He regularly represents clients in interactions with the IRS, DOL and PBGC, and is experienced with the SEC’s executive compensation proxy disclosure rules.

Robert serves as chair of the Board of Trustees of Jackson-Feild Behavioral Health Services, a psychiatric residential treatment facility for adolescents suffering from severe emotional trauma, mental illness and/or addiction.

Experience

  • Ongoing representations as outside ERISA counsel to public and private companies on all aspects of the design, administration and regulatory compliance of executive compensation arrangements, tax-qualified defined benefit and defined contribution retirement, health and welfare benefit plans.
  • Advise variety of public company clients on executive compensation- and employee benefits-related disclosure obligations under the U.S. securities laws.
  • Counsel multiple plan sponsor administrative and investment committees as to ERISA fiduciary considerations and plan governance issues.
  • Advise clients as to documentary and operational compliance with 409A rules governing non-qualified deferred compensation.
  • Representation of clients as to the design and implementation of voluntary separation programs under ERISA.
  • Representation of clients in interactions with the IRS, DOL, and PBGC relating to benefit plans, including plan audits and corrective filings.
  • Representation on employee benefits matters in the context of corporate transactions, including conducting due diligence reviews, negotiating terms of the sale and purchase agreements and advising on post-closing operation and integration of plans.
  • Representation of clients facing claims for multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liability as to legal defenses and settlement.
  • Representations of tax-exempt employers as to 401(k), 403(b), 457(b) and 457(f) plans.