Large and midsized employers that maintain employee benefit and executive compensation plans are likely to require the assistance of one or more professional advisors to assure their plans accurately reflect and support their organizational goals. These plans need to be properly documented, administered in accordance with those documents, and operated in compliance with applicable law. Sophisticated employers look for employee benefits counsel who will become their partners in legal compliance and provide effective advice to support their organizational goals.

Verrill's Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group provides highly collaborative legal services oriented toward midsized and larger employers, whether they are for-profit or nonprofit, in a wide range of industries. We are personally engaged in every client relationship, seeking to understand each client's immediate needs, long-term goals, and risk tolerance so we can deliver practical advice within the framework of legal compliance.

We counsel employers in all relevant aspects of ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, and other laws that govern the form and administration of retirement plans, health and welfare benefit plans, executive compensation arrangements, equity-based compensation programs, and fringe benefit plans. Our institutional client base includes community hospitals and regional health care systems; colleges and universities; employee-owned construction companies and publicly traded biotech companies; multinational banking and financial organizations; and churches and church-affiliated organizations. All our client relationships are characterized by collaboration and longevity. A service team typically includes at least two attorneys to promote highly responsive and reliable service. Whether interactions are weekly, monthly, or less frequent, we collaborate with our individual client contacts and seek to provide the one-on-one support that allows them to proceed with confidence.

The technical abilities of individual lawyers in the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group, and of the group as a whole, have been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, New England Super Lawyers and by Martindale-Hubbell. What sets us apart is our strong commitment to providing highly accessible, value-added advice and building long-term relationships with our clients.

Firm Highlights

Blog

SECURE 2.0 Provides New and Expanded Retirement Plan Correction Rules

With the passage of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (“SECURE 2.0”) on December 29, 2022, Congress has made several changes related to the correction of errors in administering retirement plans. These changes include...

Matter

Defined Contribution Plans Investment Menu Harmonization

We advised a major Massachusetts health system regarding the harmonization and rationalization of more than two dozen defined contribution plans with participant-directed investments, which were the combined legacy of several mergers by which the...

News

39 Verrill Attorneys Named 2022 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

Matter

Advised Fortune 500 Company on Group Health and Welfare Benefit Plans

We were engaged by a Fortune 500 manufacturing company to provide legal and compliance services regarding its group health and welfare benefit plans. During the course of our representation, we have advised the company...

Blog

Casting a Wider Net: SECURE 2.0 Gives “Long-Term Part-Time Employees” Faster Access to 401(k) Plans and 403(b) Plans

The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (“SECURE 2.0”) promotes and expands access to retirement plans for American workers in several ways. Among other things, SECURE 2.0 strengthens and expands the special 401(k) plan eligibility...

Publication/Podcast

Amending Your Retirement Plans this Year for SECURE Act and CARES Act Changes

This post was updated on September 29, 2022. On August 3, 2022, the IRS extended the deadline for retirement plan sponsors to adopt amendments necessary to comply with the Setting Every Community Up for...

Event

Maine HR Convention: Workshop C: What Every Plan Sponsor Needs to Know-Your Fiduciary Duties in 2023

Join Verrill's Christopher S. Lockman at the 2023 Maine HR Convention where he will be presenting Workshop C: What Every Plan Sponsor Needs to Know-Your Fiduciary Duties in 2023 . This workshop will review...

Matter

Comprehensive Benefit Plans Representation of Seller in Strategic Acquisition

We represented the largest physician network in Massachusetts in the employee benefits and executive compensation aspects of its acquisition by one of the largest health care companies in the United States. After several rounds...

Publication/Podcast

More to Consider Concerning the FTC’s Proposed Rule Prohibiting Non-Competition Clauses

Updated 2/9/2023: The proposed rule is open to public comment for a period ending March 20, 2023. As previously reported by Verrill attorney Tawny Alvarez in the firm’s “Taking Care of HR Business” blog...

Blog

Proposed Regulations on How to Use Forfeiture Accounts: Helpful Guidance and a Great Reminder to Plan Sponsors

On February 27, 2023, the IRS published proposed regulations on the use of forfeitures in qualified retirement plans. [1] For defined contribution plans, the regulations provide welcome clarity on what forfeitures can be used...

Contact Verrill at (855) 307 0700