Biography

Ken handles matters in all areas of employee benefits, including retirement plans, welfare plans, fringe benefits, and executive compensation. He regularly counsels clients on fiduciary obligations under ERISA, and on income and employment tax issues associated with all areas of employee benefits.

Ken has significant experience representing clients in Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) audits. Ken has represented many clients before the IRS under its Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS), and before the DOL under its Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program (VFCP) and Delinquent Filer Voluntary Correction Program (DFVCP). He also spends a significant amount of time advising clients on their nonqualified deferred compensation plans, incentive compensation plans, and welfare benefit plans including the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) issues.

Ken began his career as a law clerk to the Chief Justice of the Maine Superior Court, and then as a law clerk in the Utah Court of Appeals. He then worked in Boston for nearly four years in the tax department of a national public accounting firm, Coopers & Lybrand. He earned an advanced degree in taxation from Boston University, and for the past 20-plus years has concentrated his practice with Verrill in the area of employee benefits.

Ken currently serves as Vice Chair of Verrill's Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group and as President of the Maine Employee Benefits Council.

Services/Industries

Education

  • Boston University School of Law  (LL.M.)
    • Taxation
  • University of Maine School of Law  (J.D.)
  • Colby College  (B.A., magna cum laude)
    • Phi Beta Kappa

Bar Admissions

  • Maine
  • Massachusetts

Memberships

  • President, Maine Employee Benefits Council
  • Maine State Bar Association
  • Employee Benefits Committee, Section of Taxation, American Bar Association
  • National Diocesan Attorneys Association

Honors

  • AV® rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Recognized in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business under Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
  • Named the Best Lawyers® 2021 Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law "Lawyer of the Year" in Portland, Maine
  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law in Portland, Maine

To learn more about third-party ratings and rankings, and the selection processes used for inclusion, click here.

Clerkships

  • Maine Superior Court, Chief Justice Thomas E. Delanty II
  • Utah Court of Appeals, Judge Gregory K. Orme

Firm Highlights

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...

Blog

New Options for Retirement Plan Distributions Under SECURE 2.0

This post summarizes the new distribution options, including penalty-free withdrawals, applicable to defined contribution plans under the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (“SECURE 2.0”) and provides a timeline of their effective dates. The new...

Blog

The End of the COVID-19 Emergency Declarations Raises Questions, but We’ve Got Answers

It seems the COVID-19 pandemic is ending in the benefits world the same way it started: in a flurry of new laws, announcements, and notices intended to offer clarity but sowing confusion. To begin...

Blog

Pension-Linked Emergency Savings Accounts: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Forthcoming

Following the initial flurry of publications summarizing the retirement plan enhancements under the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (“SECURE 2.0”), this post takes a deeper dive into one of those enhancements: the optional “pension-linked...

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...

Blog

A Last-Minute Gift – Prescription Drug Reporting Grace Period and Good Faith Relief

In a move akin to last-minute gift-giving, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury (the “Departments”) released FAQ 56 on December 23, 2022, which provides relief regarding the Prescription Drug...

Blog

Alternatives for Sponsors of Defined Benefit Pension Plans

For decades, it was common for employers to maintain employer-funded defined benefit pension plans (“DB Plans” or “Plans”) to provide retirement benefits to their employees. In recent years, DB Plans have become increasingly expensive...

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...

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...

Blog

Next Steps for Making Collective Investment Trusts Available to More Retirement Plans

Collective investment trusts (“CITs”) have become an increasingly popular choice for 401(k) plan investment menus over the past decade, consistent with a trend toward lower-cost investment options that has been driven, in part, by...

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