William D. Jewett

        Partner
        Contact Info
        William D. Jewett William D. Jewett

        Bill maintains a sophisticated employee benefits and executive compensation practice advising employers of all sizes on a wide variety of benefits and compensation plan design and legal compliance matters. Bill regularly advises on deferred compensation arrangements for both taxable and tax-exempt clients. Bill also assists clients in mergers and acquisitions.

        Bill has extensive experience working with pension plan investments, including compliance work for asset managers. A thought leader on ERISA compliance matters, he has focused his ERISA practice on fiduciary and prohibited transaction issues, as well as advising clients on investment management agreements, derivatives, securities lending, prime brokerage arrangements, and financial products such as stable value funds.

        Bill works collaboratively with clients to identify and assess risks and opportunities and enjoys explaining legal issues and strategies for handling them in a practical, understandable way.

        Prior to joining Verrill, Bill was a partner at a global law firm, where he worked with a wide range of clients on ERISA, employee benefits and executive compensation issues. Before embarking on a legal career, Bill was an associate professor in the English Department at Yale University.

        Services/Industries

        Education

        • Yale Law School (J.D.)
        • Yale University (Ph.D., M.Phil.)
        • Yale College (B.A.)

        Bar Admissions

        • Massachusetts

        Honors

        • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® under Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law in Boston, Massachusetts (2015-2021, 2026-2027)
        • Listed in the Legal 500 (2016, 2018)

        Learn more about the third-party ratings, rankings, and selection processes used for inclusion.

        Firm Highlights

        Press Releases

        42 Verrill Attorneys Named 2026 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

        BOSTON, Mass.; BANGOR, Maine; PORTLAND, Maine; and WESTPORT, Conn. – Verrill is proud to announce that 42 attorneys have been recognized in the...
        Blog

        Introduction to the Blog Post Series & PART 1: Understanding Chemical Safety Regulation A Primer on RMP, PSM, and the General Duty Clause

        If your facility handles hazardous chemicals, there is a good chance you are subject to one—or more—of the federal government’s chemical safety...
        Blog

        Self-Certification of 401(k) and 403(b) Plan Distributions

        With passage of the SECURE Act in 2019 and the SECURE 2.0 Act in 2022, 401(k) and 403(b) plan sponsors have been able, but not required, to provide...
        Blog

        Working 9 to 5? It’s a Way to Make a Livin’, so Make Sure You’re Payin’ for Every Minute: A Maine Employer’s Guide to Stacked Wage & Hour Rules

        Four decades after Dolly Parton gave us both the namesake anthem of the American workday and the film about three fed-up office workers’ dreams of...
        Alerts and Newsletters

        Can AI Pass the Doctor Test? FDA Considers Physician-Inspired Evaluation of GenAI Devices and Other Regulatory Measures

        AI is entering healthcare with indomitable will. It promises to increase efficiency, reduce administrative burden (which healthcare providers so...
        Press Releases

        Verrill Attorney Annabel Rodriguez Named Top Women of Law by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

        BOSTON, Massachusetts – Verrill attorney Annabel Rodriguez has been recognized as a Top Women of Law by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, and will be...
        Blog

        What Employee Benefits Lawyers Do (and How to Make the Best Use of Us)

        What do employee benefits lawyers do all day and how can clients make the best use of them? This post offers an overview of the kinds of things...
        Media Mentions

        Bloomberg Law Quotes Robert Keach on Expanded Access to Small Business Reorganization

        Verrill attorney Bob Keach was recently featured in Bloomberg Law, discussing legislation that would raise debt limits for bankruptcy relief and...
        Blog

        Phil Bartlett to Step Down as Chair of the Maine Public Utilities Commission

        On September 15, 2026, Governor Janet Mills announced that Phil Bartlett will step down as Chair of the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC)...
        Published Works

        Jay McCormack and Michael Fee Co-Author AHLA Article on Skin Substitute Enforcement Trends

        Verrill Partners Jay McCormack and Michael Fee co-authored an article for the American Health Law Association's Fraud and Abuse Practice Group...
        Press Releases

        Verrill Welcomes Health Care & Life Sciences Attorney Elpida Velmahos

        BOSTON, Massachusetts – Verrill is pleased to announce that Elpida Velmahos has joined the firm’s Health Care & Life Sciences Group as an...
        Press Releases

        Verrill Welcomes Litigation & Trial Attorney Emma Pooler

        PORTLAND, Maine – Verrill is pleased to announce that Emma Pooler has joined the firm’s Litigation & Trial Group as an Associate, resident in...