Tom’s practice focuses on the design, development, and implementation of executive compensation arrangements and employee benefit plans, including stock incentive plans, bonus plans, deferred compensation programs, SERPs, employment agreements, equity-based compensation packages, severance arrangements, and tax-qualified retirement and welfare plans.
His work in the area of employee benefit plans includes advising clients on compliance with the Internal Revenue Code and ERISA, fiduciary duties, mergers and acquisitions, and bankruptcy. Tom’s practice also involves advising nonprofit, tax-exempt, governmental entities and their respective executives with respect to benefits and compensation matters, including deferred compensation and intermediate sanctions.
He has commented on employee benefits issues in national, regional, and trade publications, including USA Today, Boston Globe, Boston Business Journal, National Law Journal, Corporate Counsel Magazine, and Employee Benefit News. In addition, Tom has been interviewed and asked to comment on employee benefits issues by WCVB-Channel 5 Boston, Fox News, Fox Channel 25, New England Cable News Network, and WBZ Radio. He has also been a panelist on numerous employee benefit programs. He is the co-author of Working with ERISA: An Eight Step Guide for Trustees and Advisors.
Representative Matters
- Counsel to the management team of Duff & Phelps, Inc. in its $665.5 sale to a consortium comprised of the Carlyle Group, Stone Point Capital, Pictet & Cie and the Edmond de Rothschild Group
- Executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to SpectraSensors, Inc. in its sale to Endress+Hauser Group
- Executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to Caliper Life Sciences, Inc. in its $646 million acquisition by PerkinElmer
- Counsel to the CEO of Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
- Executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to FoldRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in its sale to Pfizer, Inc.
- Executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to Nokia, Inc. in its acquisition of Novarra, Inc.
- US executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to Nokia, Inc. in its acquisition of Oz Communications, Inc.
- Counsel to the COO and CFO of Global Partners LP
- Executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to QIAGEN NV in its $1.6 billion acquisition of Digene, Inc.
- Executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to eScription in its $400 million sale to Nuance Communications, Inc.
- Executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to Nokia, Inc. in its sale of Identity Systems, Inc. to Informatica Corporation
- Counsel to the management team of Narragansett Bay Insurance Company in its $200 million financing transaction with Pine Brook Capital Partners LP, Soros Strategic Partners LP, and RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd.
- Counsel to the management team of Duff & Phelps, Inc. in connection with Duff & Phelp’s $132.8 million IPO
- Executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to James M. Benson (former CEO and president of John Hancock Life Insurance Company) in the formation of Clark Benson, LLC, a financial services venture
- Counsel to the management team of Lear Corporation in proposed $5.3 billion acquisition by American Real Estate Partners, L.P. (Carl C. Icahn)
Recognitions & Awards
- Best Lawyers in America: Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law (2013)
- Chambers USA: Massachusetts – Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (2010 – 2013)
Professional & Community Involvement
- Co-chair, Boston Bar Association ERISA Committee
Tom’s practice focuses on the design, development, and implementation of executive compensation arrangements and employee benefit plans, including stock incentive plans, bonus plans, deferred compensation programs, SERPs, employment agreements, equity-based compensation packages, severance arrangements, and tax-qualified retirement and welfare plans.
His work in the area of employee benefit plans includes advising clients on compliance with the Internal Revenue Code and ERISA, fiduciary duties, mergers and acquisitions, and bankruptcy. Tom’s practice also involves advising nonprofit, tax-exempt, governmental entities and their respective executives with respect to benefits and compensation matters, including deferred compensation and intermediate sanctions.
He has commented on employee benefits issues in national, regional, and trade publications, including USA Today, Boston Globe, Boston Business Journal, National Law Journal, Corporate Counsel Magazine, and Employee Benefit News. In addition, Tom has been interviewed and asked to comment on employee benefits issues by WCVB-Channel 5 Boston, Fox News, Fox Channel 25, New England Cable News Network, and WBZ Radio. He has also been a panelist on numerous employee benefit programs. He is the co-author of Working with ERISA: An Eight Step Guide for Trustees and Advisors.
Representative Matters
- Counsel to the management team of Duff & Phelps, Inc. in its $665.5 sale to a consortium comprised of the Carlyle Group, Stone Point Capital, Pictet & Cie and the Edmond de Rothschild Group
- Executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to SpectraSensors, Inc. in its sale to Endress+Hauser Group
- Executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to Caliper Life Sciences, Inc. in its $646 million acquisition by PerkinElmer
- Counsel to the CEO of Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
- Executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to FoldRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in its sale to Pfizer, Inc.
- Executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to Nokia, Inc. in its acquisition of Novarra, Inc.
- US executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to Nokia, Inc. in its acquisition of Oz Communications, Inc.
- Counsel to the COO and CFO of Global Partners LP
- Executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to QIAGEN NV in its $1.6 billion acquisition of Digene, Inc.
- Executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to eScription in its $400 million sale to Nuance Communications, Inc.
- Executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to Nokia, Inc. in its sale of Identity Systems, Inc. to Informatica Corporation
- Counsel to the management team of Narragansett Bay Insurance Company in its $200 million financing transaction with Pine Brook Capital Partners LP, Soros Strategic Partners LP, and RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd.
- Counsel to the management team of Duff & Phelps, Inc. in connection with Duff & Phelp’s $132.8 million IPO
- Executive compensation and employee benefits counsel to James M. Benson (former CEO and president of John Hancock Life Insurance Company) in the formation of Clark Benson, LLC, a financial services venture
- Counsel to the management team of Lear Corporation in proposed $5.3 billion acquisition by American Real Estate Partners, L.P. (Carl C. Icahn)
Recognitions & Awards
- Best Lawyers in America: Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law (2013)
- Chambers USA: Massachusetts – Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (2010 – 2013)
Professional & Community Involvement
- Co-chair, Boston Bar Association ERISA Committee
Publications
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Co-author,
Section 409A Document Correction Relief: Take the Final Bite of the Apple before December 31st, Employee Benefits Alert ()
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Co-author,
Section 409A Compliance: A Second Bite at the Apple Ends December 31st, Employee Benefits Alert ()
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Co-author,
How Health Care Reform Adversely Impacts Executive Health Care and COBRA Subsidy Arrangements, Health Care Reform Alert ()
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Author,
HHS Issues "Early Retiree Reinsurance Program" Guidance, Health Care Reform Advisory ()
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Salary Deferral Arrangements May Be Void under Massachusetts Wage Act, Even for Top Executives, Employment, Labor & Benefits Alert ()
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Recent Developments under the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act Affecting Employers, Employee Benefits | Executive Compensation Advisory ()
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Updated Employer's Guide to the 2006 Mass. Health Care Reform Act, Employee Benefits | Executive Compensation Advisory ()
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Section 162(m), Employee Benefits | Executive Compensation Advisory ()
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Department of Defense Issues Proposed Regulation Implementing the TRICARE Secondary Payer Rule, Employee Benefits | Executive Compensation Advisory ()
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Department of Labor Issues Guidance on 401(k) Plan Fees, Employee Benefits | Executive Compensation Advisory ()
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An Employer's Guide to the 2006 Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act, Employee Benefits | Executive Compensation Advisory ()
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DOR Issues Guidance Regarding Dependent Group Health Insurance Coverage, Employee Benefits Advisory ()
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IRS/Treasury Announce Voluntary Correction Program for Operational Code § 409A Violations, Employee Benefits | Executive Compensation Advisory ()
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Mixing Oil and Water: Backdated Stock Options Under IRC Section 409A, Benefits Law Journal ()
Speaking Engagements
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Speaker,
Are You Ready For 2014? What You Need to Know About Health Care Reform’s Employer Responsibilities,
Health Care Reform: Compliance Matters,
Burlington, Massachusetts
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Chair,
Stay Compliant in 2011: Year End Review of Compliance Requirements for Employee Benefit Plans,
New England Employee Benefits Council
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Chair,
Equity and Equity Related Compensation,
MCLE
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