Employee Benefits & ERISA

/Overview

Nixon Peabody understands that employee benefits and executive compensation are a crucial component of an employer’s strategy to recruit, motivate, and retain talented employees. But we also know the importance of controlling costs.

With extensive ERISA law and employee benefits services, our experienced ERISA attorneys and lawyers provide comprehensive guidance and protection for your business' employee benefits needs, ensuring compliance with ERISA laws while maximizing your competitive advantage.

We simplify compliance and craft customized employee benefit plans tailored to give your organization a competitive edge within the framework of ERISA regulations. Our team includes HR, governmental, general counsel, and CPA professionals with deep insight into the regulations governing employee benefits. We also know that each workplace is unique, which is why we take the time to understand your culture to deliver comprehensive, customized employee benefits advice that aligns with your goals. We see the whole picture. Nixon Peabody is committed to designing plans that will carry you safely and successfully into the future, making us the ideal choice for unparalleled experience in ERISA and employee benefits.

/Representative Experience

• Multiple colleges and universities: Provided advice on faculty early retirement incentives and nonqualified retirement plans.
• Trust: Provided education organization with advice regarding the ERISA status of a trust, various prohibited transaction issues related to past and future payments, transition of sponsorship to another entity, fiduciary training, and contract-related issues.
• Large non-profit regional health care system: Served as ERISA counsel for in addressing matters related to their qualified retirement plans, health and welfare plans (including ACA readiness/compliance), and development of preferred provider network.
• Regional non-profit health planning organization: Advise on employee benefit matters, including retirement plan, welfare plan matters and employee benefit issues for acquisition of physician practices.
• Non-profit NYC based museum and foundation: Advised on their Affordable Care Act compliance efforts.
• Fortune 500 company: Assisted in working though the employee benefit and executive compensation issues in spinning off a portion of its business into another publicly traded company, including designing and drafting the employee benefit and executive compensation plans for the new entity.

/Recognition

• Nixon Peabody has been named a Tier 1 National firm for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law in the 2025 edition of Best Law Firms®.
• Employment attorneys ranked as leading lawyers in their fields by Chambers USA/Global
• Ranked by Law360 as an Employment 100 firm
• Recognized by Best Lawyers in America® in 2021–2022 as leading attorneys in the field