Lawyers in our Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Practice provide sophisticated, practical legal advice to business organizations regarding employee compensation and benefits matters. We strive to achieve our clients' business objectives in a way that minimizes or eliminates legal risk, minimizes tax burdens, and avoids negative financial accounting results.

We have full-service capabilities, from pay and equity compensation packages for CEOs and other senior executives and directors to broad-based equity, retirement, and welfare plans. Our clients are in all industries and sectors of the economy, range in size from large multinational firms to family-owned or -controlled businesses, and include nonprofit and public employers. In every engagement, we bring to the table experience, knowledge, innovation, and enthusiasm.

Because of the breadth of our representations, we tend to see the hot issues and new products as they emerge in the market. As a result, we can provide reasoned judgment and valued advice as to the best approaches for our clients. We strive to be, and are, practical, business-oriented counselors, as well as knowledgeable technicians.

Our compensation and benefits services have global reach. Our U.S.-based lawyers regularly advise clients on global equity and other benefits programs. Our London-based lawyers advise and coordinate on U.K. and other European retirement and employee share scheme matters and other employee incentive arrangements.

Jones Day also advises institutional fiduciaries on their role in the benefits plan arena. Our clients include trustees, investment managers, and public pension plans. We provide critical guidance on compliance with the fiduciary responsibilities imposed on these entities by ERISA and, in some instances, state law.

Finally, we are involved routinely in the structuring and operation of private equity, venture capital, and real estate investment funds that look to the enormous pool of assets held in benefits plan trusts as a source of investment capital. We balance the interests of benefits plan investors and fund managers in navigating ERISA's plan asset rules to achieve a structure with investment flexibility for the managers and appropriate safeguards for the plan investors.

The "Related Services" link on this page leads to descriptions of high-value services we provide to employers, fiduciaries, and others in this dynamic area:

• Compensation & Benefits Counseling for Employers
• Corporate Bankruptcies
• ERISA & Other Employee Benefits Litigation
• ERISA Plan Asset Investments
• ESOPs & Other Stock-Based Plans
• Executive Compensation
• Governmental Employers & Public Pension Plans
• Institutional Fiduciary Services
• Mergers & Acquisitions/Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
• Private Equity/Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
• Tax-Exempt Entities & Church Plans
• U.K./European Benefits