McDermott Will & Schulte, a global law firm

Compensation and benefits programs help you attract and retain top talent – but they are subject to significant regulatory risk and shareholder scrutiny. Our employee benefits lawyers partner with you to design, implement, and administer compensation and benefits programs that protect your interests across the employee lifecycle – from hiring to separation.

We support your business by structuring and managing programs that drive performance, control costs, and enable long-term growth. We advise you on all aspects of employee benefits and executive compensation, from plan design, administration, and compliance to workforce transitions, complex transactions, audits, investigations, and litigation.

As you manage your global workforce and expand into new markets, we advise you on international employee benefits, executive compensation, and cross-border employment matters. Our lawyers help you navigate complex regulatory frameworks across the US and Europe, including:

• Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
• Internal Revenue Code (IRC)
• Affordable Care Act (ACA)
• Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act
• US securities and disclosure requirements
• Other applicable US federal, state, and local laws
• European labor laws, including works council and consultation requirements

When matters come under regulatory scrutiny or give rise to disputes, we represent you in labor and employment litigation, as well as in arbitrations and mediations before federal and state trial and appellate courts, US administrative agencies, and international counterparts in Europe and Asia.

In the event of an audit or regulatory inquiry, our lawyers advocate for you before the Department of the Treasury, the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Labor, and the National Labor Relations Board on employment, compensation, and benefits matters.

Your compensation and benefits programs play a critical role in the growth and performance of your business. We partner with you to develop and manage employee benefits and executive compensation programs that protect your talent investment, reduce risk, and support your business goals.

Every employment decision shapes how your workforce performs – impacting your culture, reputation, and revenue. Our employment lawyers help your business move forward by managing risk across the employee life cycle – from hiring and onboarding to performance management, retention, and separation.

We go beyond reactive advice by partnering with you to anticipate risk. By taking the time to understand your business and your industry, we stay attuned to emerging workplace trends. Our employment lawyers help you address issues early, reducing the likelihood of disputes or regulatory scrutiny that can be costly and disruptive to your operations.

We partner with you to develop workplace policies that limit legal exposure and strengthen culture, help you comply with ever-evolving laws and regulations around the world, and negotiate contracts designed to protect your interests and align incentives across your organization.

To support global workforces, our employment lawyers work together seamlessly from offices worldwide, providing coordinated, cross-border guidance. We advise on issues across the full spectrum of employment law – from day-to-day advice and policy development to C-suite and board advisory, as well as bet-the-company litigation.

When high-stakes disputes arise, we assemble teams with the specific experience required to litigate the claims at issue – including highly specialized and complex matters. This approach has contributed to our strong track record in labor and employment litigation.

Our employment practice supports your organization at every stage of growth. We provide guidance that is grounded in how your business operates, partnering with you to mitigate workforce risk so you can drive your business forward.

Your investment platform needs more than execution – it needs structures that hold up under pressure and perform across market cycles. Our investment management lawyers help you design, launch, and manage investment vehicles that align with your goals and stand up to regulatory and investor scrutiny. We shape structures that work in practice, so you are better positioned to move capital with fewer disruptions and greater control over risk.

With more than 150 lawyers around the world, we provide integrated fund, tax, and regulatory advice across the fund life cycle. Our fund formation capabilities span private equity and credit, hedge, venture, infrastructure, and other specialized strategies. Our experience across credit and hybrid strategies positions us to address investor constraints, product design, and cross-border structuring considerations.

We combine fund formation capabilities with sophisticated tax, ERISA, and regulatory advice to structure vehicles for complex investor bases and cross-border operations. When sponsors face regulatory scrutiny, enforcement actions, or disputes, we provide strategic counsel aimed at protecting both the fund structure and the broader management platform.

We also help you navigate US and global regulatory requirements, from Advisers Act compliance to cross-border frameworks, and advise on management company formation, compensation structures, and strategic transactions involving investment managers.

Our investment management lawyers provide integrated legal and business advice at every stage, including:

• Fund formation and structuring
• Capital raising
• Investment transactions, including add-ons and restructurings
• Portfolio management and value creation
• Liquidity solutions, including secondaries and exits

Your ability to raise, deploy, and return capital depends on how your platform is structured. Our investment management lawyers help you integrate strategy, structuring, and compliance across the fund life cycle – so your fund can operate effectively under changing market conditions.