Since the complex laws governing employee benefit programs have a significant impact on the success and well-being of both employers and the human beings they employ, it is important to “get it right.” Bill’s 30 years of experience, technical knowledge and creative problem-solving approach makes him an effective advisor for employers as they address the legal issues related to their employee benefit plans.
Bill works with employers to design, draft and administer qualified retirement plans, nonqualified plans, health care plans and other welfare benefit plans. He has helped clients resolve numerous matters with the IRS and the Department of Labor. In addition, Bill has significant experience assisting clients with ERISA-related litigation, including fiduciary duty matters. Bill’s practice also includes counseling companies on executive compensation matters, including deferred compensation arrangements, equity (stock option) plans and other complex forms of executive compensation.
From 2006 to 2009, Bill served as a law professor at Shandong University in China. A Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated lawyer, Bill also has been named to The Best Lawyers in America and North Carolina Super Lawyer listings. Bill joined Womble Bond Dickinson upon returning from China and has been an integral part of the firm’s employee benefits team ever since.
Professional Activities
- Forsyth County Bar Association
- North Carolina State Bar Association
Honors and Awards
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (BL Rankings) in the fields of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Tax Law, 2016 – Present
- Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated lawyer
Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
- Enabled publicly-traded retail company to eliminate employer stock from its 401(k) plan.
- Assisted many clients with employee benefit issues arising in merger and acquisition transactions.
- Represented major health care provider in resolving prohibited transaction issues with the Department of Labor.
- Helped large private company with international operations resolve pension plan issues with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
- Designed effective equity incentive plan for growing tech employer to motivate and retain key employees.
- Obtained IRS approval for innovative retirement plan design.
