Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation
This course is an introduction to the various subjects that comprise the employee benefits and executive compensation legal specialties. The course will emphasize the overall structure and policy underpinnings of rules governing employer-sponsored retirement and health plans in the U.S., as well as executive compensation arrangements such as stock option and deferred compensation plans. The federal income tax code and Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) are the most prominent sources of these rules, but benefit arrangements are also regulated by other laws, including the Affordable Care Act as well as securities and employment discrimination statutes. The course will survey the relevant portions of all these topics, with detailed analysis of selected issues and applications to transactions such as corporate mergers and acquisitions. Taxation of Individual Income (747) is highly recommended but not a required prerequisite.