Employee and Retiree Benefits

We advise employers with respect to all aspects of the delivery and modification of group benefits programs for active employees and retirees, including implications from an employment and tax perspective and the negotiation of insurance contracts with benefit providers.

We are very familiar with the employer life and health trust (ELHT) (and its predecessor, the health and welfare trust) and have advised both employers and trustees on the tax and other legal aspects of such arrangements.

We have completed large-scale benefit plan transitions, including the harmonization of several distinct benefits arrangements, and regularly advise clients on modifications to employee benefit plans.

We advise employers on employee and retiree benefit buy-out initiatives. We have also assisted employers to restructure existing retiree non-pension benefits through the transfer of obligations to employee life and health trusts maintained by third parties for the provision of retiree non-pension benefits.