NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - May 17, 2010) - King & Spalding, a leading international law firm, announced today that Kenneth A. Raskin, a prominent practitioner in the field of executive compensation and employee benefits, has joined the firm as a partner and chair of its employee benefits and executive compensation practice. Raskin comes to King & Spalding from White & Case, where he led its global executive compensation, benefits, employment and labor practice. He is resident in King & Spalding's New York office.
"Ken's addition enhances our firm's capabilities to provide clients with expert advice on all aspects of executive compensation and greater depth in all areas of employee benefits," said Jim Lokey, King & Spalding's tax practice group leader. "We are pleased to welcome Ken to the partnership and look forward to his leadership in helping us expand our benefits and compensation practice."
Raskin provides counsel in the design and negotiation of executive employment contracts, incentive compensation arrangements, stock option plans, severance arrangements and parachute plans. He also assists clients in establishing and maintaining non-qualified plans of deferred compensation and in developing funding mechanisms for these plans. He counsels clients in the creation, structure and communication of tax-qualified retirement plans and welfare benefit plans, assisting clients in maintaining Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) compliance and in negotiating the resolution of qualification problems under the IRS's and U. S. Department of Labor's compliance resolution programs.
Raskin advises plan trustees, bank trust departments and other fiduciaries regarding ERISA and its investment requirements, fiduciary issues and responsibilities and counsels investment fund sponsors, investing plans and lenders on the fiduciary and other implications of ERISA's "plan assets" regulation. He also provides transactional counsel in mergers and acquisitions regarding financings, takeover defenses and a variety of other transactions.
Raskin received a J.D. degree from St. John's University School of Law, an M.B.A. degree from SUNY Binghamton and a B.A. degree from the University of Vermont.
"King & Spalding is an ideal fit for me, both culturally and professionally," said Raskin. "I'm excited to become part of such a team-oriented and entrepreneurial firm and to have the opportunity to lead the growth of the employee benefits and executive compensation practice."
King & Spalding advises public, private, taxable and tax-exempt clients on a wide variety of issues related to the design, preparation, communication, administration, operation, merger, split-up, amendment and termination of all forms of employee benefit plans and executive compensation programs and the related funding vehicles, including pension plans (both traditional plans and "cash balance plans"), profit sharing plans, 401(k) plans, leveraged ESOPs, stock option plans, stock purchase plans, incentive compensation programs, "rabbi" trusts, "cafeteria" plans, and VEBAs. The firm has defended clients in significant, high profile ERISA litigation matters, including 401(k) plan "stock drop" cases and other breach of fiduciary duty class actions.
About King & Spalding
Celebrating 125 years of service, King & Spalding is an international law firm with more than 800 lawyers in Abu Dhabi, Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dubai, Frankfurt, Houston, London, New York, Paris, Riyadh (affiliated office), San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. The firm represents half of the Fortune 100 and, according to a Corporate Counsel survey in August 2009, ranks fifth in its total number of representations of those companies. For additional information, visit www.kslaw.com.
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Contact:
King & Spalding
Les Zuke
+1 (212) 827 4392
lzuke@kslaw.com