Georgetown University Law Center

Wesleyan University

Partner at Holland & Knight LLP

Pennsylvania, United States

Holland & Knight LLP

Partner

Kerry counsels both public and private company clients in a large number of industries, including financial services, life sciences, consumer products, and technology, throughout the United States, Canada, UK, Sweden, and many other countries, on matters involving executive compensation and employee benefits, both in the context of corporate transactions (including mergers and acquisitions), and in their day-to-day business affairs. She regularly advises compensation committees, executive management, and individual executives in connection with a large assortment of compensation and benefits issues. A significant portion of Kerry’s practice also includes employee benefits issues that arise in the context of mergers and acquisitions, including conversion of equity compensation, transition of benefit plans and new benefit plan design, and issues regarding golden parachute taxes under Section 280G of the Code.

Kerry has extensive experience with disclosure of executive compensation under U.S. securities laws, from the IPO stage to the ongoing disclosure obligations of large public companies. She regularly advises many of the firm’s public company clients with their compensation disclosure and shareholder outreach, with an eye to their assessment under ISS’s guidelines and any potential impact on their say-on-pay shareholder votes.

Kerry frequently advises clients with respect to benefit plan design and administration, including qualified and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, executive employment agreements, incentive compensation plans, equity compensation plans, severance plans, and retention plans. She has substantial expertise in tax planning with respect to all benefit plans, including deductibility of compensation under Section 162(m) of the Code and structuring deferred compensation in compliance with Section 409A of the Code.

Reed Smith LLP

Counsel

Associate, Tax, Benefits and Wealth Planning Group

Counsel clients on benefits and compensation matters arising in mergers and acquisitions, including the treatment of stock options and other equity-based awards, employment agreements, severance obligations, “golden parachute” issues, defined benefit plans and other post-employment obligations. Counsel clients on issues regarding the application of Section 409A to non-qualified deferred compensation plans, Section 162(m) issues, other tax implications affecting executive compensation arrangements. Counsel clients on issues regarding ERISA, WARN, stock exchange rules and other legal implications affecting employee benefits and executive compensation. Provide advice regarding compensation disclosure obligations in connection with initial public offering and ongoing securities law disclosure. Draft employment agreements, equity plans and awards, severance plans, retention agreements and other compensation related plans and programs.

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP

Associate, Executive Compensation and Benefits

Kerry Halpern-Skoglund