Mark’s primary practice areas include:

• Tax-qualified retirement plans - Mark works extensively with simple and complex defined contribution plans and defined benefit plans, such as traditional and hybrid plans (cash balance and pension equity).

• Managing ERISA’s fiduciary risk – With Mark’s expertise, companies take control of ERISA’s fiduciary risk. Mark designs governance structures that compartmentalize fiduciary duties. He trains plan fiduciaries and monitors plan fiduciaries.

• Executive compensation – Mark handles various arrangements and plans such as executive employment agreements, top-hat plans, change-in-control agreements, short- and long-term incentive plans, and other arrangements.

• Equity compensation – Mark assists start-ups, middle market companies, and publicly traded companies design, implement, and administer equity compensation plans in a variety of industries.

• Welfare benefit plans – Mark has worked with the full array of welfare plans, including matters ranging from group medical plans to sophisticated funding approaches such as tax-exempt VEBA trusts.

Mark partners with C-suite executives, in-house counsel, HR staff, and outside service providers (such as actuaries, third-party administrators, and investment consultants). He addresses issues that range from sensitive, high-stakes matters to the day-to-day issues clients face. Mark adds value by being forward-looking and understanding the history of clients’ benefits structures, the overall direction of clients’ benefits platform, and clients’ tolerances for risk.

Mark’s practice is national in scope. He deals with emerging trends and issues unique to a particular geographical region or industry. Mark has advised clients in many industries, including high-tech and bioscience companies, mid-stream energy companies, air carriers, defense contractors, logistics and express delivery companies, food services, the entertainment industry, bankrupt entities, and enterprises with bargained employees.

Mark advises companies on employee benefits during mergers and acquisitions. After major corporate events such as mergers, he has extensive experience integrating benefits. He delivers a high level of value based on his experience with complex post-transactional integrations.

A novel issue is no problem for Mark. He brings to bear his knowledge of Federal tax laws, ERISA, including ERISA’s fiduciary provisions, and various other laws and standards that interact with clients’ benefits offerings such as Federal securities laws, financial accounting standards, and state laws. These engagements sometimes involve particularly sensitive issues and/or a high degree of risk.

Mark earned an LL.M. in Taxation (with a certificate in employee benefits law) from Georgetown University Law Center. He graduated cum laude (Top 10%) from South Texas College of Law Houston, where he was a Langdell Scholar, and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.