Professional Experience

Thomas M. White is a Partner in Rimon’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation, Healthcare, and Employment Law practice groups.  He has extensive experience in the development, documentation and administration of executive compensation programs and employee benefit plans, including pension, profit sharing, 401(k) and ESOP plans, and health and welfare benefit programs.

Mr. White’s practice covers a broad range of benefit administration matters, including those involving fiduciary matters, COBRA continuation, HIPPA privacy, reporting and disclosure requirements, benefit reduction, cost containment and MEPPA issues. 

In addition, Mr. White represents private sector plan sponsors as well as Taft-Hartley trustees, governmental units and benefit plans. Mr. White has assisted financial firms design investment funds that have been marketed to private sector and governmental plan investors and he has also assisted plans in negotiating the terms of their alternative investment holdings. He has assisted consulting firms, trust departments, accounting firms, and investment firms regarding the services and products they provide to benefit plans. He has also designed master 401(k) and VEBA programs for union represented employees and has advised governmental clients and union represented employers and plans on their post-retirement welfare plan obligations (OPEB). Mr. White has also advised state legislators and municipal officials who have been examining methodologies to deal with the underfunded status of their pension and retiree health care plans. Mr. White has assisted clients that are buying and selling businesses. He has designed executive compensation and benefit plans for both start up businesses and for well-established enterprises.

Mr. White also serves as an adjunct faculty member of the Chicago-Kent College of Law where he teaches the ERISA course. Before joining Rimon, Mr. White practiced with Arnstein & Lehr in their Chicago office.

Publications

• Thomas M. White, "Forfeiting Benefit Plan Payments of 'Bad Boys':  What is Permissible?"  Human Resources Magazine January 2012
• Thomas M. White and Jonathan R. Epstein, "Profit Sharing Plans and Company Stock:  How ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code Govern Employer Stock and Other Property".  Defined Contribution Insights Sept./Oct. 2011
• Mr. White regularly writes articles on compensation, employee benefits and ERISA issues. Most recently he authored “Annuities in 401(k) Plans: What a Plan Sponsor Should Keep in Mind,”·which was published in the May 2011 issue of Benefits Magazine. His article, “Civil Unions and Employment,”·appeared in the February 1, 2011 issue of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. He also authored an article, “Managing Liabilities: The True Pension Objective,” that was published in the May/June 2007 issue of the Journal of Compensation and Benefits
• Mr. White is often quoted in articles for various publications, including: Daily Finance's· “Are Annuities Right for Your Retirement?”(July 6, 2011), Treasury & Risk's “Cheers for 401 (k) Tiers” (May 2011), BenefitsPro.com's “Pensions under fire”(April 7,2011) and Compliance Week's “Navigating the Rules of Terminating a Pension Plan”(January 2011)
• He also frequently speaks on the subject of employment benefits. Mr. White was a speaker at the 51st Annual Employee Benefits Conference, sponsored by the International Foundation of EmployeeBenefit Plans. He has also been a guest lecturer for the Illinois CPA Society, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Chicago Kent Law School and has taught seminars for investment professionals

Professional Activities and Achievements

Mr. White was recognized as one of the top business lawyers in Illinois by Leading Lawyers magazine in 2011.