Thomas M. White
Partner
Thomas M. White specializes in the full scope of human resources management, such as Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation, Healthcare, and Employment Law. He began his practice shortly after ERISA was enacted. In this capacity, he has undertaken a full range of contentious, non-contentious and transactional benefits and employment work, and also has extensive experience in the development, documentation and administration of executive compensation programs. He has worked on behalf of clients ranging in size from start-ups to Fortune 500 enterprises.
The benefit plans he has been involved with include:
- Pension,
- Profit-sharing,
- 401(k),
- ESOPs,
- And health and welfare benefit programs.
These plans have included private sector, public sector, Taft-Hartley and multiple employer plans.
Mr. White’s practice also covers a broad range of benefit administration matters, including those involving:
- Fiduciary matters,
- Negotiation of agreements between plans and service providers,
- Benefit and compensation issues arising in M&A transactions,
- COBRA continuation,
- HIPPA privacy,
- Reporting and disclosure requirements,
- Benefit reduction, consideration,
- 401(k),
- Cost containment,
- And MEPPA issues.
Mr. White has assisted consulting firms, trust departments, accounting firms, and investment firms regarding the services and products they provide to benefit plans. He both designs, as well as advises on, various executive compensation programs involving complex financial instruments for clients across the spectrum of business size. Specifically, he has designed:
- 401(k) plans and VEBA programs for both union-represented and government employees,
- Executive compensation and benefit plans for both start-up businesses and well-established enterprises,
- And investment funds that have been marketed to private sector and governmental plan investors.
Mr. White has advised governmental clients and union-represented employers on their post-retirement welfare plan obligations (OPEB). He also has advised state legislators and municipal officials who have been examining methodologies to deal with the underfunded status of their pension and retiree healthcare plans. Beyond his decades-long career in designing and advising on compensation programs, Mr. White councils on negotiating the terms of alternative investment holdings, assists clients on buying and selling businesses, including various additional business transactions.
Mr. White served as an adjunct faculty member of the Chicago-Kent College of Law where he taught the ERISA course. He serves on the Board of the New College Foundation and is a member of its Finance and Investment Committees. Before joining Rimon, Mr. White practiced with Arnstein & Lehr in its Chicago office.
PUBLICATIONS
Mr. White regularly writes articles on compensation, employee benefits and ERISA issues. Recent publications include:
- Thomas M. White, Client Alert: Planning for the Payment of Taxes on Private Company Stock Awards, Wall Street Lawyer, (April 13, 2022)
- Thomas M. White, Client Alert: Reexamining Executive Compensation Agreements in Difficult Economic Times, (March 27, 2020)
- Thomas M. White, Client Alert: Access to Retirement Accounts Expanded, (March 26, 2020)
- Thomas M. White, “Social Investing and ERISA Plans: The Context is Significant,” Plansponsor (June 25, 2018)
- Thomas M. White, Client Alert: DOL’s New Fiduciary Definition and the Marketing of Hedge Funds. (June 9, 2017)
- Thomas M. White, Client Alert: New York City bans questions about job applicants’ salary history. (May 19, 2017)
- Thomas M. White, Op-ed in Law360: A time bomb for law firms, mismatched assets and liabilities. (March 10, 2017)
- Thomas M. White, Client Alert: California Restricts Employment Agreements Containing Out-of-State Choice of Law and Venue Provisions (November 2016)
- Thomas M. White, Timothy R. Leier, and Corwin Zass “Thinking about the Broad Ramifications of Increasing Longevity” Employee Benefit Plan Review (August 2015)
- Thomas M. White and Mark Rosenman, “Contractors vs. Employees: The Benefits and Risks of Hiring Outsourced Workers” Chief Executive (January 2015)
- Thomas M. White, Corwin Zass, Tim Leier, Richard Farr, and Kelvin Wilson, “For Pension Plans – To Risk or to De-Risk? That is the Question!” Employee Benefit Plan Review (September 2014)
- Thomas M. White, “Internships Can Pose a Litigation Threat: Six-Question Test You Need to Take” Recruiting Trends (July 2014)
- 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)
- Thomas M. White, “Annuities in 401(k) Plans: What a Plan Sponsor Should Keep in Mind,” Benefits Magazine (May 2011)
- Thomas M. White, “Civil Unions and Employment,” Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (February 1, 2011)
- Thomas M. White “Managing Liabilities: The True Pension Objective,” Journal of Compensation and Benefits (May/June 2007)
Mr. White is often quoted in articles for various publications, including:
- “Are Annuities Right for Your Retirement?” Daily Finance (July 6, 2011)
- “Cheers for 401 (k) Tiers,” Treasury & Risk (May 2011)
- “Pensions under fire,” BenefitsPro.com (April 7, 2011)
- “Navigating the Rules of Terminating a Pension Plan,” Compliance Week (January 2011)
Mr. White also frequently speaks on the subject of employment benefits and has taught seminars for investment professionals. He has spoken at:
- The 51st Annual Employee Benefits Conference, sponsored by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
- The Illinois CPA Society
- The University of Illinois at Chicago
- Chicago Kent Law School
Professional Activities and Achievements
Mr. White was recognized as one of the top business lawyers in Illinois by Leading Lawyers magazine in 2011. Leading Lawyers recognized him again in 2014 and 2018 as one of the best benefits attorneys in the state.
News, Events, & Insights
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The HR Gazette Podcast: Banning Non-complete Clauses
Insights February 14, 2023
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OneMedNet Announces de-SPAC Transaction with estimated value of $317 million with Data Knights Acquisition Corp.
IM Report April 26, 2022
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Planning for the Payment of Taxes on Private Company Stock Awards (Published by Wall Street Lawyer)
Insights April 12, 2022
-
Reexamining Executive Compensation Agreements in Difficult Economic Times
COVID-19 Legal Updates March 27, 2020
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Access to Retirement Accounts Expanded
COVID-19 Legal Updates March 26, 2020
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Social Investing and ERISA Plans: The Context is Significant, Published in Plansponsor by Rimon’s Thomas White
Insights June 25, 2018