Overview
DALLAS (September 1, 2015) — International law firm McDermott Will & Emery today announced the arrival of two partners to the firm’s Employee Benefits, Compensation, Labor & Employment Practice Group in the Dallas office. Erin Turley and Allison Wilkerson both join McDermott from K&L Gates, where they were nationally known as authorities in advising large publicly traded clients on all areas of ERISA, including qualified plans, nonqualified plans, and executive and deferred compensation and welfare benefit plans; and on regulatory compliance with the Internal Revenue Code, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, and PPACA. Ms. Turley and Ms. Wilkerson are also recognized for their expertise in employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) assisting clients in the design and implementation of ESOP transactions as well as providing ongoing legal counsel to ESOP-owned companies.
“We are pleased to welcome Erin and Allison to the firm,” said David Rogers, global head of McDermott’s Employee Benefits, Compensation, Labor & Employment Practice Group. “We are impressed by their attention to client service and team culture, and we are confident that Erin and Allison will further bolster the standard of excellence that our Employee Benefits clients have come to expect.”
The addition of Ms. Turley and Ms. Wilkerson continues McDermott’s rapid expansion of its recently opened Dallas office. In June, more than a dozen lawyers were added when two new teams of leading M&A and technology and outsourcing attorneys arrived in Dallas. The Dallas office has more than doubled in the past six months, and the arrival of Ms. Turley and Ms. Wilkerson represents the expansion of what the growing office can now offer to the firm’s client base.
“We are excited to have Erin and Allison join our growing office in Dallas. Their arrival marks the physical presence of McDermott’s Employee Benefits practice in Texas,” said David Guedry, partner-in-charge of McDermott’s Dallas office. “In view of the state’s vibrant economy, McDermott continues to seek partners who fit our strategy for growth and bring a high level of excellence. Erin and Allison are a perfect fit. They provide geographical coverage, deep substantive expertise and, having previously worked closely with several of our Dallas corporate partners, a proven cross-practice synergy between the Dallas Employee Benefits and Corporate practices.
Frequent speakers on ESOP and employee benefit matters, Ms. Turley and Ms. Wilkerson are members of The ESOP Association. Ms. Turley is current Chair of the American Bar Association’s Tax Section Subcommittee: ESOPs, a post which she has held since 2012. She received her LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center, her J.D. from Texas Tech University School of Law, and her B.A. from the University of Dallas. Ms. Wilkerson received her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law, and her B.B.A. from Baylor University.
McDermott Will & Emery has been advising clients on a variety of employee benefits and executive compensation matters for more than 70 years. With more than 65 lawyers who practice exclusively in employee benefits and compensation, McDermott represents more than 60 Fortune 500 companies and 20 Fortune 100 companies in employee benefits matters on a regular basis. McDermott lawyers regularly handle the full range of issues that affect 401(k) plans, profit sharing plans, employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), pension plans (including cash balance and other hybrid pension plans), nonqualified deferred compensation and executive compensation plans, health and welfare benefit plans, employment agreements and fringe benefit plans.
About McDermott
McDermott Will & Emery is a premier international law firm with a diversified business practice. Numbering more than 1,000 lawyers, we have offices in Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Dallas, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Munich, New York, Orange County, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. Further extending our reach into Asia, we have a strategic alliance with MWE China Law Offices in Shanghai.
