Overview
Jeffrey (Jeff) M. Holdvogt regularly counsels public and privately held companies and tax-exempt organizations on a wide range of employee benefits matters. These include the design and administration of complex pension, 401(k) and 403(b) plans, nonqualified and executive deferred compensation arrangements, fiduciary and plan investment issues under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), internal compliance reviews and voluntary correction filings, and benefit plan matters arising from mergers and acquisitions, as well as other ongoing day-to-day retirement and executive compensation issues.
Jeff has extensive experience representing clients in negotiations with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), US Department of Labor (DOL) and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation regarding plan audits, determination letters, private letter rulings and correction filings. He routinely advises employers and employee benefits committees on ERISA fiduciary matters, corporate governance and fiduciary responsibility for employee benefit plans. He also regularly drafts nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements, supplemental executive retirement plans and advises on issues under Code Sections 409A, 457, 280G and 83 regarding compensation arrangements for executives.
Jeff is a frequent author of articles on benefit plan compliance issues for publications such as Bloomberg Law and has been invited to speak before leading industry organizations including the American Bar Association, the ERISA Industry Committee and the Plan Sponsor Council of America.
Results
- Assisted a Fortune 100 Company on employee matters for spin-off and separation of divisions, including the design and establishment of new tax-qualified retirement plans, supplemental executive plans and deferred compensation arrangements
- Assisted a large tax-exempt hospital group on integration of employee benefits and the complete redesign of its employer sponsored retirement plan structure, including a multi-year transition from active cash balance pension benefits to a 403(b) and 401(a) plan and a novel transfer of pension assets
- Advised a Fortune 100 Company on a unique structure by which employees with student loan obligations can still receive maximum retirement contributions. This approach provides a mechanism for retirement savings for employees who are saddled with student loan obligations and cannot make contributions to a savings plan
- Counseled many employers and ERISA fiduciaries on plan governance issues and fiduciary responsibility for benefit plan committees
Recognitions
- Best Lawyers in America, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Chicago, 2025
- Legal 500 US, Recommended, 2023–2025
Community
- Member of the Advisory Board for Ladder Up and frequent volunteer for its Tax Assistance Program, which organizes volunteers to prepare tax returns for low-income families
- Working in the Schools (WITS) volunteer promoting literacy in Chicago Public Schools
Credentials
Education
University of Michigan Law School, JD, 2003
St. John’s University, BA, magna cum laude, 2000
Admissions
Illinois
