Overview
Jeffrey (Jeff) M. Holdvogt advises clients regarding a wide range of employee benefits matters. He focuses primarily on the design and administration of complex pension, defined contribution and executive deferred compensation arrangements. Jeff counsels privately and publicly held corporations on ongoing day-to-day retirement and executive compensation issues, as well as employee benefits design and transition matters arising from corporate mergers, acquisitions and divestitures. He has assisted clients with internal compliance reviews and with voluntary correction filings for both fiduciary violations and plan document and administrative errors. He also advises clients in connection with fiduciary and plan investment issues under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
Previously, Jeff served as a law clerk for the Honorable Paul H. Anderson and James H. Gilbert of the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Results
- Advised a Fortune 100 Company on employee matters for spin-off and separation of divisions, including the design and establishment of new tax-qualified and nonqualified retirement plans
- Advised public and private companies on pension de-risking strategies, including lump-sum cashout windows and plan terminations
- Represented clients in negotiations with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), US Department of Labor (DOL) and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
- Counseled clients on IRS and DOL audits for a variety of US employee benefit plans
- Regularly speaks and advises on ERISA fiduciary matters, including a 2015 presentation on “Retirement Plan Investment Changes: Meeting Strict ERISA Requirements Amid Increasing DOL Audits and Lawsuits” and “Top IRS and DOL Audit Issues for Retirement Plans”
- Regularly drafts documents for corporate governance and fiduciary responsibility for employee benefit plans
Community
- Ladder Up/Tax Assistance Program, 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
