Careers

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Experience

Innovation

Interactive Maps

Locations

About

Pages

Meet our team of innovators
Ask us how we do it

Professionals

Insights

Services

Thompson Hine LLP, a full-service business law firm with approximately 400 lawyers in 11 offices, was ranked number 1 in the category “Most innovative North American law firms: New working models” by The Financial Times and was 1 of 7 firms shortlisted for The American Lawyer’s inaugural Legal Services Innovation Award. The firm has been recognized by the National Law Journal as a Legal Technology Trailblazer and featured by Bloomberg for its innovative service delivery models, which drive accuracy and predictability. The firm’s commitment to innovation is embodied in Thompson Hine SmartPaTHTM – a smarter way to work – predictable, efficient and aligned with client goals. For more information, please visit ThompsonHine.com and ThompsonHine.com/SmartPaTH.

Home | Thompson Hine LLP

Atlanta

Chicago

Cincinnati

Cleveland

Columbus

Dayton

Los Angeles

Minneapolis

New York

Silicon Valley

Washington, D.C.

Our national Employee Benefits &amp; Executive Compensation practice, consisting of approximately 25 professionals, offers decades of experience delivering exceptional, efficient guidance to a broad range of U.S. and global businesses, including 30+ Fortune 1000 companies. Ranked by The Legal 500 as one of the top Employee Benefits &amp; Executive Compensation practices in the country and recognized by Chambers USA as a leading practice for nearly 20 years, we are known for our knowledgeable, experienced team and cost-effective legal services.

contentpilot/introduction

Our group works collaboratively to advise clients across the country on all aspects of employee benefits and executive compensation matters, enlisting assistance from other firm practices when needed. We constantly monitor and review benefits-related legal and regulatory developments and leverage our experience with federal agencies and our relationships with key government officials to provide proactive advice and help companies design, implement and administer innovative, customized, compliant programs. Our insight and depth of practice uniquely enable us to assist our clients’ legal and human resources departments to ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

core/paragraph

We provide comprehensive advice on a wide range of plans and issues, including:

core/list-item

Employee benefits and executive compensation issues in mergers and acquisitions

core/list

contentpilot/expand-more

Thompson Hine has been named by Best Lawyers Best Law Firms® as a Tier 1 national firm in Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law in 2025.

core/quote

core/image

core/column

core/columns

ESOP Services

Executive Compensation

Fiduciary Counseling

Health & Welfare Plans

Health Care Reform

Retirement Plans

Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation

Firm Events

Investment Management Coffee Chat – 401(k) Investment Revolution

Green Card Processing Inside the U.S. Just Got Harder: USCIS Narrows Path for Adjustment Status

Five Thompson Hine Lawyers Recognized by Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers 2026

2026 Brown Bag Benefits: Drug Manufacturer Coupons and What Plan Sponsors Need to Know

Videos

Navigating Today’s Health Care Employment Law Challenges: Immigration, Workforce & Safety

ICE Reclassifies Common I-9 Errors as Substantive Violations — Immediate Action Recommended

2026 Brown Bag Benefits: The Fiduciary Governance Playbook

2026 Brown Bag Benefits: 401(k) Investment Revolution

A Surprising Reason Self-Funded Health Plan Costs Are Increasing

Proposed DOL Rule Clarifies Joint Employer Liability Under FLSA, FMLA and MWPA

2026 Brown Bag Benefits: Trump Accounts – What We Know, What We’re Waiting For

$22.5M Verdict Highlights Employer Obligations to Provide Pregnancy Accommodations; Key Takeaways

2026 Brown Bag Benefits: Voluntary Benefits, Mandatory Rules

Trump Accounts: Opportunities and Considerations for Employers, Financial Institutions, and Philanthropic Organizations

Business Law Update – Spring 2026

Decoding the Department of Labor’s 2026 Enforcement Strategy for Plan Sponsors and Service Providers

2026 Brown Bag Benefits: Quick ERISA Updates

Decoding DOL’s 2026 Enforcement Strategy for Plan Sponsors and Service Providers

Layoffs, Furloughs & RIFs: What Employers Need to Know in an Uncertain Economy

Cuyahoga County Expands Anti-Discrimination Protections Under CROWN Act

What’s At Stake In High Court Pension Liability Case

Additional USCIS Guidance on $100,000 H-1B Fee

Thompson Hine Expands Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Practice Nationally with Seven New Attorneys

Sixth Circuit Raises Bar for Employer Liability in Third-Party Harassment Cases

OFCCP Clarifies Scope of Affirmative Action Compliance Obligations for Government Contractors

The Legal 500 Recognizes Several Thompson Hine Practices, Lawyers – Eight Practices and 33 Lawyers Receive National Acclaim

Thompson Hine Earns First-Tier Rankings in Chambers USA – Fifteen Practices and 52 Individual Lawyers Ranked

ERISA Litigation 2025: Key Trends and Mid-Year Insights

Thompson Hine LLP Represents SharpLink Gaming in $425,000,000 Ethereum-Focused Private Placement

Transition: A Presidential Change – Session Eleven – Employee Benefits Under Trump 2.0

EEOC and DOJ Issue Warning Against Unlawful DEI-Related Discrimination

OFCCP to Cease Compliance Audits Under Revoked Executive Order 11246

Recent Decision Spotlights Coordination Between DOL and Plaintiffs’ Firms

Thompson Hine Shortlisted for Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards North America

Practical Responses to the Final Mental Health Parity Regulations

Yellow Is Seeing Red: Bankruptcy Court Invokes Loper Bright in Upholding PBGC Regulations

The Updated QPAM Exemption in Practice

Navigating the FTC’s New Rule on Noncompetition Agreements

Other Events

Current Trends in ERISA Litigation Affecting Retirement Plans

District Court Blocks DOL Investment Advice Rule – For Now

Business Law Update – July 2024

Pension Plan Sponsors Targeted in Pension Risk Transfer Lawsuits

The Fall of Chevron Could Mean Successful Challenges to Rulemaking and an Increase in Subregulatory Guidance

U.S. Department of Labor Finalizes Major Changes to Its Fiduciary Investment Advice Rule

The Legal 500 Recognizes Several Thompson Hine Practices, Lawyers; Nine Practices and 32 Lawyers Receive National Acclaim

Thompson Hine Earns First-Tier Rankings in Chambers USA: Seventeen Practices and 47 Individual Lawyers Ranked

Navigating the Future: Fiduciary Obligations in Health and Welfare Plans – Fiduciary Deep Dive – Part 3

Noncompetes Nixed by the FTC: What’s Next?

U.S. DOL Finalizes Major Changes to its Fiduciary Investment Advice Rule

Navigating the Future: Fiduciary Obligations in Health and Welfare Plans – Fiduciary Deep Dive – Part 2

FTC Issues Final Rule Banning Noncompete Agreements—Future Remains Uncertain as Lawsuits Challenging the Final Rule Have Already Been Filed

The EEOC Issues its Long-Awaited Final Rule on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

ESOP Annual Checklist

Navigating the Future: Fiduciary Obligations in Health and Welfare Plans – Fiduciary Deep Dive – Part 1

Corporate Transparency Act Compliance for Employee Stock Ownership Plans

Navigating the Future: Fiduciary Obligations in Health and Welfare Plans

AT&T and Lockheed Martin Face Class Actions Over Pension Risk Transfers to Athene

What You Need To Know Before Filing This Year’s Form 5500 for Your 401(k) Plan

Cannabis and Employment Laws: Navigating Compliance and Drug Testing in the Workplace

ERISA Litigation: Year in Review & Trends to Watch

Proposed Rule on Pay Equity and Transparency May Significantly Impact Government Contractors and Federal Supply Chain Companies

Thompson Hine Elects Eight New Partners in 2024

Thompson Hine Shortlisted for Legalweek’s Tech-Enabled Transactional Practice of the Year Award

SECURE 2.0 Provisions for Defined Benefit Plans

SECURE 2.0 Deep Dive – Review & Preview: 2023 and 2024

DOL Again Enters the Investment Advice Fray With Proposed Retirement Security Rule

SECURE 2.0 Deep Dive – Portability: Will Auto-In Become the New Default?

DOL Greenlights Diverse Asset Manager Program for ERISA Plans

DOL Greenlights Citibank’s Diverse Asset Manager Program

Business Law Update – October 2023

So, You’re Thinking About Buying an ESOP? Initial Considerations When Acquiring an ESOP-owned Corporation

SECURE 2.0 Deep Dive – Pension Plans Need Love, Too!

SECURE 2.0 Deep Dive – Creating the Retirement/Emergency Savings Hybrid

Mental Health Parity – What You Need to Know and Do

Thompson Hine Expands Washington, D.C. Office with Addition of Former PBGC and FDA Lawyers

New MHPAEA Guidance Released

SECURE 2.0 Deep Dive – More Paper, Less Paper: The Disclosure Provisions

The Legal 500 Recognizes Several Thompson Hine Practices, Lawyers

SCOTUS Clarifies Workplace Religious Accommodation Standard

SECURE 2.0 Deep Dive – Rethinking the Match: Student Loan Repayments

Thompson Hine Earns First-Tier Rankings in Chambers USA: Seventeen Practices and 47 Lawyers Recognized

SECURE 2.0 Deep Dive – Mistakes Happen: Easier Corrections & Recoupment

Washington State Enacts My Health, My Data Act

SECURE 2.0 Deep Dive – Long-Term Part-Time Employees: 1.0 + 2.0

SECURE 2.0 Deep Dive – Catch-up Contributions Get Complicated

The End of the COVID-19 Emergencies – Health Plan Considerations

ESOP Annual Checklist Webinar

Thompson Hine Elects Four New Partners in 2023

SECURE 2.0 Secures Enactment at the Last Minute

Retirement Plan Roundup: Recent Legal Developments & Best Practices – Session 4

Labor & Employment Spotlight – A Year-in-Review (Dayton)

Labor & Employment Spotlight – A Year-in-Review (Chicago)

Labor & Employment Spotlight – A Year-in-Review (Cincinnati)

Retirement Plan Roundup: Recent Legal Developments & Best Practices – Session 3

SEC Adopts Dodd-Frank “Clawback” Rules

The Great Unionization: An Evolution of the Modern Workforce

Retirement Plan Roundup: Recent Legal Developments & Best Practices – Session 2

Retirement Plan Roundup: Recent Legal Developments & Best Practices – Session 1

Complying with the SEC’s New Pay Versus Performance Disclosure Rules

Practices

Dominic DeMatties

Beth A. Mandel

David Whaley

Mark G. Kroboth

David Uhlendorff

J. Shane Starkey

Nathan E. Holmes

Stephen R. Penrod

Edward C. Redder

Laura A. Ryan

Kim Wilcoxon

John H. Wendeln

Jerry Vande Werken

Tim McDonald

Eric L. Wichmann

Julia Ann Love

Brian L. Gaj

Timothy R. Brown

Amy G. Davies

Nate Ingraham

Amy E. Gerbick

Katherine B. Kohn

Brian J. Lamb

Elizabeth R. Vitale

Meredith F. Reeves

Agnes Kolbeck

Kristin Koenecke

Amanda Schwaben

Hanna Santanam

Eric D. Slack

Shira McKinlay

Partner

401(k) Fiduciary Best Practices: Thoughts on Litigation and Trends in Governance – Webinar

COVID & Beyond: Employment & Benefits Update

Employment & Benefits Law Briefing: Key Internal Audits – Cincinnati

Everything (Well, Almost Everything) You Need to Know About the New COBRA Subsidy – Session 1

Everything (Well, Almost Everything) You Need to Know About the New COBRA Subsidy – Session 2

Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Next Steps for Employers

Leaves of Change: Leave of Absence Program Considerations

Managing the 2021 Workplace: Vaccines, FFCRA, Remote Working and More

Managing the Deluge of Employee Benefit Plan Compliance Requirements – Session 1

Managing the Deluge of Employee Benefit Plan Compliance Requirements – Session 2

Managing the Deluge of Employee Benefit Plan Compliance Requirements – Session 3

Managing the Deluge of Employee Benefit Plan Compliance Requirements – Session 4

Navigating Employment & Employee Benefits Issues in Uncertain Times – Session 1

Navigating Employment & Employee Benefits Issues in Uncertain Times – Session 2

Navigating Employment & Employee Benefits Issues in Uncertain Times – Session 3

Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation

Focus Areas

Professionals

Leader

Videos / Podcasts

Recent Insights

Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation

Focus Areas

Related Services

Professionals

Leader

Videos / Podcasts

Recent Insights