Gary D. Blachman
Partner, Ice Miller LLP
200 W. Madison Street, Suite 3500
Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 726-7375
Expertise
Gary advises corporate general counsel, senior human resource officers and other C-suite executives on a wide range of employee benefits issues, including the design and administration of qualified retirement plans, executive compensation arrangements, traditional defined benefit plans and health and welfare programs. Gary’s clients include public and private employers, government contractors, start-up health and technology companies, private equity and financial investment firms, and manufacturing companies.
Gary regularly counsels employers on corporate benefits issues in mergers and acquisitions regarding due diligence review and post-closing integration of compensation, stock option plans, equity incentive and employee benefit plans. He negotiates employment and separation agreements for senior C-Suite executives and regularly provides fiduciary compliance training for retirement committee members.
Prior to entering private practice, Gary served as an employee benefits consultant and in-house counsel for a regional human resources and employee benefits solutions firm. He also previously served as a pension investigator with the U.S. Department of Labor where he investigated prohibited transactions and fiduciary violations. Gary now routinely assists clients with the correction of plan operational errors, and has represented hundreds of clients in numerous IRS and Department of Labor audits.
Gary regularly speaks at industry conferences and has published several books and numerous articles on employee benefits topics.
Areas of Practice
Executive Compensation
Benefits Compliance and Correction Programs
Franchise and Distribution
Health and Fringe Benefits
Multi-Employer Plans
Education
Undergraduate School
Bachelor of Science, Political Science and English, Rutgers University
Graduate School
Master of Business Administration, City University of New York
Law School
The UIC John Marshall Law School
Admissions
Illinois
United States District Court – Northern District of Illinois
New Jersey
United States District Court – District of New Jersey
Ohio
Memberships and Affiliations
Great Lakes Area Tax Exempt and Government Entities Council of the Internal Revenue Service, Chair
ASPAA General Conferences, Chair
Cincinnati Bar Association Employee Benefits Committee, Chair
ASPPA Benefits Council of Greater Cincinnati, President
Cedar Village Retirement Community Board of Directors, Chair
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Ohio State Leader
ArtsWave Grant Program, Members Allocations Committee