Gary Blachman is a partner in Ice Miller’s Workplace Solutions Group where he helps companies to minimize their financial and legal risk by developing best practices for employee benefits, executive compensation, corporate governance and compliance policy.
Gary advises clients on corporate benefits issues in mergers and acquisitions, including post-acquisition benefit strategies. He regularly counsels on the design, implementation, and termination of executive incentive compensation programs, compliance with Code Section 409A Rules, and other equity and cash incentive plans. Gary negotiates employment and separation agreements for senior C-Suite executives and regularly provides fiduciary compliance training for retirement committee members. He also advises on Affordable Care Act and HIPAA-related matters, such as health coverage portability, health information privacy, data security and ongoing welfare plan compliance. Gary has extensive experience with IRS and U.S. Department of Labor audits, negotiating settlements and voluntary correction programs.
Prior to entering private practice, Gary served as a consultant and in-house counsel for an independent human resources and employee benefits solutions firm. In this role, he advised internal and external clients regarding federal tax, pension and health and welfare law issues; designed and maintained qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, 401(k) plans, cafeteria plans, stock bonus plans and other executive compensation arrangements and negotiated voluntary compliance matters with the IRS and U.S. Department of Labor.
Gary also previously served as a pension investigator with the U.S. Department of Labor where he investigated prohibited transactions and fiduciary violations. In that role, he interviewed fiduciaries, issued subpoenas, drafted voluntary compliance letters and prepared cases for litigation. Gary conducted civil investigations and financial audits of corporations and banks that sponsor 401(k) plans, employee stock ownership plans (ESOP) and other qualified pension and welfare plans.
Gary is a contributing editor to the Employee Benefits Plan Review, a Walters Kluwer publication, and also to Plan Consultant magazine, a publication of the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries. He has served in local and national leadership positions for the American Retirement Association (ASPPA), including vice-chair of IRS regional conferences, vice-chair of national conferences and chair of general conferences. He previously served as chair of the employee benefits committee of the Cincinnati Bar Association, and president of the Cincinnati chapter of ASPPA, and is the current chair of the IRS Great Lakes TE/GE Council in Chicago.
Gary received his juris doctor from University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. During law school, he held an externship with Judge Alexander White in the Tax and Remedies Division of Cook County Circuit Court, served as vice justice on the Moot Court Honors Board, was a finalist in the Fred F. Herzog Moot Court Competition, and was an officer of Phi Alpha Delta.
He earned his Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in International Business and Marketing from Baruch College, City University of New York. He received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and English and a Criminology Certificate from Rutgers University.
Gary is licensed to practice law in Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
