About
Attorneys
PRACTICE AREAS
Business & Finance
Labor & Employment
AT WORK
William N. Anspach, Jr., currently heads the firm's Employee Benefits practice. He has extensive experience in virtually all areas of employee benefits, including designing and implementing qualified plans, health and welfare plans, executive compensation plans and other deferred compensation programs. He provides extensive, ongoing counsel regarding the operation of these plans, and is regularly involved in litigation regarding ERISA and employee benefits matters.
As employee benefits issues commonly arise for many clients of the firm's general business practice, Bill frequently advises a wide range of clients — from closely held companies to tax-exempt organizations and public companies — with respect to employee benefits questions that emerge in structuring employment agreements, negotiating contracts, and in connection with mergers and acquisitions and estate planning.
In the heavily regulated and constantly evolving field of employee benefits law, Bill monitors and analyzes all new legislation and regulations, and is a leader in developing creative techniques to help clients address changes in the laws. His innovative approach often leads to significant savings for a number of businesses and organizations.
In the area of corporate law, Bill counsels closely held businesses in connection with a variety of transactional matters, including business structuring and general business affairs. He has a significant number of clients in the death-care industry, including funeral homes and cemeteries.
IN THE PROFESSION
Bill lectures frequently on employee benefits topics and ERISA rules before a variety of local and national groups, including national and regional conferences sponsored by the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries, the National Institute of Pension Administrators, the Illinois CPA Society and the International Association of Financial Planners.
Bill is a member of the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries, serving on its Government Affairs committee, which provides comments on proposed regulations and other matters to the U.S. Department of Labor. He is a member of the Great Lakes Area TE/GE Counsel, an organization of employee benefits practitioners that meets quarterly with Internal Revenue Service officials.
Bill is a member of the American and Chicago Bar Associations. He has also been recognized by the Leading Lawyers Network as a top Illinois lawyer in the area of employee benefits law (2005-2008).
IN THE COMMUNITY
Bill serves on the Board of Directors of Perspectives Charter School, a charter school in the Chicago Public Schools system.
BACKGROUND
University of Illinois
J.D., 1974
University of Michigan
B.A., 1971
Before entering private practice, Bill worked in the Employee Benefits Division of the National Office of the Internal Revenue Service and in the Solicitor's Office of the U.S. Department of Labor, where he litigated fiduciary issues under ERISA.
Bill is admitted to practice in Illinois.
RELATED ALERTS
Making the Most of Your Estate Plan: A Year-End Review
Employee Benefits Update: Supreme Court Opens Floodgates for
Individual 401(k) Recoveries
Section 409A Deferred Compensation Rules: The Deadline for Compliance
RELATED ARTICLES & PUBLICATIONS
New Deferred Compensation Rules: What Closely Held Businesses Should Know about Severance Plans
A Practical Look at Terminating Underfunded Defined Benefit Plans, (pdf)
Disqualifying Defects and Disqualification, (pdf)
What Are the Consequences of Disqualification?, (pdf)