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Joseph K. Urwitz

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Partner
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VCard

Areas of Focus

Overview

Joe Urwitz is a trusted advisor to clients on a sophisticated range of employee benefits, executive compensation and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) fiduciary matters.

Joe advises clients in the private equity, technology and healthcare industries on executive compensation and employee benefits issues, often within the context of sophisticated M&A, private equity and capital markets transactions. He also provides counsel on ERISA prohibited transactions and plan asset issues, deferred compensation arrangements, equity award and bonus plan design, and employment and severance arrangements.

Having won the prestigious Burton Legal Writing Award at the Library of Congress, Joe is a nationally recognized retirement and compensation thought leader. He has consulted national media outlets and his pieces have been featured across numerous well-regarded legal and industry publications. Joe is also recognized for his compensation and benefits work by Chambers USA.

Career & Education

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    • University of Chicago Law School, J.D., 2005
    • Williams College, B.A., cum laude, 2002
    • University of Chicago Law School, J.D., 2005
    • Williams College, B.A., cum laude, 2002

    • Massachusetts
    • Admitted in Massachusetts Only. Practicing under the Supervision of D.C. Bar Members.
    • Massachusetts
    • Admitted in Massachusetts Only. Practicing under the Supervision of D.C. Bar Members.

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Representative Matters

  • Assisting a Fortune 100 insurance company prepare a phantom award unit plan for its top executives.
  • Running all benefits aspects of multiple transactions and supervising numerous associates for a private equity firm with assets under management among the top ten in the world.
  • Regularly advising another private equity firm with assets under management among the top ten in the world on ERISA compliance for one of its fund-of-funds.
  • Routinely assisting an active multibillion dollar private "strategic" acquiror on benefits issues on numerous transactions.
  • Advised a preeminent tax-exempt hospital in the Boston area for years.
  • Helped an extensive network of Catholic hospitals terminate an overfunded defined benefit pension plan, allowing the hospitals to recoup millions of dollars without paying the 50% reversion tax that generally applies to for-profit entities when an overfunded plan is terminated.
  • Advised numerous private equity firms on structuring retirement and health benefits for physicians’ practices while taking into account the challenging entity structuring required under the corporate practice of medicine rules.
  • Advised the legal team of a for-profit hospital system with 40,000 employees in its acquisition of a tax-exempt hospital with a severely underfunded pension plan.

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Recognition

  • The Burton Awards: Distinguished Legal Writing Award Recipient, 2015
  • Chambers USA: Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Recognized Practitioner, 2018-2019

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