Carrie Byrnes

I serve as a trusted adviser to companies to help them achieve their business goals and navigate legal opportunities. Splitting my time between Los Angeles and Chicago, I spend much of my days working with employers – large and small, public and private, emerging and established – primarily in developing benefit and compensation programs to attract, incentivize and retain key talent. I have experience with a wide variety of legal and HR matters, including integration of talent, compensation and benefit programs in merger & acquisition situations. My most robust experience is with employment and severance arrangements, incentive plans, retirement plans (pension and 401(k)), deferred compensation plans, equity and equity-based compensation arrangements, group health and welfare benefit plans and fringe benefit plans. Over the years, I represented clients in connection with IRS, DOL and PBGC audits and compliance programs, and in benefit plan litigation matters dealing with claims for benefits, preemption and breach of fiduciary duties. Before entering private practice, I worked for the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration where I focused on fiduciary compliance.