Brendan J. Butler

Connecticut

Day Pitney LLP
225 Asylum Street
Hartford, CT 06103-1212
United States

Tel: (860) 275-0277

Email: bbutler@daypitney.com
Web: www.daypitney.com

Professional Biography

Brendan advises privately-held, public, and governmental employers on a wide range of retirement and employee benefit matters, including retirement plans, welfare benefit plans, deferred compensation plans, and regulatory compliance. He is experienced in navigating interactions with the Internal Revenue Service and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, helping clients to meet their obligations under evolving regulatory frameworks.

Committed to staying at the forefront of the ever-changing employee benefits landscape, Brendan keeps clients informed and helps them keep their plans compliant through ongoing study, efficient research, and clear communication.

While earning his J.D. at the University of Connecticut School of Law, Brendan served as an Associate Editor of the Connecticut Law Review.

Representative Experience

  • Represented a large financial institution in dealings and discussions with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which resulted in a reduction of financial liability for the institution
  • Provided advice and options to a private manufacturing company looking to de-risk its defined benefit pension plan
  • Prepared an employee stock purchase plan for a large public company
  • Provided advice to a closely held company on how to structure a deferred compensation arrangement in a manner that would best meet the unique needs of the company, and assisted in the drafting of the organizational documents
  • Drafted and reviewed qualified domestic relations orders for numerous plan sponsors and administrators

Education

  • University of Connecticut School of Law, J.D., With Honors
  • Providence College, B.S., summa cum laude

Affiliations

  • American Bar Association
  • Saint Bernard School, Board Member
  • Community Housing Advocates, Volunteer

Our Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice group provides sophisticated planning and consulting services to our clients with respect to issues affecting pension and welfare benefit plans and executive compensation arrangements under the Internal Revenue Code, ERISA, and federal and state securities laws. We bring to our clients a powerful combination of technical and practical experience in this rapidly changing area.

Our clients who sponsor qualified pension plans rely on us to assist them with all aspects of qualified plan work, including the design, submission, implementation, merger, and partial and full termination of all types of pension plans and related participant communications. Changes in accounting rules have driven plan sponsors to de-risk defined benefit pension liabilities. We partner with our clients to help them investigate and implement strategies to de-risk their plan’s liabilities by changing investment policy, implementing lump-sum offers to deferred vested participants and/or retirees, and annuitizing plan liabilities. Plan sponsors of qualified plans, 403(b) plans and 457 plans turn to us to rectify operational defects in plan administration and documentation under the IRS voluntary compliance programs and to correct fiduciary breaches under the Department of Labor’s voluntary correction program.

Fiduciaries of employee benefit plans rely on our counsel regarding their fiduciary duties and ERISA reporting and disclosure obligations. New reporting and disclosure obligations under ERISA and the heightened risk of fiduciary liability have required fiduciaries of defined contribution plans to scrutinize contracts with service providers, carefully draft participant communications, and ensure that the fiduciaries responsible for the investment of plan assets monitor and document their decision-making process. Additionally, we routinely negotiate investment management agreements and limited partnership agreements with respect to our fiduciary clients’ investment of plan assets and advise them on unrelated business taxable-income issues.

As a result of our knowledge of our clients’ businesses and familiarity with their benefit plans, we are uniquely suited to assist with employee benefit issues arising before or in connection with corporate transactions. We can evaluate due diligence materials, assist with structuring executive compensation arrangements to retain key employees, evaluate the tax ramifications of executive compensation arrangements, and design employee benefit plans and nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements to meet the goals of the new entity, as well as draft and analyze transaction documents affecting such arrangements.

Day Pitney is a leading Am-Law 200 law firm with over 300 attorneys across 13 offices, serving clients throughout the United States and internationally. With a presence in Boston, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Providence, and Washington, D.C., we offer seamless, multidisciplinary legal services tailored to the needs of our diverse client base.

What sets Day Pitney apart is our ability to provide comprehensive counsel to both corporate clients and sophisticated private clients. We help businesses—from emerging companies to Fortune 100 corporations—navigate complex legal and regulatory landscapes. Simultaneously, we deliver unparalleled guidance to individuals and families, offering some of the most extensive private client services in the country.

Guided by the belief that trust exists at the intersection of insight and execution, our attorneys combine deep knowledge with innovative problem-solving to empower clients. We are committed to fostering stability and growth, whether advising on intricate business transactions, resolving high-stakes litigation, or safeguarding personal legacies.

At Day Pitney, we are dedicated to building meaningful, lasting relationships by understanding our clients’ goals and delivering practical solutions to achieve them. This commitment drives our enduring success and the continued trust of our clients.