Bret Hamlin

Florida

Hill Ward Henderson
101 East Kennedy Boulevard
Suite 3700
Tampa, Florida 33602

Tel: 813.222.8717

Email: bret.hamlin@hwhlaw.com
Web: www.hwhlaw.com

Professional Biography

Bret Hamlin practices primarily in the areas of employee benefits, deferred compensation and trusts. Prior to entering the private practice of law, he provided plan design and consulting, third-party administration and investment, as well as retirement plan education services for clients.

Bret represents large, medium and small employers with respect to many employee benefit matters, including both single employer and multiple employer qualified retirement plans, executive deferred compensation and welfare benefit plan matters. A significant portion of his practice involves plan compliance, ERISA fiduciary best practices and plan corrections under Internal Revenue Service and Department of Labor compliance resolution and plan correction programs. He also represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation with respect to employee benefits matters, including, but not limited to, Internal Revenue Service plan examinations and Department of Labor plan investigations.

Bret is an active member of the Employee Benefits Committee of the American Bar Association Section of Taxation, the Tampa Bay Pension Council and the Florida West Coast Employee Benefits Council.

Bret frequently speaks to both professional groups and plan sponsor groups regarding a variety of employee benefit topics.

Honors, Awards & Recognition

  • American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, Fellow (inducted 2015)
  • AV Preeminent® Rating, Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review
  • Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyer, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (2023-2025)
  • The Best Lawyers in America® (2008-2025)
    • Employee Benefits Law
    • 2014 Tampa Employee Benefits (ERISA) Lawyer of the Year – 2014, 2017, 2021

Our attorneys provide a full range of services in connection with the establishment and maintenance of all types of employee benefit and executive compensation plans.

With over 100 years of combined experience, our professionals are nationally recognized for their depth and breadth of experience and expertise in the benefits area. All of our group’s shareholders are listed in Best Lawyers in America, and together they make up one of the largest employee benefits practices in the Southeast. Recently, our practice was named #1 in Tampa and #1 in Florida by Best Lawyers in America.

We provide equity compensation, executive compensation, and fiduciary advice, as well as representation before various federal agencies. We also serve as benefits counsel to companies involved in merger and acquisition transactions.

We represent public and private companies, tax-exempt organizations, professional employer organizations (PEOs), professional associations and financial institutions, both within Florida and throughout the country.

Established in 1986, Hill Ward Henderson was founded with the vision of blending the depth, resources, and technology of a large firm with the attentiveness and agility of a smaller one. From the start, the firm embraced a client-focused ethos grounded in integrity, professionalism, transparency, and efficient legal delivery.

The firm has grown steadily over nearly four decades. Today, it operates across offices in downtown Tampa and Clearwater, Florida, serving a broad base of local, regional, and national clients.

Hill Ward Henderson employs over 120 attorneys and around 240 total staff, offering both transactional and litigation capabilities across a wide range of industries and practice areas.

“Bret Hamlin has a broad employee benefits and executive compensation practice. He frequently counsels clients on single employer and multi-employer retirement plans, as well as health and welfare plans.”
Chambers & Partners