Michael W. Taibleson

Wisconsin

Godfrey & Kahn, S.C.
833 East Michigan Street
Suite 1800
Milwaukee, WI 53202

Tel: 414.287.9384

Email: mtaibleson@gklaw.com
Web: www.gklaw.com

Professional Biography

Michael Taibleson helps his clients navigate the complex world of employee compensation and benefit matters. He advises employers, retirement plan fiduciaries, insurers and plan administrators on strategies for implementing, administering and the remediation of benefit plans for employees and retirees.

He has in-depth knowledge and experience regarding compensation and benefits that meets the specific needs of clients in the governmental, health care, higher education, and transportation sectors. His experience also includes matters involving ERISA and tax litigation, and he has successfully negotiated numerous favorable settlements of multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liability on behalf of participating employers.

Michael advises clients from various industries on managing employee benefits matters in mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcy. He is experienced working with large multinational corporations on issues related to benefits and compensation for expatriates and third country nationals including plan design and resolution of tax, ERISA, and ACA issues, which have provided significant savings to his clients over the years.

Representative Experience

  • Advises on a variety of benefit issues under the CARES Act and FFCRA
  • Provides ERISA fiduciary advice (formation, governance operation of plan committees, committee charters, claims and appeals)
  • Drafts various retirement plans including 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), governmental and church plans, traditional pensions, and cash balance plans
  • Represents ESOP plan sponsors, fiduciaries, bank lenders and trustees; drafted plans and handled fiduciary issues and compliance matters
  • Negotiation of service contracts for health/ fringe plans, addressing addressed COBRA/ continuation rights, ACA (compliance-reporting issues; responses to 226-J ESRP letters); ADA/ADEA benefits issues; 125 plan drafting, compliance; HIPAA compliance
  • Designs executive and deferred compensation plans
  • Handles various M&A due diligence matters pertaining to benefits

Our employee benefits practice counsels employers, retirement plan fiduciaries, tax-exempt entities, financial institutions, and benefit plan service providers in all aspects of retirement and welfare benefits laws, including the Internal Revenue Code, ERISA, COBRA, and HIPAA.

With clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses, we have extensive experience managing sophisticated benefit plan issues that arise every day, and we devote a significant portion of our practice to issues that arise during bankruptcies and mergers and acquisitions.

We offer clients efficient, creative, and forward-thinking legal advice related to:

  • Executive compensation
  • Fiduciary planning
  • Health plans
  • Retirement plans
  • Multiemployer pension plans

Should the need arise, our employee benefits attorneys are prepared to work with the IRS and U.S. Department of Labor on behalf of our clients to reduce, and even eliminate, penalties due to plan errors.

Our firm was founded in 1957 on a simple idea – judge our success by the success of our clients. For over 65 years, we have served clients by first understanding their business and their needs, and then by offering strategic legal advice and smart, practical solutions to real-world problems. Godfrey & Kahn is now a full-service corporate law firm with over 190 attorneys and six offices: Milwaukee, Madison, Appleton, Green Bay and Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and Washington, DC.

Business Practice Areas include: Banking & Financial Institutions, Business Finance & Restructuring, Commercial Lending, Corporate Governance, ESOPs, Environment & Energy Strategies, Estate Planning, Estate & Trust Administration, General Corporate, Health Care, Indian Nations, Intellectual Property, Investment Management, Labor, Employment & Immigration, Media, Mergers & Acquisitions, Political Law, Private Equity, Public Finance, Real Estate, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Securities, Tax & Employee Benefits and Venture Capital.

Litigation Practice Areas include: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Antitrust, Appellate, Contract/Commercial, Distribution, Franchise & Dealership, ERISA Litigation, Financial Services, Insurance & Reinsurance, Intellectual Property Litigation, International, Labor & Employment Litigation, Media & First Amendment, Products Liability and Torts, Real Estate and Construction, Securities and Corporate Governance, Trusts, Wills and Estates, Unfair Competition and Trade Secrets and White Collar Defense and Investigations.

“Michael Taibleson of Godfrey & Kahn, SC offers clients expertise on executive compensation packages, 401(k) plans, and other employee benefits. He holds particular expertise in the termination and transition of employee benefit plans.”
Chambers & Partners