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Experience:
Joseph S. Adams is a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP based in the Firm's Chicago office. As a member of the Employee Benefits Department, Joe concentrates his practice on employee benefits and executive compensation matters for public, private and tax-exempt organizations.
Joe has substantial experience advising clients regarding executive and incentive compensation programs including employment agreements, stock based compensation, nonqualified deferred compensation, SERPs, including the operation of Code Sections 162(m) ($1 million limit on compensation) 280G (change in control) and 409A (nonqualified deferred compensation) and compliance with SEC proxy disclosure rules regarding executive compensation. He frequently advises employers with respect to employee benefits and executive compensation matters in mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions. Joe also regularly advises clients in the design, drafting and ongoing operation of 401(k) and other qualified retirement plans, nonqualified retirement arrangements and welfare/fringe benefit plans.
Joe regularly speaks and writes about employee benefits and executive compensation topics. He is the contributing editor for a pension reference manual called the Pension Plan Fix-It Handbook and is on the editorial advisory board for a monthly newsletter called Executive Compensation Strategies. Joe also co-authored the first and second editions of Domestic Partner Benefits: An Employer's Guide, available on amazon.com. He is a contributor to national publications such as Forbes, Business Week, Bloomberg, Kiplinger and Investment News.
Joe originally joined McDermott Will & Emery upon graduating from law school. From 2001 to 2004, he was with one of the "Big Four" accounting firms, where he served in a variety of roles including the tax partner in charge of the employee benefits tax group for the Chicago office.
During law school, Joe served as editor of the Cornell Law Review. He is admitted to the Illinois bar and is a member of the American and Chicago Bar Associations and Working in Employee Benefits (WEB). Joe also serves on the Zoning Board of Appeals for the Village of Winnetka, Illinois.
Education:
Cornell Law School, J.D. (cum laude).
University of Chicago, B A. (with honors). | 