Raymond Malone

About Raymond Malone

I have more than 35 years\' experience in the employee benefits and executive compensation areas. I assist public and private companies and other types of employers with executive compensation arrangements and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)–related issues, including transactional support. I have handled matters covering most aspects of the design, implementation, maintenance, operation, amendment and termination of the many types of qualified and nonqualified retirement plans and programs, tax-deferred annuity plans, 457 plans, and funded and unfunded welfare and fringe benefit plans. I have extensive experience in representing employers in all types of matters involving multiemployer pension plans, withdrawal liability, and other types of collectively bargained retirement and health and welfare plans. I also have represented employers, lenders and fiduciaries in numerous matters relating to employee stock ownership plans. The types of employers with which I have worked include corporations (ranging in size from midmarket corporations to Fortune 100 corporations to large, privately held corporations), partnerships, limited liability companies, venture capital funds, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and tax-exempt employers, such as hospitals, universities, local school systems, government entities and church-affiliated institutions.

Experience

1. Partner

   BakerHostetler

   Oct 1990 — Present · Cleveland/Akron, OH, US

   Representative Experience: For many employers, or for compensation committees, provides advice on the design, implementation, maintenance, operation and termination of executive incentive compensation programs for both taxable and tax-exempt employers, to counsel employers on compliance with Code Section 409A rules or design to avoid their application, and to avoid or comply with the so-called Golden Parachute provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, including the new provisions applicable to large, tax-exempt employers. These include funded, unfunded, stock-based, stock option and unit stock-based programs and other types of equity and cash incentive plans. Regularly negotiates employment and separation agreements for such entities for their most senior or highest level executives, as well as for C-Suite executives. Has extensive experience in withdrawal liability matters involving multiemployer pension plans, and has represented and counseled employers on withdrawing from such plans, as well as on arbitrating or litigating over withdrawal liability issues. Has handled labor and employment law matters that relate to or directly affect employee benefit plans but that arise under general employment law. These matters include certain issues, problems or projects under the National Labor Relations Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (for example, with respect to the design of early retirement programs), the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Has extensive experience in designing and implementing workforce reduction plans and in counseling employers in labor negotiations concerning employee benefit plans. Has extensive experience in counseling Taft-Hartley retirement and welfare funds of all sizes, and has represented such funds before the IRS, U.S. Department of Labor and PBGC, and in matters between the funds and their participants or beneficiaries.

Education

• Miami University

  Bachelor of Science (BS)

  1975 — 1979

• Case Western Reserve University School of Law

  Doctor of Law (JD)

  1979 — 1982