Capabilities / Employee Stock Ownership Plans
ESOP transitions that work for everyone.
Husch Blackwell helps clients determine whether an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) is the best transition solution for their circumstances. Our ESOP lawyers have quarterbacked ESOP transactions across multiple industries, including food systems, banking, real estate and construction, manufacturing, professional services, and gaming, among others.
We counsel ESOP-owned companies in their own M&A activity, including acquisitions of target companies by the ESOP and the sale of ESOP-owned companies. In the day-to-day administration of an ESOP, we have extensive experience guiding ESOP clients through a myriad of tax and ERISA compliance issues through a pragmatic business focused approach. This includes counseling clients through IRS examinations and DOL enforcement activity, as well as representing clients in ESOP litigation.
Our ESOP law group includes certified public accountants, Fellows of the American Law Institute and the American College of Tax Counsel, and 10 attorneys named to U.S. News’ Best Lawyers in America 2023 list. As part of our full-service law firm, clients also have access to more than 1,000 attorneys who are highly knowledgeable in a wide variety of industries and areas of the law, including tax, corporate planning, finance, litigation, real estate, estate planning, labor and employment, and related areas.