Mark E. Bokert is chair of the Benefits & Compensation Practice Group of Davis & Gilbert. His practice encompasses nearly all aspects of executive compensation and employee benefits, including matters related to equity plans, deferred compensation plans, phantom equity plans, qualified retirement plans and welfare plans. For nearly two decades, Mr. Bokert has regularly advised clients on the design, establishment, administration and termination of their plans. He represents a wide variety of clients, from large publicly-held companies to individual executives, within a broad range of industries, including investment banking, advertising, media and insurance.

In the area of executive compensation, Mr. Bokert has structured and drafted many stock option, restricted stock and other equity-based incentive plans, as well as complex employment and separation agreements. He has extensive experience in Section 409A and deferred compensation arrangements, and has created countless SERPs, long-term incentive plans, and other deferral arrangements. He regularly counsels clients on the tax, ERISA, and securities law implications of executive compensation arrangements, as well as the accounting rules that apply to such arrangements.

Mr. Bokert also has significant knowledge in the area of qualified plans, including 401(k), profit sharing, ESOPS, and defined benefit plans. In particular, Mr. Bokert has extensive experience in counseling plan committees on their fiduciary responsibilities under ERISA. He also regularly advises clients on a wide variety of issues, including plan qualification, nondiscrimination testing, reporting, disclosure, the correction of qualification errors, and design features, such as automatic enrollment, Roth 401(k) and qualified default investments.

Mr. Bokert also has extensive experience handling all of the executive compensation and employee benefit matters that arise in connection with mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs, divestitures and financings.