Overview
As a partner on Hunton’s employee benefits and executive compensation team, Rob counsels public, private, tax-exempt, and governmental entities, and other clients in matters including qualified retirement plans, health and welfare plans, and related benefit matters.
Rob finds practical business solutions that meet each client’s needs arising within the technical regulatory framework of employee benefits law under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. He has significant experience advising clients regarding the design, administration, operations, reporting, and disclosure of defined benefit plans, 401(k) retirement plans, 403(b) and 457 plans, employment agreements, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, stock plans, multiemployer plans, and health plans.
Rob helps employers attain favorable rulings from the IRS, DOL, and other governmental agencies, and he assists clients in obtaining the desired outcomes in audits by such agencies.
Rob has meaningful experience advising both public and private clients on the employee benefit and executive compensation aspects of mergers and acquisitions, which he uses to help clients assimilate plans and workforces following transactions.
Experience
- Thirty years of experience with defined benefit pension plans, defined contribution plans, and nonqualified plans in all compliance matters, including non-discrimination testing, VCP and IRS submissions, fiduciary advice, prohibited transaction exemptions and private letter rulings, and day-to-day compliance issues.
- Regularly advises plan fiduciary committees with respect to fiduciary duties and responsibilities.
- Advised trustees of multiemployer pension plan.
- Obtained a private letter ruling from the IRS that saved a plan sponsor $20 million in additional pension costs.
- Represented a public company in the spin-off of a new public company; assisted the companies in the establishment of all employee benefit plans for the new public company, including defined benefit plans, defined contribution plans, executive compensation plans, and welfare benefit plans.
- Represented and assisted plan fiduciaries in transferring $500 million in pension assets and liabilities to insurer (an "annuity lift out").
- Advised on the design and restructuring of several defined benefit pension plans and defined contribution plans for a Fortune 500 company.
- Represented several university general counsels and boards of trustees in the design and negotiation of employment agreements and deferred compensation plans for executive officers and athletic coaches.
- Represented a multinational corporation in a merger and identified $2 million in savings from potential costs associated with non-compliant, non-qualified deferred compensation plans.
- Advised public and private companies with respect to equity and phantom equity compensation plans, grant agreements, and necessary disclosures.
- Advised public companies with the compensation discussion and analysis of the yearly proxy disclosures.
- Chairman of Retirement Plan Investment Committee of previous law firm from 2016-2023.
Accolades
Honors & Recognitions
- Ranked in Band 4 for Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation, District of Columbia (2024), Chambers USA
- Recommended for Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation and Retirement Plans: Transactional (2022, 2023) and Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation and Retirement Plans: Design (2023), Legal 500 United States
- Recognized as a Best Lawyer for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law (2009-2025) and Lawyer of the Year for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law in Virginia (2021, 2025), The Best Lawyers in America®
Affiliations
Professional
- Central Virginia Employee Benefits Counsel, Member
- American Bar Association, Member
Insights
Events & Speaking Engagements
News
Education
JD, Cleveland State University College of Law, 1994
BS, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1988
Admissions
Virginia
