Patrick guides employers in designing, documenting and administering employee retirement and welfare benefit plans.
In addition, clients turn to Patrick for help with COBRA, HIPAA and Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act regulatory compliance. Patrick assists clients in correcting form and operational defects in their qualified retirement plans and in obtaining favorable settlements for companies who have disputes with the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Labor and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC).
Patrick advises clients on employee benefits matters related to corporate transactions. For example, he conducts due diligence, reviews and drafts employee benefits provisions in acquisition documents, and provides guidance on dealing with the employee benefit plans of the parties after the transaction closes.
Patrick also negotiates third-party service provider agreements on behalf of welfare and retirement plans sponsored by employers.
Because of his background in mathematics and his knowledge of computer technology, Patrick is especially adept at handling retirement distribution planning matters and in analyzing different types of retirement plan formulas to provide maximum benefits to executives at the lowest possible cost.
Representative Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
- Obtained a favorable settlement with the IRS permitting a plan sponsor to retroactively amend its 401(k) plan to conform to plan operation, saving the plan sponsor several hundred thousand dollars in the process.
- Assisted an employer in navigating a complex prohibited transaction issue involving its group health plan.
- Assisted a Fortune 500 company in negotiating administrative services agreements with its employee benefit plan service providers.
- Successfully represented clients in obtaining favorable resolutions in IRS and DOL audits of their retirement plans.
- Designed separate retiree benefit plans for an employer to avoid having them be subjected to the requirements of the Affordable Care Act.
Professional & Civic Engagement
- Forsyth County Bar Association
- North Carolina Bar Association
- American Bar Association
Thought Leadership
- Presenter, "Navigating Employee Benefits in the Time of COVID-19," Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) 2020 Legal Update, June 2020
- Speaker, "The American Health Care Act (AHCA): What Employers Need to Know," Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Seminar, Winston-Salem, NC, June 2017
- Speaker, "The Affordable Care Act’s Cadillac Tax: What Employers Need to Know, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Seminar," Winston-Salem, NC, June 2016
- Speaker, "Affordable Care Act (ACA) Compliance Issues Unique to Colleges and Universities," North Carolina College and University Professional Association, Greensboro, NC, November 2015
- Speaker, "2015 Affordable Care Act Update: Information Reporting Requirements and More," Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Seminar, Winston-Salem, NC, June 2015
- Speaker, "Affordable Care Act Update: New Pay or Play Rules Applicable to Large Employers," Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Seminar, Winston-Salem, NC, June 2014
- Speaker, "Affordable Care Act Update: New Pay or Play Rules Applicable to Colleges and Universities," North Carolina College and University Professional Association, Spring Seminar, Winston-Salem, NC, May 2014
- Speaker, "Health Care Reform Overview," North Carolina Association of County Commissioners Meeting, Chapel Hill, NC, October 2013
- Speaker, "Health Care Reform Pay or Play Rules Applicable to Large Employers," Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Seminar, Winston-Salem, NC, June 2013
- Speaker, "Health Care Reform Pay or Play Rules Applicable to Colleges and Universities," North Carolina College and University Professional Association Spring Seminar, Winston-Salem, NC, May 2013
- Speaker, "Health Care Reform Update," Atlanta, GA, October 2012
- Speaker, "Wellness and the Law: What is Allowed?" ERISA Boot Camp Seminar, Winston-Salem, NC, October 2012
- Speaker, "Health Care Reform W-2 Reporting Requirements," Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Seminar, Winston-Salem, NC, June 2012
- Speaker, "Wellness and the Law: What is Allowed?" Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Seminar, Winston-Salem, NC, June 2011
- Speaker, "Health Care Reform Overview," Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Seminar, Winston-Salem, NC, June 2010
- Speaker, "New COBRA Premium Subsidy Presents Opportunities and Headaches for Clients," Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Seminar, Winston-Salem, NC, June 2009
