Clarke Joins in Dallas; Brings a Decade of Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Experience

DALLAS (OCTOBER 19) – Kilpatrick announced today that Marsha Clarke has joined the Firm's Dallas office as Counsel on the nationally recognized Employee Benefits and Tax Team.

Ms. Clarke's has a broad range of experience on employee benefit and compensation matters, with a particular focus on health and welfare plans. She has developed her expertise not only as an outside counsel, but also as a Human Resources professional who has first-hand experience with the complex legal and administrative challenges that health & welfare plans present for employers.

Ms. Clarke advises clients on plan design and administration, service provider contracts, compliance reviews, and reporting requirements for employer welfare plans and retirement plans. Ms. Clarke also advises on employee benefits and executive compensation issues in mergers and acquisitions, including compliance with Internal Revenue Code Sections 409A and 280G.

"We welcome Marsha to Kilpatrick,” said Lois Colbert and Sterling Perkinson, Co-Leaders of Kilpatrick’s Employee Benefits and Tax Team. “Marsha, with more than 10 years of key experience, is another strategic addition to our growing team. She brings sophisticated knowledge of cutting-edge health & welfare plan issues as well as practical experience in offering and administering these benefits that will be a valuable resource for Kilpatrick clients across the Firm.”

Ms. Clarke drafts and reviews employee communications related to employee benefit plans, including summary plan descriptions (SPDs), summaries of material modifications (SMMs), and participant notices under ERISA and other applicable law.  She also prepares and submits filings under the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Department of Labor (DOL) correction programs, including the IRS Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS)/Voluntary Correction Program (VCP) and the DOL.

She earned her LL.M. in Taxation, her LL.M.  in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution, and her J.D. from Washington University School of Law, where she was Associate Editor and Alumni Committee Member of the Washington University Global Studies Law Review. Ms. Clarke holds an M.B.A. in Marketing and General Management from the University of Illinois and a B.A. in Literatures in English, with honors, from the University of the West Indies. She is admitted to practice in Texas, Illinois, and Missouri.

Ms. Clarke has been recognized as one of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law by The Best Lawyers in America®. She is a member of the Dallas Bar Association's Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Section, the SouthWest Benefits Association, and the American Bar Association's Taxation Section.

Ms. Clarke is the second high-profile attorney to join Kilpatrick’s Employee Benefits and Tax Team in the past month. Michele Alexander, a federal tax partner, joined the New York office in September.

About Kilpatrick

Kilpatrick is trusted counsel to the world’s most innovative companies. With recognized strength in the technology sector and a full range of service offerings, we deliver practical, business-centric solutions built upon strong and enduring connections. To serve our ground-breaking clients, we strive to be at the forefront of client service and on the cutting edge of law and technology.

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Media Contact:

Lauren Thompson | Director, Strategic Communications
LThompson@ktslaw.com