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Robert Wynne

Robert B. Wynne Partner

Richmond T +1 804 775 1868 F fax +1 804 225 5343
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Robert serves as co-chair of the firm’s Employee Benefits Practice Group and chair of the firm’s Pension Committee. He concentrates his practice on executive compensation and employee benefits law.

He regularly counsels public, private and tax-exempt employers and executives on equity and non-equity incentive arrangements, non-qualified deferred compensation plans and tax-qualified retirement plans, as well as health and welfare benefit programs and issues involving ERISA fiduciary responsibilities. In particular, Robert has significant experience addressing compensation and benefits matters in mergers and acquisitions, and frequently advises private equity and contributing employer clients on multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liability and other union-related obligations.

Robert regularly represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Labor and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, and is well versed in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s executive compensation proxy disclosure rules.

Experience
  • Ongoing representations as outside ERISA counsel to public and private companies on all aspects of the design, administration and regulatory compliance of executive compensation arrangements, tax-qualified defined benefit and defined contribution retirement, health and welfare benefit plans.
  • Advise variety of public company clients on executive compensation- and employee benefits-related disclosure obligations under the U.S. securities laws.
  • Counsel multiple plan sponsor administrative and investment committees as to ERISA fiduciary considerations and plan governance issues.
  • Advise clients as to documentary and operational compliance with 409A rules governing non-qualified deferred compensation.
  • Representation of clients as to the design and implementation of voluntary separation programs under ERISA.
  • Representation of clients in interactions with the IRS, DOL, and PBGC relating to benefit plans, including plan audits and corrective filings.
  • Representation on employee benefits matters in the context of corporate transactions, including conducting due diligence reviews, negotiating terms of the sale and purchase agreements and advising on post-closing operation and integration of plans.
  • Representation of clients facing claims for multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liability as to legal defenses and settlement.
  • Representations of tax-exempt employers as to 401(k), 403(b), 457(b) and 457(f) plans.

Events

  • Faculty, "ERISA Successor and Affiliate Liability in Asset Sales and Distressed Benefit Plans," Strafford Webinar, February 4, 2026
  • Faculty, "Controlled Group Liability and Successor Employer Rules: ERISA and IRC Provisions, Limiting Claims, Seller Liability," Strafford Webinar, May 13, 2025
  • Faculty, "Equity Incentive and Deferred Compensation – Overview of Structures and Planning Opportunities," 75th Virginia Conference on Federal Taxation, June 7, 2024
  • Faculty, "Controlled Group Liability and Successor Employer Rules: ERISA and IRC Provisions, Limiting Claims, Seller Liability," Strafford Webinar, April 30, 2024
  • Faculty, "Controlled Group Liability and Successor Employer Rules: ERISA and IRC Provisions, Limiting Claims, Seller Liability," Strafford Webinar, May 31, 2023
  • Speaker, "Excess Benefit Transactions/Senior Leadership Compensation Structures," 19th Annual Nonprofit Seminar, Richmond and Charlottesville, September – October 2022
  • Faculty, Controlled Group and Affiliated Service Group Rules for Retirement Plans, Strafford Webinar, February 23, 2022
  • Faculty, "New PBGC Interim Final Rule: Special Financial Assistance, Withdrawal Liability Rules, Contribution Obligations," Strafford Webinar, September 14, 2021
  • Speaker, "Introduction to ERISA’s Fiduciary Requirements," LawPracticeCLE Webinar, April 26, 2019
  • Speaker, "’Til Death (Or Some Other Time) Do We Part: The Intersection of Divorce and Estate Planning," Washington D.C. Estate Planning Council, October 18, 2018
  • Speaker, "Recent Developments in Employee Benefits Law," New River Valley Society of Human Resource Management Full Day Legal Update, September 20, 2018
  • Speaker, Multiemployer Pension Plan Withdrawal Liability: An In-Depth Examination for Employers, Owners & Lenders, myLawCLE Webinar, September 28, 2017
  • Speaker, Employee Benefits in the Age of Trump, September 21, 2017
  • Speaker, "DOL Fiduciary Rule – What Plan Sponsors Need to Know," Rafalko Advisors Webinar, July 25, 2017
  • Speaker, "The Supreme Court’s Recent Take on Employee Benefits," Central Virginia Employee Benefits Council Seminar, May 4, 2016
  • Speaker, "Reportable Events and Dealing with the PBGC," Clear Law Institute Webinar, April 25, 2016
  • Faculty, PBGC Reportable Events: What You Need to Know About the New Rules, Lorman Education Services Webinar, March 17, 2016

Insights

  • Selected for inclusion in Leading Lawyers, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Virginia, Chambers USA, 2025, 2026
  • Selected for inclusion, “Ones to Watch: Mergers and Acquisitions Law,” The Best Lawyers in America, 2022-2025
  • Selected for inclusion in “Legal 500 United States,” Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design, 2023, 2025; Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional, 2023, 2024, 2025
  • Named to “Virginia Rising Stars,” Employee Benefits, Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2017-2019, 2021, 2022

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