Jonathan D.Karelitz

Partner

Jon partners with clients to design and manage benefit programs that align with company culture, strategic business goals, and their “true north.”


More About Jon

Compensation and benefits are important attraction and retention tools for employers; they are also subject to a complex and evolving set of laws. Clients look to Jon for practical solutions to the legal, strategic, and operational challenges presented by compensation and benefit programs. He is experienced and pragmatic, approaching issues by understanding his clients' goals, risk tolerance, and the outcomes that are acceptable (and unacceptable).

Jon has been recognized by in-house counsel as a BTI Client Service All-Star for "delivering the absolute best client service" and his "unmatched business understanding." He is the relationship partner for several publicly-traded and large privately-held corporations, and provides timely, actionable advice in the following specific areas:

Executive Compensation: Jon is co-chair of the firm's Executive & Equity Compensation practice. Specifically, Jon helps employers hire, incentivize, and discharge key employees, including negotiating and drafting employment and severance agreements. He has experience designing and counseling on all types of equity compensation arrangements for publicly traded, closely-held, and private equity portfolio companies. Jon also helps clients navigate the complex tax rules governing nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements and performance-based compensation. In addition, he helps clients comply with SEC executive compensation disclosure rules and drafts disclosure materials, including CD&As.

Retirement Plans: Jon helps clients implement and administer pension and 401(k) plans. He has worked on cutting-edge pension de-risking projects, including one of the largest pension buyouts in US history. Jon routinely assists clients with the correction of plan operational errors, and has represented clients in numerous IRS and Department of Labor audits. He also advises investment committees and plan fiduciaries on the legal implications of all types of managed investments and financial instruments. In addition, Jon helps plan administrators respond to participant claims and appeals, and uses project management tools and technology to efficiently manage high-volume claim loads.

Health & Welfare Plans: Jon advises employers regarding the design and day-to-day administration of group health and welfare plans, including compliance with the evolving landscape of health care reform laws. He also trains management and HR employees on legal obligations and best practices for the protection of employee health information, as required under HIPAA.

An underlying theme in all of Jon's work is his passion for solving interesting problems with great teammates across the firm. His clients benefit from his positive working relationships with colleagues that are, in his words, "smart, energetic, and personable."

  • LLM, The John Marshall Law School
    Employee Benefits

    With honors

  • JD, Indiana University Maurer School of Law

    CALI Award in Employee Benefits Law

  • BA, Northwestern University
  • Illinois