Cory M.Hirsch

Partner

Whether negotiating an executive agreement or developing a competitive benefits and compensation platform to win the war for talent, Cory helps his clients push the envelope and navigate the confines of the law.


More About Cory

Cory’s practice addresses executive compensation arrangements, fiduciary governance, and retirement plan design and administration. He works with boards of directors, stakeholders, plan administrators, and plan fiduciaries regarding their strategic initiatives, duties, and responsibilities under federal law. 

On the fiduciary side, he assists investment committees and plan fiduciaries with the legal implications of all types of managed investments and financial instruments. He helps his clients take a 360-degree view of those investments and evaluate them to the standard the law requires. His guidance encompasses conflicts of interest, prohibited transactions and proper trust fees and expenses.

Cory also has substantial experience advising on executive employment and separation matters, negotiating employment and pay arrangements on behalf of organizations and executives. With a deep understanding of the unique determination and mindset of the C-level executive, his primary goal is to put his clients in a position of success. No matter which side of the negotiating table he is on, he engages in an educated discussion about options, the market, when to push and when not to push, and the likelihood of success for specific terms.

Because his clients work in increasingly leaner environments, he delivers advice that is practical and execution-oriented. To achieve this, Cory’s primary client service strategy is listening, with an objective of understanding both his clients’ wishes and the ultimate audience of that advice. He pays avid attention to the details of his clients’ business challenges, synthesizing and asking the right questions to arrive at viable solutions. He builds close relationships with his clients, adding a personal touch, whether he’s advising on the parameters of the law, or remembering an important milestone in his client’s life. He puts people and relationships first because “once you have that foundation, you can work through anything.”

Cory always takes a team-oriented approach, honed by his years of swimming and water polo at the collegiate level. He knows his own strengths and when to bring in a colleague better suited to advise. The excellence of his Seyfarth colleagues allows him to confidently serve his clients, no matter the issue.

His focus on relationships is not limited to his practice. Cory is also the co-managing partner of the firm’s Chicago office, where he takes pride in building an energized culture of collaboration and community service. He is also a chair of the firm’s Seyfarth Life initiative, which seeks to build organizational resiliency through well-being programs for both attorneys and staff.

  • MHA, Washington University
  • JD, Washington University School of Law
  • BA, Cornell University
  • Illinois