NEW YORK, October 17, 2022: Morgan Lewis has added Austin Lilling, who most recently led the executive compensation and transactional employee benefits plans practices at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, as a partner in the New York office. Austin will continue providing comprehensive counseling to management teams and employers regarding their benefits and compensation arrangements and transactional matters.
“Shaping compensation and benefit plans, particularly when intertwined with multifaceted financial transactions, such as private equity deals and large restructurings, requires a high-level of skill where Austin’s sophisticated experience will be of value to our clients,” said Firm Chair Jami McKeon. “He is poised to align his well-rounded background for cross-practice collaboration in a number of areas, such as restructuring, tax, and private equity transactions, to provide our clients a full suite of services.”
Austin focuses on counseling senior executives, management teams, boards, employers, and other key stakeholders on benefits and compensation issues in mergers and acquisitions, financial restructurings, and investment fund acquisitions, as well as hedge fund and private equity fund matters. He is also called on to provide counsel relating to the unique compensation programs of real estate, media, and entertainment organizations. Austin has a depth of knowledge in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), corporate, and tax issues tied to benefits and compensation arrangements.
“We know Austin well having been on the other side of transactions, and we are confident he will seamlessly integrate with our team and be a great asset to our clients on day one,” said Craig Bitman, leader of Morgan Lewis’s employee benefits and executive compensation practice. “Austin’s representation of management teams in buyouts and with private-funds clients will add strength and additional clients to our management representation and executive compensation practices. His strong partnership tax background will also be extremely helpful to our private equity clients who frequently face complex tax issues in the compensation arrangements.”