Bernard Peter

Bernard Peter’s practice concentrates in employee benefits law and the application of employee benefits law to business transactions and employment matters. He has worked on a broad range of employee benefits compliance and regulatory issues for clients ranging from small corporations to very large publicly traded companies, not-for-profit organizations and governmental entities.

He has drafted and amended qualified defined benefit and defined contribution plans, and medical and other welfare benefit plans, to comply with the Employment Retirement Security Act of 1974, as amended, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and regulations and rulings issued under ERISA and the Code. He has worked on Employee Stock Ownership Plans and has handled multi-employer withdrawal liability matters and IRS, U.S. Department of Labor and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation audits of retirement plans. He has prepared communication pieces, such as Summary Plan Descriptions and retirement statements, to communicate to employees of his clients the value of the employee benefits they are receiving from their employers.

He has implemented non-qualified retirement arrangements for executives and drafted severance plans and change of control provisions. In addition, he has provided legal services to clients on COBRA issues, the employee benefits aspects of acquisitions, mergers and divestitures, the termination of qualified defined benefit and defined contribution plans, and on post-retirement medical, flexible benefits issues and on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Mr. Peter has spoken at many Chicago Bar Association and Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) seminars including the 2016 and 2017 ELDER CARE BOOT CAMP presented by the ISBA. Also, Mr., Peter was the Program Coordinator of Pathways to Becoming Corporate General Counsel and the Issues You Will Face which program was offered by the ISBA in October, 2017. In addition, Mr. Peter has had over 30 articles on a number of employee benefits issues published in various ISBA publications.