Masuda Funai

Employment, Labor & Benefits

Principal

Frank Del Barto, a Principal in the firm's Employment, Labor, and Benefits Practice Group, helps businesses transform complex employment and benefits challenges into strategic opportunities. With more than nineteen years of experience in employment law and employee benefits, he partners with organizations to navigate regulatory compliance, mitigate risk, and make informed decisions in rapidly evolving workplace environments.

Known for his practical, business-minded approach, Frank advises employers on a broad range of workplace matters, including discrimination claims, wage and hour compliance, leave and accommodation policies, executive employment agreements, and workforce management strategies. He also brings deep experience in ERISA and employee benefits, counseling clients on retirement plan governance, fiduciary responsibilities, regulatory compliance, and government audits. In addition, Frank serves as employment and employee benefits counsel on the firm's mergers and acquisitions transactions. He provides strategic guidance throughout the transaction lifecycle, from due diligence and risk assessment to closing and post-transaction integration.

Before entering the legal profession, Frank spent more than a decade in the insurance industry, working with major corporations and universities. This background provides him with a keen understanding of client priorities, operational realities, and business risk. Frank is also a former U.S. Army Officer and graduate of the Army Airborne and Ranger Schools. His commitment to service continues through his pro bono representation of military veterans before the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Admissions: Illinois, Michigan

American Bar Association

Chicago Bar Association (Former Chair of Employee Benefits Committee)

Illinois State Bar Association

International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans

J.D., The University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, 2007

LL.M., Employee Benefits Law, with honors, 2007

B.A., The Virginia Military Institute, 1987