Ms Diane Dygert > Seyfarth Shaw LLP > Chicago, United States > Lawyer Profile

Seyfarth Shaw LLP
233 SOUTH WACKER DRIVE
SUITE 8000
CHICAGO, IL 60606 - 6448
ILLINOIS
United States

Work Department

Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation

Position

Partner and Chair of the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Department

Career

Diane Dygert has spent more than 30 years focused on the rules and regulations of employee benefits. Diane has considerable expertise in the health and welfare space, where she has counseled and trained clients extensively on HIPAA privacy compliance, health care reform, and wellness programs, including implementing compliant plans and policies. Diane’s focus on executive compensation matters includes employment and severance agreements, stock options, restricted stock, and performance-based compensation, as well as the international aspects of employee benefits issues. She counsels clients on the establishment and operation of qualified retirement plans with considerable experience in large corrections and the defense of government audits. She works with clients on establishing and conducting appropriate benefits governance and fiduciary compliance processes—critically important in this era of intense scrutiny.

Diane has served as an adjunct professor for the LL.M. in Employee Benefits Program at The John Marshall Law School, the first graduate-level law school curriculum in the country. Prior to joining Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Ms. Dygert was senior counsel at Waste Management, Inc., where she was responsible for legal review of all areas of employee benefits and executive compensation.

Memberships

  • American Bar Association, Section of Taxation
  • The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC)

Education

  • JD, University of Michigan Law School
  • BS, Cornell University

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design

(Leading lawyers)

Diane Dygert  – Seyfarth Shaw LLP

With offices in California, New York, Illinois, Georgia, Massachusetts, and New York, Seyfarth Shaw LLP’s employee benefits and executive compensation team is well placed to advise on a diverse range of state and national employment legislations in industries with unique specialized employment legal requirements, such as healthcare and construction. Diane Dygert chairs the department from the Chicago office, and is well regarded for ‘communicating complex issues in a clear and practical way‘. In the same office, Jennifer Kraft is a strong choice for clients in the healthcare, life sciences, and pharmaceutical industries, while Benjamin Conley has strong experience in counseling clients regarding the Affordable Care Act. Also in Chicago, Jon Karelitz assists clients in implementing and administering pension and 401(k) plans. In the Seattle office, Liz Deckman drafts and implements health and welfare plans, in addition to all types of tax-qualified retirement plans and trusts. In Los Angeles, Mitchel Whitehead is particularly knowledgeable in acting for financial services clients.