Nick Tomlinson is an employee benefits attorney with nearly 20 years of experience in both Big Law and as senior in-house counsel at a Fortune 500 company. Nick advises clients across the full spectrum of employee benefits and compensation matters, including the design, implementation, and administration of qualified plans, health and welfare plans, and non-qualified deferred compensation plans and arrangements. He regularly counsels clients regarding their ERISA fiduciary obligations, helps develop governance structures such as fiduciary committees and related processes, negotiates third-party administrator and other service provider agreements, and works with clients to implement practical solutions to comply with the several laws affecting employee benefits. He also advises on compensation-related matters, including stock option plans, change-in-control agreements, bonus programs, and other deferred compensation arrangements.

Nick has significant experience guiding clients through plan corrections and operational failures, taking advantage of IRS and DOL compliance resolution programs when applicable, He also represents clients in  plan audits and investigations, Throughout his practice, Nick brings a practical, business-minded approach to managing complex regulatory requirements while supporting broader business objectives, including mergers, sales, and other business transactions and labor negotiations, when  compensation and employee benefits are implicated.

Outside of his practice, Nick is an adjunct instructor at the Henry Bernstein College of Business Administration at the University of New Orleans and serves on the Board of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, a nonpartisan, nonprofit focused on advancing early care and education policy. He lives in New Orleans and, true to his Cajun roots, enjoys cooking gumbo, crawfish étouffée, other regional favorites, as well as cheering on the Tigers on fall Saturdays. Nick is a licensed skydiver and an avid traveler and outdoor enthusiast, often found hiking when he’s not working.