Wayne R. Luepker

Wayne R. Luepker, who died in 2012 at age 63, became a well-known expert on executive compensation matters. He was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel (the “College”) in 2009.

He received his B.A. from Grinnell College in Grinnell, IA in 1971 and earned his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1979.

In 1980, he joined the Chicago firm of Mayer, Brown & Platt (later known as Mayer Brown) in the Employee and Benefits Group and was named a partner in 1986. Wayne practiced in the compensation and benefits area for 32 years. In that time, he specialized in executive compensation and executive employment matters. His practice included stock-based and other incentive compensation arrangements, executive pension and deferred compensation arrangements, employment and separation agreements, retention, non-competition and confidentiality agreements, and change in control and other executive arrangements related to corporate transactions.

An example of the leadership of Wayne as a skilled executive compensation lawyer was advising clients on avoiding violations of the new game-changing provisions of Internal Revenue Code section 409A. Enacted as part of the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, it provided complex new rules to govern when deferred compensation under a nonqualified plan would need to be included in gross income and included significant penalties for noncompliance. The new law had many areas where the meaning and interpretation of the statutory provisions were not yet resolved which meant clients looked to lawyers like Wayne to parse the law, identify the pitfalls, and provide direction.

Wayne’s colleagues in the American Bar Association Section of Taxation also valued his expertise and leadership. From 1999 to 2009, he chaired the Executive Compensation Subcommittee of the Section on Taxation’s Employee Benefits Committee. Colleagues enjoyed working with him on Section projects, like comments on proposed guidance. For example, he participated in Section Comments on Stock Rights and Service Recipient Stock under Internal Revenue Code Section 409A Proposed Regulations in 2006. He also was a faculty member at the Practising Law Institute, and was a frequent speaker on executive compensation matters before professional associations.

He actively mentored many associates, sharing his knowledge readily and selflessly throughout his career. A quiet person, he could warm up a room with his smile. His colleagues and clients appreciated his thoughtfulness, generosity and intelligence.

In his personal life, he served as a member of the Board of Advisors for Catholic Charities, an organization whose mission to provide compassionate services to those in need expressed his own values. Known as a gentle man of great intelligence and grace, he generously contributed to the understanding of the developing law and helped educate other lawyers in the profession.

Photo Source: The Decade Book, American College of Employee Benefits Counsel 2000-2010