Jason Loden
Partner, Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits
Jason Loden is a partner in Willkie’s Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Department. He is based in the Dallas office.
Jason advises public and private companies, private equity funds and nonprofit entities on a wide range of executive compensation, employee benefits and tax matters. He regularly provides counsel to employers on the implementation and administration of employee benefit plans, such as qualified retirement plans, nonqualified deferred compensation plans, equity incentive plans, and welfare benefit programs.
Jason also advises on employee benefit and executive compensation issues in mergers and acquisitions, and provides regulatory guidance on compliance with ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code and related regulatory requirements.
Experience
- Named in Chambers USA, 2025 for Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
- Named in The Legal 500 U.S for Tax: Domestic Tax; Labor and Employment: Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation, and Retirement Plans-Design, 2015, 2018-2020
- Named in D Magazine's "Best Lawyers in Dallas" for Tax: ERISA/Employee Benefits, 2018-2025
- Recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer-Rising Star by Thomson Reuters for Employee Benefits/ERISA, 2013-2016
- Member, American Bar Association; Taxation Section
- Member, State Bar of Texas; Taxation Section
- Member, Mississippi Bar Association; Taxation Section
- Past President, Worldwide Employee Benefits Network-National Chapter
- Author, “Congress Continues Focus on Carried Interest Loophole,” Bloomberg Law, August 2021
Employee Benefits
- Represents employers with regard to qualified defined contribution and defined benefit plans, including issues arising with respect to the design and administration of such plans
- Represents employers with regard to the correction of failures under qualified retirement plans in accordance with the applicable Internal Revenue Service and Department of Labor correction programs
- Represents employers with regard to health and welfare benefit plans, including issues arising under ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, PPACA, and other federal laws
Executive Compensation
- Represents employers with regard to nonqualified deferred compensation plans and equity incentive plans, including issues arising under Internal Revenue Code sections 83, 162(m), 280G, and 409A
- Represents employers with regard to employee benefit and executive compensation issues arising in connection with mergers and acquisitions
- Represents both employers and executives with regard to employment agreements and other executive compensation arrangements
Private Equity
- Represents both portfolio companies and management teams regarding structure of carried interests
- Represents private equity funds with regard to benefit plan Investors
*Jason advised on some of these matters prior to joining Willkie.
Credentials
Education
New York University School of Law, LL.M., 2001 University of Mississippi School of Law, J.D. (cum laude), 2000 Millsaps College, B.S. (cum laude), 1997