Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins), one of the nation’s largest labor and employment law firms, welcomes Irene Gallagher as a shareholder to the firm’s Denver office. Gallagher focuses her practice on employee benefits law and executive compensation. Prior to joining Ogletree Deakins, she was a partner with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP in Denver. With Gallagher and her employee benefits practice, Ogletree Deakins’ Denver office adds to the robust and balanced labor and employment law experience that includes areas such as class action defense, workplace safety and health, immigration, international law, wage and hour, and traditional labor relations. Since opening with two attorneys in early 2010, the Denver office has grown to 18 attorneys serving employers throughout Colorado, the region, and the United States.
Throughout her career, Gallagher has advised employers on all planning and compliance aspects of their benefits and executive compensation programs. She has represented clients in regulatory matters before the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Labor, including audits, correction programs and negotiation of settlement agreements, and conducted large scale internal audits for self-correction of plan defects. Gallagher has extensive experience in the design and implementation of tax-qualified retirement plans such as 401(k) plans, ESOPs and cash balance pension plans, as well as pension and profit sharing plans. She has handled the restructuring of executive and broad-based equity compensation plans and agreements, and the negotiation of benefits in securities transactions, mergers and acquisitions. Gallagher also counsels clients on the securities law aspects of equity compensation and executive compensation, drafts prospectuses for equity plans and drafts and reviews proxy disclosures, including compensation and disclosure analyses.
“Irene is universally regarded as one of the top employee benefits attorneys in the Rocky Mountain West, and we are thrilled to have her join our Denver office,” said Steve Moore, the office’s managing shareholder. “When we opened in 2010, I predicted we would grow rapidly and strategically in satisfying the demands of employers seeking solutions to a range of workplace issues.”
Gallagher is very active in her community. She is the President of the Governing Board of the Western Pension & Benefits Conference, serving 10 chapters of the professional organization throughout the Western states. Professionally, Gallagher is an active member of the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries. As a speaker, presenter, and author, Gallagher is frequently called upon to help employers understand the key issues within the realm of employee benefits including, wellness programs, plan audits, equity compensation, and exit strategies, among others.
Gallagher is a highly regarded lawyer whom both clients and colleagues laud for her knowledge and commitment to client service. She has been listed in Best Lawyers in America and Colorado Super Lawyers for three consecutive years. She has also retained a Preeminent AV rating in Martindale Hubbell for six consecutive years. Gallagher earned her J.D., cum laude, from University of Illinois College of Law in 1995, and a B.A., with honors, from the University of Chicago in 1992.
