George W. Braun and Joseph F. Murphy
George W. Braun
George W. Braun is a partner in the employee benefits group of Pepper Hamilton LLP, resident in the Philadelphia office. He has experience in a wide variety of employee benefits and related tax matters, including the design, implementation, operation, communication, and termination of qualified retirement plans, including defined benefit pension plans and 401(k) plans; benefits and compensation issues arising in the transactional context, including the termination and continuation of employee benefit plans, and the establishment of mirror image plans immediately following acquisitions; employee stock ownership plans, including ESOPs implemented as part of 401(k) plan arrangements, and other qualified and non-qualified plans involving employer securities; stock option, restricted stock, phantom stock, and special deferred compensation and incentive compensation programs for executives; and personal tax planning for distributions from qualified and non-qualified programs.
Mr. Braun's client responsibilities range from multinational corporations with more than 50,000 U.S. employees to trade associations and family businesses. He also has experience in representing clients seeking rulings from or under audit by the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Labor.
Education
B.S. 1975 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Phi Beta Kappa
J.D. 1979 University of Pennsylvania Law School
Bar Admissions
Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania
Joseph F. Murphy
Joseph F. Murphy is an attorney with Pepper Hamilton LLP, resident in the Philadelphia office. Mr. Murphy’s practice includes all areas of employee benefits law and executive compensation. He has experience with qualified domestic relations order (QDRO) outsourcing, drafting incentive and equity-based compensation arrangements, change in control agreements, and executive employment and separation agreements, designing and drafting stock option plans, and drafting, amending and terminating tax-qualified defined benefit, defined contribution, and health and welfare plans and preparing related employee communications.
Prior to joining Pepper, Mr. Murphy was an associate with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Philadelphia, where he worked extensively on tax-related matters for exempt and nonprofit organizations.
Mr. Murphy received his undergraduate degree from La Salle University with a dual major of finance and management information systems (B.S., 2002). In 2007, he received his J.D. and M.B.A. from Temple University School of Law, where he was a member of the Business Law Society and the Moot Court Honor Society.
Mr. Murphy is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania.
Education
B.S. 2002 LaSalle University
M.B.A. 2007 Temple University Fox School of Business
J.D. 2007 Temple University School of Law
Bar Admissions
Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania