Katherine Conklin

• ERISA & Employee Benefits

• Estate Planning, Trusts, Successions & Probate

• Executive Compensation

• Federal Tax

• State & Local Tax

• Tax

Kathy Conklin advises clients nationwide on tax matters, employment law compliance, employee benefits, estate planning, and successions. She brings a practical, solutions-oriented approach to helping employers and individuals navigate complex legal and regulatory frameworks while advancing their business and personal objectives.

A Board Certified Specialist in Tax Law and Estate Planning, certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization, Kathy leverages her extensive employee benefits experience to assist employers with the design, implementation, and ongoing administration of retirement plans, including 401(k) plans and Employee Stock Ownership Plans, as well as health and welfare benefit plans tailored to their operational needs.

Kathy counsels employers on maintaining compliance with applicable tax and labor laws such as ERISA, COBRA, and HIPAA, and represents clients in governmental correction programs, including the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System and the Delinquent Filer Voluntary Compliance Program. She also advises fiduciaries on governance, prohibited transaction issues, and strategies to mitigate fiduciary liability.

Kathy’s strong business background enables her to advise on sophisticated employee benefits and executive compensation matters arising in mergers and acquisitions, including the design and drafting of incentive compensation plans and employment agreements, as well as reviewing arrangements for compliance with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code.

In her estate planning and administration practice, Kathy assists individuals, families, and business owners with comprehensive wealth transfer and succession planning. She drafts wills, trusts, and powers of attorney, and represents clients in successions and probate matters of all sizes. Her work includes federal estate and income tax planning, estate freeze transactions, and the development of business succession and exit strategies. Kathy regularly advises on the tax and structural considerations involved in the sale of businesses to third parties, as well as intra-family transfers designed to preserve family wealth and continuity across generations.

In addition, Kathy counsels employers on compliance with a wide range of workplace laws, including FMLA, FLSA, ADA, and ADEA, from handbook development to termination considerations. She frequently assists employers in addressing issues involving troubled employees and drafts severance agreements in compliance with the Older Workers Benefits Protection Act.

Kathy also assists religious employers with immigration matters related to hiring religious workers from abroad.

• Member, New Orleans Bar Association

• Member, New Orleans Estate Planning Council

• Member, Louisiana State Bar Association

• Member, American Bar Association

• Member, Association of Employee Benefits Planners

• Member, U.S. Treasury’s Joint Tax Exempt and Government Entities Council (Former Officer, Liaison Group)

• Member, Women’s Professional Council of New Orleans (Bylaws Chair, 2025)