Thomas J. Paravola

Thomas Paravola is Of Counsel at Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella, P.C. Tom has been practicing exclusively in the area of employee benefits law for more than 30 years. His practice consists of drafting required documents and providing legal advice and representation concerning all matters relating to pension and profit sharing retirement plans (including 401(k) plans), health and welfare benefit plans (including cafeteria plans), and deferred compensation and equity based on executive arrangements (particularly stock option plans).

Tom addresses benefits issues arising in business merger and acquisition transactions and financing transactions involving plan assets, and consults on benefit claim litigation, QDRO preparation, and distribution planning and tax issues. He has represented benefit plans before both the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Labor.

His practice includes working with small to mid-size private sector employers, as well as governmental, church and tax-exempt entities, on the full range of employee benefit plan matters.

Tom acts as counsel to a number of multiemployer pension and health and welfare funds. Services provided include attending and preparing minutes of Board of Trustees’ meetings, drafting documents for the maintenance and administration of the trusts and plans of benefits, providing advice concerning compliance with applicable legal requirements, and addressing all matters referred to him by the Board of Trustees as well as by the Trusts’ administrators and other service providers as authorized and directed by the Board of Trustees.

Tom is a 1978 graduate of Elmhurst College, with majors in accounting and history, and a 1981 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law. In addition to his private practice at Burke Warren, Tom's prior benefits experience includes work with an employee benefits consulting firm, in his own private practice, and with other Chicago law firms.