Rick E. Wagner

Rick E. Wagner is of counsel in Stradling’s Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation practice group.With more than 20 years of experience advising in this area, Rick focuses on employee benefits matters, including complex tax and Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) compliance, qualified and nonqualified plan structuring, and business transaction support.

Rick has significant experience with employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), equity-based incentive plans, deferred compensation arrangements, and all forms of ERISA-covered pension plans. He also has worked extensively with the tax implications of these arrangements and has deep expertise regarding reasonable compensation determinations in both the for-profit and non profit sectors.

Rick has served on the AICPA Oversight Board for employee benefits and is a frequent presenter for professional organizations on a variety of subjects, including long term incentive plan design, FAS123R/ASC718, Code Section 409A, ESOPs and other employee benefits-related topics.

Prior to joining Stradling, Rick was a managing director with Denver Compensation and Benefits, LLC, a partner with BDO Seidman LLP, the Western Region Compensation and benefits practice leader at Grant Thornton LLP, and worked in the employee benefit consulting practice at Deloitte & Touche LLP.

Experience

Represented FNC Title Services, LLC in the sale of 100% of the membership interests of Falcon Master Holdings, LLC, the holding company of FNC Title Services, to Stewart Title Holdings, Inc. for approximately $105 million.  FNC Title Services is a real estate title company that is a leader in the reverse mortgage industry licensed in over 40 states.  Stewart Title is one of the largest title companies in the United States and is a subsidiary of the publicly traded company Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE: STC).  This was the second transaction for FNC Title in a little over a year. 
Represented Rebound Therapeutics Corporation in its $102.1 million acquisition by Integra LifeSciences Corporation (NAS: IART). Rebound is a rapidly-growing medical device company that is focused on developing innovative single-use disposable devices for access, imaging, and illumination during minimally invasive neurosurgical procedures. Integra is a world leader in medical technology, dedicated to limiting uncertainty for surgeons, so they can concentrate on providing the best patient care. 
Represented RTC Capital Partners in its investment in Hull & Associates.  Hull & Associates is a premier environmental and engineering consulting firm specializing in the Environment, Energy and Infrastructure markets in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.  RTC Partners is a private equity firm that focuses on investing in and building strong businesses with committed management teams in the professional, business, and healthcare services industries. We also represented RTC Partners in the related acquisition debt and equity financing transactions which closed simultaneously with the acquisition of Hull & Associates. 
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Credentials

Education
  • University of California, Davis, J.D., 1991
  • University of Southern California, B.S., finance, magna cum laude, 1986
  • Santa Clara University, Certified Equity Professional
  • California

Related Practices