Sarah Burke
Partner
Overview
Sarah Burke is an executive compensation and benefits attorney in Holland & Knight's New York office. Ms. Burke focuses on employee benefits matters in connection with complex public and private company transactions.
Ms. Burke advises clients on compensation, benefits and issues related to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) arising in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), private equity investments, financings and restructurings. She has extensive experience drafting and negotiating executive compensation arrangements, including employment, retention, separation, equity and profits interest agreements, as well as preparing related disclosure and transaction documents.
In addition, Ms. Burke counsels clients on ERISA compliance and employee benefits matters, including plan design and administration, and she has experience assisting with the correction of retirement plan operational issues under IRS compliance programs. Her practice is closely integrated with M&A, private equity and investment management deal teams on high-value and cross-border transactions.
Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Burke practiced at several international law firms, where she advised on a broad range of executive compensation, benefits and ERISA matters for corporate, private equity and financial services clients, building more than 15 years of experience in the field.
Before beginning her legal career, she served with Teach for America and taught kindergarten in Los Angeles.
Representative Experience
- Advised a manufacturer of electrical conduit, cable management and infrastructure solutions in the sale of its high-density polyethylene and conduit business to a provider of polyethylene pipeline solutions
- Advised a global specialty reinsurance and insurance underwriter in the sale of its Canadian retail insurance operations to another Canadian mutual insurance firm
- Advised an industrial distributor and solutions provider in its acquisition of a global provider of flow control distribution, service, repair and manufacturing solutions
- Advised an investor group in its $7.4 billion acquisition of a British-American global asset management group
- Advised a global digital solutions and services provider in its acquisition of an Ireland-headquartered information technology (IT) solutions and managed services provider
- Advised a global specialty reinsurance and insurance underwriter in the sale of the renewal rights for its global retail commercial insurance business to AIG
- Advised a global leader in IT services in the acquisition of a 100 percent stake in a leading Salesforce Summit partner
- Advised a global alternative investment firm in its sale of a U.S.-based manufacturing business to a British investment firm in a transaction valued at approximately $1.9 billion
- Advised a nationwide platform in the essential home services industry in a significant equity investment from an investment firm
- Advised a U.S. streaming platform in its acquisition of a subscription streaming service
- Advised an American private equity company in its investment to fund a $2.7 billion acquisition of a leading manufacturer of safe lifting and securement solutions
- Advised a global digital solutions and services provider in its acquisition of a majority stake in an Elite ServiceNow partner
- Advised a Japanese multinational equipment and materials manufacturer operating in the healthcare and industrial industries in the $600 million sale of its subsidiary to an American health technology company
- Advised a retail chain that sells home improvement, agriculture, lawn and garden maintenance, livestock, equine and pet care equipment in its acquisition of an online pet pharmacy
- Advised a telecommunications company in its $20 billion acquisition of the largest pure-play fiber internet provider in the U.S.
Credentials
- Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, J.D., cum laude
- Loyola Marymount University, M.A., Elementary Education
- Northwestern University, B.A., History and Philosophy, cum laude
- New York
- American Bar Foundation, Fellow