Biography
Alyca Riley Garrison is an associate in Jackson Walker’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice. Alyca represents public and private sector clients in all areas of employee benefits and executive compensation. Alyca also represents and advises municipal and statewide public pension plans in the state of Texas on a variety of issues arising under federal and state law, including plan administration, statutory interpretation, fiduciary compliance, governance, tax qualification, and plan investments.
As part of the ERISA practice group, Alyca regularly assists clients with design, compliance, and tax issues related to all types of retirement plans, deferred compensation plans, stock option and equity compensation plans, incentive bonus plans, severance and employment agreements, and transaction bonus or change-in-control plans. Alyca also assists clients with corrective filings under the voluntary correction program sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service. Alyca regularly works with Jackson Walker’s Corporate & Securities practice to address employee benefit and executive compensation issues that arise in mergers and acquisitions, including reviewing the employee benefits provisions of transactional documents, advising on Section 409A and 280G issues, and drafting and implementing incentive or equity compensation plans.
Prior to joining Jackson Walker, Alyca worked as a Tax Manager at one of the Big 4 Accounting firms serving domestic and international clients in various industries including insurance, highway construction, technology, and food service. Alyca’s experience and background as a certified public accountant allow her to effectively assist clients in navigating many complex employee benefit and compensation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, including both Section 409A and Section 280G.
Education
B.B.A. Accounting, magna cum laude, Baylor University
- Master of Taxation (MTax), Baylor University
J.D., magna cum laude, Baylor University School of Law
- Technical Editor, Baylor Law Review
Certified Public Accountant, Texas, 2009
Bar Admissions
Texas, 2016
- Guest, “Texas Open Meetings Act in the Era of Social Distancing,” Jackson Walker Fast Takes Podcast (April 2020)
- Panelist, “Preparing Your 401(k) Plan for Inspection,” Southwest Benefits Association (SWBA) 2019 Webinar Series, (June 2019)
- Author, “IRS Provides for Expedited Loans and Hardship Distributions from Retirement Plans,” Jackson Walker Insights (September 2017)
- American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
- Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants
- National Association of Public Pension Attorneys
- Texas Association of Public Pension Attorneys, Vice President, 2017-2018
- American Bar Association – Tax Section