Meredith VanderWilt is a member of the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice at Polsinelli. She has been working in employee benefits since 2007. She focuses her practice on a variety of employee benefits matters, including the design and implementation of qualified plans, health and welfare plans, and non-qualified compensation arrangements, as well as compliance with the Internal Revenue Code, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA and PPACA.

Meredith also counsels a wide range of clients, including investors, investment funds, investment companies, fund managers (including registered investment advisers), private money managers and other institutional investors relating to the impact of ERISA and certain Internal Revenue Code requirements on such investments, including addressing ERISA plan asset and operating company compliance, such as matters relating to Venture Capital Operating Companies (VCOCs) and Real Estate Operating Companies (REOCs).

Education

  • Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law (J.D., 2011)
    • The University of Texas at Austin (B.A., 2006)

      Bar Admission

      • Texas, 2012

      Professional Affiliations

      • State Bar of Texas
        • Tax Section
          • Leadership Academy, 2014-2015
      • American Bar Association
        • Employee Benefits Committee of the Tax Section
          • Defined Benefit Plan Subcommittee
            • Assistant Vice-Chair, 2013-2016
            • Co-Vice-Chair, 2016-2019
      • Dallas Bar Association
        • Tax Section
        • Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Section  2018-2020 Committee Member
      • Southwest Benefits Association

      Recognition

      • Named one of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America in Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, 2021-2025
      Publications
      All Publications
      A Quick Look at Benefits and Executive Compensation Provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill
      On July 4, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB). For employers, the most notable benefits-related provisions include expanded flexibility for health savings accounts (HSAs) and new restrictions on premium tax credit eligibility – changes that may reduce the risk of triggering an employer shared responsibility penalty under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). While the OBBB does not change the tax incentives for retirement savings, nor does it cap the exclusion amount for employer-sponsored health insurance, it introduces several developments worth employer attention. A summary of key provisions follows. HSAs Extension of Telehealth Safe Harbor for HSA Participants. The OBBB permanently extends the COVID-era safe harbor allowing coverage of telehealth and other remote care services
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      New Final Department of Labor Rules on Investment Advice are Immediately Challenged in Court
      The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) recently issued final, new regulations (the “rules”) regarding who is considered an investment advice fiduciary that are slated to become generally effective on September 23, 2024, as well as some additional changes to prohibited transaction exemptions applicable to investment advisors. The new rules were immediately challenged on May 2nd by the Federation of Americans for Consumer Choice, Inc., among others, in a lawsuit against the DOL and the Secretary of Labor filed in the Northern District of Texas. The plaintiffs essentially allege, among other allegations, that the DOL exceeded its authority in issuing the rules in contravention to a Fifth Circuit case that invalidated a prior iteration of these rules. The DOL has asserted that it merely is
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