David B. Walters

Mr. Walters concentrates his practice in employee benefits, corporate law and estate planning. He has more than 30 years of experience counseling employers on all aspects of employee benefit plan formation, administration, and taxation.

He also helps business clients form and develop their enterprises, including securing financing of assets and real estate. Mr. Walters frequently assists health care professionals with general corporate and employment matters with particular emphasis on retirement planning and employee benefit plan design and administration.

Mr. Walters has been involved in the establishment, revision, modification, merger and termination of pension, money purchase, stock bonus, ESOP and profit sharing plans (including all types of 401(k) plans), as well as group health plans, health care reimbursement plans, cafeteria plans and dependent care arrangements. He serves on the Great Lakes Area TE/GE Council. The Council maintains lines of communication between the Great Lakes Area TE/GE Division of the Internal Revenue Service and the practitioner community and provides input and advice regarding tax policies and procedures related to employee benefit tax issues.

Mr. Walters is listed as a 2024 Troy “Lawyer of the Year” for Employee Benefits by The Best Lawyers in America.  He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2025 under Employee Benefits Law, listed in Chambers USA 2024 under Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, and listed in Michigan Super Lawyers 2022 under Employee Benefits/ERISA. He is also listed as a 2025 “Top Lawyer” for Employee Benefits Law by DBusiness Magazine.

Honors, Awards, and Recognition

• The Best Lawyers in America® 2017, 2020 and 2024 Troy “Lawyer of the Year,” Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• The Best Lawyers in America® 2007-2025, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Chambers USA 2024, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
• DBusiness Magazine “Top Lawyers” 2009, 2011-2013, 2015-2025, Employee Benefits Law
• Michigan Super Lawyers 2006-2022, Employee Benefits

Professional Affiliations

• Great Lakes Area Tax Exempt/Governmental Entities (TE/GE) Council, EP Coordinator
• State Bar of Michigan
  • Employee Benefits Committee
  • Taxation Section
• American Bar Association
  • Employee Benefits Committee

Publications

• Co-Author (with Rebecca D’Arcy O’Reilly), “COVID Related Distributions from Retirement Plans | Part II,” Bodman COVID-19 Response Team Update, April 2020
• Co-Author (with Rebecca D’Arcy O’Reilly), “Modification of the Treatment of Over the Counter Medical Products as Qualified Medical Expenses,” Bodman COVID-19 Response Team Update, April 2020
• Co-Author (with Rebecca D’Arcy O’Reilly), “COVID Related Distributions from Retirement Plans,” Bodman COVID-19 Response Team Update, April 2020
• Co-Author (with Rebecca D’Arcy O’Reilly), “Continuing Group Health and Welfare Benefits for Employees on Furlough or Layoff,” Bodman COVID-19 Response Team Update, April 2020
• “Paycheck Protection Program: Which Employee Benefits Count as ‘Payroll Costs’,” Bodman COVID-19 Response Team Update, April 2020
• “CARES Act Provisions Related to Employee Benefits,” Bodman COVID-19 Response Team Update, March 2020
• “Executive Compensation Issues Amid the COVID-19 Crisis,” Bodman COVID-19 Response Team Update, March 2020
• “Interim Valuations for ESOPs and Balance Forward Plans,” Bodman COVID-19 Response Team Update, March 2020
• “Additional Guidance on Payment and Filing Deadlines,” Bodman COVID-19 Response Team Update, March 2020
• “Suspension of Loan Payments to a 401(k) Plan,” Bodman COVID-19 Response Team Update, March 2020
• “Participant Access to 401(k) Retirement Accounts,” Bodman COVID-19 Response Team Update, March 2020
• “401(k) Loan Requests,” Bodman COVID-19 Response Team Update, March 2020
• “Revisiting the Rules for Suspension or Reduction of Safe Harbor Contributions to a 401(k) Plan,” Bodman COVID-19 Response Team Update, March 2020
• “Trusts as Beneficiary of a Retirement Arrangement and the New Proposed Regulations,” Michigan Tax Law (Vol. XXIV, Issue 3, Third Quarter 1998)
• “Pension Simplification – Really! A Summary of Selected Pension Related Provisions in the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996,” Michigan Tax Law (Vol. XXI, Issue 4, Fourth Quarter 1996)

Related News

• 11/04/202478 Bodman Attorneys Included in DBusiness Top Lawyers 2025
• 08/15/202472 Bodman PLC Attorneys Listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2025
• 06/06/2024Chambers USA 2024 Recognizes Bodman as One of Michigan’s Top Business Law Firms
• 11/15/202377 Bodman Attorneys Included in DBusiness Top Lawyers 2024
• 08/18/2023Five Bodman PLC Attorneys Named 2024 “Lawyers of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America