Eugene M. Holmes (LAW’95)

Eugene Holmes is Assistant General Counsel and Benefits Counsel at The Walt Disney Company where he counsels internal clients (HR (including Enterprise Benefits), ER, Finance (including Pension and Investments), Controllership, Tax and Payroll) on all aspects of employee benefit and executive compensation issues, as well as other contemporary HR compliance issues both domestically and internationally. He also provides counsel to the Corporate Committee (comprised of Senior Company Executives) responsible for overseeing the Company’s pension and medical employee benefit programs. He is a member of the Employment Law Center of Excellence Team. He prides himself on his ability to translate complex legal issues into simple, understandable and actionable concepts. He has been a strategic thought partner on numerous corporate transaction, benefits harmonization, and workforce resiliency teams. Prior to joining Disney in December 2013, Eugene was Senior Counsel at Proskauer LLP in the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice where he managed two associates and prior to that he was a Partner at McDermott Will & Emery where he also managed two associates. He also teaches summer law school classes at the USC Gould School of Law.

Eugene is originally from Detroit, Michigan and attended Detroit public schools. After high school he attended Michigan State University and graduated with a B.S. in Social Science. After graduating from MSU and prior to attending law school, he was a Sales and Sales Management professional with Procter & Gamble for five years where he led a team of six sales representatives. After working at P&G, he earned a J.D. from Boston University School of Law, and an L.L.M-Taxation, from Georgetown University Law Center. He is admitted to practice law in Michigan, Washington D.C., Massachusetts, Georgia and California.

Eugene is a firm believer in “paying it forward” which is why he continues to mentor young people. He is also actively involved in Disney Legal’s pro bono efforts including both Public Counsel’s child adoptions and government benefits advocacy program and the Homeless Youth Handbook Pro Bono Project. Eugene has recently been nominated for the Board of Directors of Western Justice Center. He co-established the Emanuel Hewlett 1877 Award Fund at BU Law to provide annual awards to students who are active in the Black Law Students Association and endowed the Eugene M. Holmes Scholarship Fund at MSU to provide funds for minority students graduating from Detroit Public Schools. He has held numerous leadership roles within the American Bar Association’s Health Law and Tax Sections and Chaired the ABA’s Joint Committee on Employee Benefits. He is an active member of Disney Lawyers of Color+ having led programs for the Inspire task force and he is a strategic thought leader and member of the Disney Dream Team. He resides in Glendale, California with his domestic partner. When not working, Eugene is an avid runner having completed over 15 marathons including several Boston, New York City and Chicago marathons. He is a sneaker-head and audiophile.