Best Lawyers in District of Columbia, United States for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Christy Tinnes is involved in all aspects of health and welfare plans, including the Affordable Care Act, ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). She represents large employers designing health plans as well as insurers designing new products. She frequently advises both employers and service providers on the legal requirements for wellness programs, including HIPAA, ADA, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. She also has significant experience working...
Brittany McCants is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Brittany, who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Brittany is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Carolyn E. Smith is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Carolyn E., who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2019. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Carolyn E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Mark L. Stember is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law and Litigation - ERISA. Mark L., who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2010. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Mark L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Brigen Winters counsels employers, plan administrators, financial institutions, insurers, trade associations, and coalitions on retirement, health and welfare, tax, executive compensation, regulatory, and legislative matters. Brigen helps clients achieve compliance and obtain favorable outcomes through amendments from Congress and regulatory guidance from the IRS and Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services. He counsels clients on all aspects of tax-qualified and individu...
Thomas M. Cryan, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Thomas M., who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Thomas M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Damian Myers, based in Washington DC, is a partner in the Corporate practice group. He represents public and private companies and nonprofit organizations on matters related to employee benefits and executive compensation. My focus I provide ongoing advice to clients on a broad range of compliance issues, including ERISA, tax, corporate, and securities laws and regulations. Leading a team of ERISA attorneys, I focus on the design and administration of health and welfare benefit plans. I advis...
Kevin P. O’Brien is a partner in the firm’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice. His practice has concentrated in employee compensation and benefits for over 30 years. Kevin is widely known as a leader in a wide variety of subjects, including innovative defined benefit plan design, flexible benefits, ERISA fiduciary matters and executive compensation. Before joining the firm, Kevin worked in the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration at the Labor Department ...
Ian represents companies, executives, and fiduciaries in connection with Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) litigation, employee benefits and executive compensation matters, class actions, and other commercial disputes. Trained as a trial lawyer, Ian has focused almost exclusively on employee benefits related litigation for the past 15 years. What do you focus on? I focus my practice on ERISA litigation. With broad experience in this area, I help defend plans, fiduciaries, and co...
An expert on ERISA’s fiduciary rules and government regulation of health insurance, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Jon Breyfogle counsels numerous financial services firms, health insurers, and their D.C.-based trade associations on retirement and health matters. His practice includes advice on regulatory and legislative strategies, compliance, and defense of federal and state investigations. Jon has testified before Congress and at Department of Labor hearings on both retirem...
Jodi H. Epstein is a partner in Ivins, Phillips & Barker's Employee Benefits practice. She focuses on qualified plans, with particular expertise in integrations after acquisitions, setting up benefit platforms, and advising qualified plan committees regarding their fiduciary duties. Jodi’s practice includes day-to-day compliance issues, such as assisting with implementation of new legislation and regulations, filing determination letter applications for qualified plans, trouble-shoo...
Israel (Izzy) Goldowitz has more than 35 years of experience in employee benefits, most notably with mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, and bankruptcy as they affect pension plans. As the Chief Counsel for the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), Izzy led the legal teams that helped save the pensions of such companies as Chrysler and American Airlines. Working closely with financial analysts, actuaries and outside advisors, he also led the legal teams that negotiated pension pro...
David Levine is co-chair of the firm’s employer-focused practice. He advises plan sponsors, advisors, and other service providers on a wide range of employee benefits matters, from retirement and executive compensation to health and welfare plan matters. David advises on the design and redesign of complex retirement, executive, and health and welfare plans; ongoing, day-to-day counseling of plan sponsors; in-depth compliance reviews of corporate and governmental benefit programs; altern...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.