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...
Douglas W. Ell enjoys solving difficult problems relating to employee benefits. His creative redesign of one benefit program saved a client over $20 million each year and was recently approved by the IRS. He drafted the first 401(k) plan in professional sports. Mr. Ell has represented a number of nationally recognized corporations, unions and multiemployer plans. He has litigated nationally with great success and persuaded Congress to make important changes in employee benefits laws. He has s...
Ruth Wimer is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Ruth, 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 Ruth is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Harold J. Ashner is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Harold J., who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Harold J. 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...
Jennifer Eller is co-chair of Groom’s Retirement Services Practice Group and Fiduciary Practice. She’s been with the firm since 1998, beginning as a law clerk, and has been a practicing attorney at Groom since 2000. As a practice group chair, Jenny ensures that the strategic direction and initiatives of the group position Groom to serve the needs of its financial, corporate, and public plan clients. In her practice, she operates from a similar perspective. She advises financial in...
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...
Lars Golumbic serves as the co-chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice. His ERISA litigation practice includes the defense of “excessive fee” and ESOP class actions brought against plan sponsors, fiduciaries, and service providers. Lars also represents health plan sponsors and health insurers in actions brought under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. Additionally, Lars defends plan trustees, fiduciaries, companies and their board members, and service provide...
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.
Justin S. Alex is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Justin S., 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 Justin S. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Elizabeth Thomas Dold’s practice focuses on the Internal Revenue Code and related compensation matters, including employment taxes and other reporting and withholding requirements. She covers all types of employee benefits, including qualified plans, IRAs, governmental plans, nonqualified deferred compensation plans, and health and welfare plans. She assists clients in all tax-related aspects of employee benefits including Internal Revenue Service (IRS) filings, compliance audits, desig...
Victor S. Chang is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Victor S., who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Victor S. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Linda E. Rosenzweig is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Linda E., who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Linda E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Mike Prame is seasoned trial attorney and counselor, with over two decades of experience representing clients in matters related to retirement and healthcare plans. His clientele is largely based in three primary sectors. First, he counsels businesses with underfunded defined benefit pension plans, particularly those plans under scrutiny by the PBGC. Second, Mike advises actuarial, benefit/investment consulting and recordkeeping firms that provide services in connection with retirement and he...
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.