Best Lawyers in America for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
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State
Deborah B. Hembree is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Deborah B., who practices law in Atlanta, Georgia, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Deborah B. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
William E. O'Gara is Managing Principal of Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O'Gara LLC, whose practice focuses on employment and labor law and mediating disputes. With over 25 years of experience, Attorney O'Gara has handled a wide range of cases including employment discrimination, wage and hour claims and sexual harassment claims. Attorney O'Gara also assists clients with traditional labor law matters, ranging from contract negotiations to arbitration. As a trusted advisor, Attorney O'Gara wor...
Paula Calimafde chairs the firm’s Retirement Plans , Employee Benefits and Government Relations practice groups and is also a senior member of the Estate Planning , Tax and Nonprofit groups. She has more than 35 years of experience advising companies and tax-exempt organizations on qualified and non-qualified retirement plans and employee benefits, including non-qualified deferred compensation, welfare benefit and cafeteria plans. She is a nationally recognized leader in the field of cr...
Susan is highly regarded nationally in the area of health care reform and health and welfare benefits. She assists employers and health plans with their health care reform strategy and compliance with laws affecting group health plans, such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Employee Retirement Income Security Act, the CARES Act, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, and the Internal Revenue Code. Susan also has extensiv...
Kirsten Stewart is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Kirsten, who practices law in Denver, Colorado, has been recognized since 2009. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kirsten is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Clarissa advocates zealously and effectively for employee benefit plans, plan administrators, plan sponsors, and other fiduciaries before federal and state courts and government regulatory agencies. As a director in our nationally recognized ERISA litigation group (First Tier Nationally in US News and World Report Best Lawyers), she has handled a broad spectrum of litigation, including cases involving benefit claims, fiduciary issues, plan administration, multiemployer plans, withdrawal liabi...
Lynn M. Stathas is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Employment Law - Management and Labor Law - Management. Lynn M., who practices law in Madison, Wisconsin, has been recognized since 2009. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Lynn M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Mark sues insurance companies when they fail to pay claims. Varnum represents only insureds in these matters. Mark has helped shape the landscape of Michigan Insurance Law since 1985.He is regularly asked to speak on insurance issues for continuing legal education programs, and at other bar related activities. Mark is also Varnum's lead attorney in litigation matters dealing with employee benefit issues under ERISA. He has handled all facets of employee benefit litigation, from benefit claims...
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...
Cavender C. Kimble is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Health Care Law and Insurance Law. Cavender C., who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2007. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Cavender C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Melissa Weaver has practiced employee benefits law for over 35 years. Having previously served as an in-house attorney, she has a unique understanding of the needs of business owners regarding the design and implementation of employee benefits and deferred compensation plans. Melissa works with employers to design, draft, implement and maintain qualified retirement plans that benefit both the employer and the employees. She advises on best practices and provides counsel when issues arise, whe...
Having worked as an in-house compensation and benefits manager for a large manufacturer, Mike Nader takes pride in using that unique insight to advise clients in this ever-changing area of the law. He understands first-hand the dual pressures employers face in managing costs and delivering competitive benefits while remaining compliant with complex statutes, regulations and case law. Because Mike knows the realities clients encounter when managing employee benefits and executive compensation ...
Chris Stevenson is a tax attorney and Co-Leader of the Business Services practice group, who advises clients on a wide range of federal and state tax compliance issues and tax controversies before taxing authorities. Also a Certified Public Accountant, Chris delivers exceptional value to his clients, who are looking for practical, comprehensible and efficient solutions to complex legal problems. In his transactional tax practice, Chris frequently advises businesses on the tax aspects of merge...
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.