Best Lawyers in America for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
State
From Chambers USA: “Shawn Kachmar stands out for both his in-depth knowledge of labor and employment law and excellent client service skills. As one interviewee comments: ‘Your problems always seem to be his priority – no matter how small you are, you always feel like you are his most important customer.’” Shawn Kachmar is a partner at HunterMaclean and practices in the areas of employment law , employee benefits , and business litigation . Shawn counsels employe...
Christian Hancey is a partner in the firm’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation group. He focuses on designing, reviewing and implementing a wide range of benefit and compensation programs structured to suit businesses and nonprofit organizations. What do you focus on? I counsel employers on all types of traditional benefit plans, including defined benefit pension plans, 401(k) and 403(b) plans, multiemployer plans, medical benefit plans, cafeteria plans, disability plans and o...
Steve Long leads the firm's Tax and Employee Benefits practice. He has extensive experience working with employers in banking, retail, and technology to establish and maintain retirement plans, executive compensation agreements, stock incentive plans and other employee benefits. Steve also advises charities and other tax-exempt organizations regarding their IRC 403(b) and IRC 457 retirement plans, as well as issues related to compliance with Internal Revenue Service and state regulations conc...
Carolyn E. Smith is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Carolyn E. practices law in Washington, District of Columbia Best Lawyers has recognized Carolyn E. Smith since 2019. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Carolyn E. Smith is held by other lawyers.
Rob Fowler is an executive compensation partner in the Houston office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. He has extensive experience in the negotiation and drafting of employment and consulting agreements, restrictive covenants, clawback arrangements, golden parachute arrangements and other executive compensation and incentive programs, including the various forms of equity compensation arrangements, and regularly advises clients on issues under Sections 409A and 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code...
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...
Josh Steele serves as a representative for both private and public sector employers in Pittsford, New York, covering diverse employment law matters. His experience spans from tackling wage and hour class action lawsuits to managing litigation and administrative proceedings under pivotal regulations such as Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the New York Labor and Human Rights Law. Alongside his work i...
Kyle Johnson is a shareholder in Capell & Howard, P.C. Kyle was admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 1975 after receiving his Bachelor of Science degree from Auburn University, where he was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa. Kyle received his Juris Doctorate degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Alabama, where he was a Hugo L. Black Scholar and a member of the Order of the Coif. He also received his LL.M. in Taxation, with honors, from the University of Alabama. Kyle is a native o...
Tom brings broad-based expertise to his representation of clients in the related areas of employee benefits, executive compensation, ERISA, taxation and employment law. He provides sophisticated counsel to middle market publicly and privately held business owners and employers, senior and C-suite executives, Boards of Directors and Board Committees. He also works closely with finance and human resources executives and external professional advisors and is often engaged by high-level business ...
S. John Ryan is a partner in Seward & Kissel’s Employee Benefits Group. He joined the Firm in 1998. John advises a variety of clients — publicly and closely held corporations, partnerships, governmental entities, tax-exempt foundations and sole proprietorships — concerning all aspects of employee benefits matters. These matters include representation involving the structuring, drafting, operation, amendment and termination of qualified and non-qualified pension, profit-s...
Ms. Broxterman was admitted to practice in the State of Georgia in 1997. She practices exclusively in the area of employee benefits law. She represents clients in the areas of qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, health and welfare plans, ERISA compliance, COBRA administration, compliance with the privacy rule under HIPAA, and other federal laws relating to employee benefits matters. Ms. Broxterman has published articles on various employee benefits topics, including the funding of s...
Tina M. Bengs is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Tina M. practices law in Indianapolis, Indiana Best Lawyers has recognized Tina M. Bengs since 2027. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Tina M. Bengs is held by other lawyers.
Andy has nearly 30 years of experience counseling and advising companies, both public and private, boards of directors, and executives and management, on the many and varied tax, ERISA, securities law, and corporate governance aspects of executive compensation and employee benefits. Andy has the ability to make highly technical and complex topics and issues more understandable and workable for clients dealing with executive compensation and employee benefits matters. As chair of the Compensat...
Clay Walts concentrates his practice in employee benefits and executive compensation, which includes drafting and preparing qualified retirement plans, welfare benefit plans and executive compensation arrangements for both public and closely held companies; addressing employee benefit issues in corporate transactions; advising clients on issues relating to the investment of plan assets and exemptions from the plan asset and prohibited transaction rules; and counseling clients on issues relati...
Tracy A. Vitols is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Tracy A. practices law in Boston, Massachusetts Best Lawyers has recognized Tracy A. Vitols since 2023. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Tracy A. Vitols is held by other lawyers.
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.
