Best Lawyers in America for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
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State
Dipa N. Sudra is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law and Litigation - ERISA. Dipa N., who practices law in Seattle, Washington, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Dipa N. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Kenneth Tillou has extensive experience in the areas of income taxation, employee benefits and executive compensation . Mr. Tillou advises on the tax and employee benefit aspects of mergers and acquisitions, including tax planning for acquisitive and divisive reorganizations, single entity reorganizations and bankruptcy reorganizations, taxable asset and stock sales, leveraged buy-outs and acquisitions through joint venture entities. In the area of tax planning, Mr. Tillou also assists with t...
Don brings to the table more than 30 years of experience advising companies and executives on best practices in executive and board compensation. Working within the framework of tax, accounting, SEC reporting, and bank regulatory issues, Don helps guide his clients on how best to recruit, incentivize, and retain top talent as well as advise individual executives in their transition into and out of C-Suite positions. Don is a partner in Barack Ferrazzano’s Compensation & Benefits Gro...
Ira G. Bogner is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Ira G., who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2012. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ira G. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
A certified specialist in labor and employment law, Nekki Shutt has been involved in the employment / human resources field for more than 20 years, beginning with her work in the personnel department of a publicly-traded property and casualty insurance company. While working for the company before and during her undergraduate studies at the University of South Carolina, Nekki eventually became the company's corporate recruiter, responsible for hiring approximately 225 employees on an annual b...
Beth Langley has over 25 years of experience counseling employers of all sizes in an assortment of employment law issues. She has represented businesses in employment litigation in matters involving civil rights, non-competition agreements, and trade secret protection. Beth provides advice and counsel to employers on a variety of employment law issues, including workplace employment compliance, executive compensation, trade secret protection, and employment agreements, including non-competiti...
Andrew M. Kantor is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Andrew M., who practices law in Northridge, California, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Andrew M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Ken Hoogstra maintains an extensive employee benefits practice, advising clients on such matters as ERISA compliance for group health, welfare and pension plans, and the design and administration of qualified retirement plans and nonqualified deferred compensation plans. Ken places a particular focus on the implementation, design and administration of employee stock ownership plans (“ESOPs”). He also has significant experience working on executive compensation arrangements, includ...
Shannon Goff Kukulka is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Governance Law, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law and Employment Law - Management. Shannon Goff, who practices law in Nashville, Tennessee, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Shannon Goff is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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...
Joanne Grimes is a Partner in the firm’s Honolulu Office and is licensed to practice law in Hawaii and Guam. She has over two decades of experience in representing institutional businesses, nonprofit organizations, and private and charitable trusts in matters involving governance, employment & employee benefits, procurement, contracts, proprietary rights protection, fiduciary duties and trust administration. Ms. Grimes is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional and is acti...
Hellen L. Haag is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Nonprofit / Charities Law and Trusts and Estates. Hellen L., who practices law in Wichita, Kansas, has been recognized since 2009. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Hellen L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Gordon Nichols has three decades of experience in dealing with nearly every conceivable type of compensation and benefits situation. He represents employers, fiduciaries and service providers in connection with a myriad of tax, corporate, fiduciary, ESOP, employment and insurance matters. Gordon advises both large and small businesses (including professional service organizations) on issues related to the design, administration and termination of tax-qualified and non-qualified retirement pla...
Ashley Gillihan is counsel in the Atlanta office and a member of the firm’s Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation and ERISA Litigation Groups. Ashley focuses his practice exclusively on health and welfare employee benefit compliance and litigation issues for employers, health plan administrators, and other health and welfare benefit plan service providers. He also has extensive experience assisting financial institutions and insurance companies who serve as Health Savings Accou...
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.