Best Lawyers in America for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
State
John Barlament is a partner in the Employee Benefits Group. He represents employers, third party administrators, brokers and benefit consultants in all aspects of employee benefits law. Mr. Barlament has extensive experience in a broad range of issues, including: health care reform (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) compliance and strategy; executive compensation issues; assisting both pension and welfare multi-employer plans in all their legal needs; merging and terminating plans; ...
Peter is a determined and steadfast lawyer that specializes in employee benefits and ERISA matters. His experience includes serving as counsel in mergers and acquisitions with respect to employee benefit plans and due diligence; representing clients before the IRS and Department of Labor; providing retirement plan design counsel and documentation for corporate, tax-exempt and governmental entities; and advising clients with respect to prohibited transaction exemptions and fiduciary obligation...
Linda Keng is a partner in the Tax Practice Group. She focuses her practice on ERISA and employee benefits, executive and deferred compensation, trusts and estate planning, taxation, and business transactions. Linda represents for-profit and tax-exempt employers in all aspects of executive compensation and employee benefits, including qualified retirement plans, non-qualified executive compensation and equity plans, welfare plans, regulatory issues and disputes, and other employee benefit-rel...
Sarah Crooks, a partner in the firm's Commercial Litigation group, focuses her practice on navigating clients through complex business litigation, class action lawsuits and attorney general investigations across a variety of industry sectors, including the telecommunications, food and restaurant, childcare and education and real estate sectors. Sarah also has extensive experience representing clients in the areas of consumer protection, securities litigation, fraudulent transfer litigation an...
Lynn M. Stathas is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Employment Law - Management and Labor Law - Management. Lynn M. practices law in Madison, Wisconsin Best Lawyers has recognized Lynn M. Stathas since 2009. 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 Lynn M. Stathas is he...
Sue Odom is a tax attorney who focuses her practice on the area of ERISA, employee benefits, and executive compensation. Sue has worked extensively with all types of employer-sponsored retirement and welfare benefit plans, including pension, profit sharing, 401(k), 403(b), and 457(b) plans, ESOPs , and health, accident, disability, Section 125, flexible spending, and other welfare plans. Her clients include large and small for-profit companies across all industry sectors, non-profit corporati...
Matthew R. Jones is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Matthew R. practices law in Chicago, Illinois Best Lawyers has recognized Matthew R. Jones since 2022. 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 Matthew R. Jones is held by other lawyers.
Lisa Wintersheimer Michel's practice is concentrated in the employee benefits (ERISA) and executive compensation areas. Her practice primarily involves all aspects of qualified retirement plans, including profit sharing plans, 401(k) plans, employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and defined benefit plans, executive compensation matters and welfare benefit plans. This includes compliance with laws including tax, labor, COBRA, HIPAA and other applicable laws, and administration and operation of...
Brian Goldstein focuses his practice in the areas of executive compensation, employee benefits, and ERISA fiduciary counseling. He is a founding member of the firm’s ESOP class action practice. For over 30 years, Brian has assisted clients with the design and implementation of all types of pension, profit sharing, 401(k), employee stock ownership, stock-based compensation, nonqualified deferred compensation and tax-sheltered annuity plans. His practice has a particular concentration on ...
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...
Offers sophisticated, practical and comprehensible advice on complex benefits and compensation matters. More than two decades of experience advising clients of all sizes. Brings unique expertise in payroll tax treatment and reporting issues, including worker classification. David Spaulding’s experience covers a wide range of employee benefits matters, including the design, implementation, communication, administration and amendment of all types of tax-qualified retirement plans, executi...
Patrick S. Menasco is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Patrick S. practices law in Washington, District of Columbia Best Lawyers has recognized Patrick S. Menasco since 2020. 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 Patrick S. Menasco is held by other lawyers.
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...
Tamara Killion is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Tamara practices law in Washington, District of Columbia Best Lawyers has recognized Tamara Killion 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 Tamara Killion is held by other lawyers.
Emily Lambright focuses her practice on federal taxation, employee benefits and qualified retirement plans, estate and gift tax planning, and tax-exempt organizations and nonprofit law. She is a certified public accountant. Emily represents individuals and businesses by counseling them on income and estate tax issues, business succession planning, entity formation and selection, and transactional tax matters. She also provides guidance on benefits matters and executive compensation to clients...
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.
