Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - ERISA
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Andrew Altschul mediates and arbitrates employment, ERISA and other civil litigation disputes. He practiced labor and employment law at two of the country’s largest law firms before opening his own employment law boutique in 2004 and co-founding Buchanan Angeli Altschul & Sullivan LLP in 2008, where he served as managing partner for 18 years. He is an approved arbitrator and mediator for the American Arbitration Association, Arbitration Service of Portland, and NAM (National Arbitra...
James O. Fleckner is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law and Litigation - ERISA. James O., who practices law in Boston, Massachusetts, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James O. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Bentley J. Tolk is a member of the firm’s Litigation Group, with an emphasis in the areas of ERISA litigation, employment litigation, intellectual property litigation, and general commercial litigation. Mr. Tolk has represented employers, third-party administrators, and insurance companies in a wide variety of ERISA and employee benefits disputes. He has also represented national and local employers in numerous employment-related lawsuits and disputes. In addition, Mr. Tolk has represen...
Bill Banowsky focuses his practice on complex business litigation and arbitration, securities litigation, and corporate governance investigations. He also represents national and international energy industry clients in various disputes involving contract rights and business torts. In recent years, he has become involved in numerous disputes representing healthcare providers including hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, medical device suppliers, physician groups and ancillary providers. Mr...
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.
Aaron M. Hegji is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - ERISA. Aaron M., who practices law in Las Vegas, Nevada, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Aaron M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
J.S. "Chris" Christie practices in Dentons Sirote’s Litigation group, based in Birmingham, Alabama. He has handled False Claims Act, class action, and bet-the-company cases, cases involving stock valuations, financial expert witnesses, and statistical expert witnesses, and appeals to the Supreme Court of Alabama and to the federal Circuit Courts of Appeals. He frequently speaks and publishes on employee benefits, legal ethics, and trial techniques. In employee benefits litigation, Chris...
Lisette Sell is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law and Litigation - ERISA. Lisette, who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Lisette is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Mac McLean has been a Certified Tax Specialist for over 25 years and practices as a tax attorney in Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd's Greenville office. He works primarily in the areas of estate planning, corporate tax planning and retirement program planning. Mac has significant experience in structuring retirement plans for governmental bodies, including plans that provide specific groups of employees with the ability to make contributions in excess of regular deferral limits.
Tom Clark serves as the firm's Chief Operating Officer and leads the firm’s St. Louis office. His expertise encompasses all aspects of employee benefits programs, including the design, implementation and compliance of retirement plans, health and welfare plans, and executive and incentive compensation arrangements. He also has a robust practice assisting covered service providers in meeting their ERISA compliance needs. Mr. Clark’s vast litigation experience complements the firm&r...
Brad has been practicing in the employee benefits field for over forty years, and his practice is primarily in the areas of ERISA litigation, fiduciary responsibility matters, qualified pension and profit sharing plans and Department of Labor investigations. Brad serves as a private mediator in ERISA litigation matters and has been appointed as an Alternative Dispute Resolution Neutral in over sixty ERISA cases by the United States District Court, Northern District of California. Brad has als...
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.