Bio Filter Option
Morgan Lewis
Marla Kreindler

Marla J. Kreindler

Partner

marla.kreindler@morganlewis.com

Chicago Phone +1.312.324.1114 Fax +1.312.324.1001

110 North Wacker Drive//Chicago, IL 60606-1511//United States

Marla J. Kreindler advises clients on a broad range of fiduciary governance, regulatory, and investment matters affecting sponsors, fiduciaries, and service providers to US tax-qualified retirement plans. Marla represents and counsels corporate, nonprofit, and governmental plan sponsors on their institutional retirement plans, as well as major recordkeepers, consulting and investment management firms, insurance companies, banks, and financial firms on managing and investing employee benefit plan assets and tax-qualified retirement plans.

She serves as counsel to the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA) and the Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI) and has also advised the National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators, Inc. (NAGDCA). Marla is a regular speaker at national industry conferences (including those hosted by DCIIA and Pensions & Investments); before meetings sponsored by the Committee on the Investment of Employee Benefit Assets, the Worldwide Employee Benefits Networks, and Women Investment Professionals; at external co-hosted events with other leading providers; and at Morgan Lewis–sponsored presentations. Marla has represented clients in matters before the US Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service, the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and other US regulators; has testified in hearings at the Department of Labor and before the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) Advisory Council; and has served as a judge for the Eddy Awards sponsored by Pensions & Investments and the Excellence and Innovation Awards sponsored by Pensions & Investments and DCIIA. She has also been recognized as one of 401(k)Wire’s Most Influential People in Defined Contribution. 

Marla advises institutional retirement plan and financial institution clients on managing and investing billions of dollars of employee benefit plan assets (including 401(k) and defined benefit plans, as well as individual retirement accounts (IRAs), collective investment trusts (CITs), and other commingled investment vehicles). She counsels clients on fiduciary governance, legal compliance, risk management, legislative and regulatory developments and policy matters, and compliance with ERISA and related tax, banking, securities, and insurance law requirements; on new product development, documentation, and transactional investment matters; and on a range of investment products, services, and contracting matters across all asset classes. Marla’s clients include corporate, governmental, and nonprofit plans/sponsors; investment management firms; major recordkeepers; consulting firms; insurance companies; banks and other financial services firms; and industry associations.

Awards and Affiliations

Member, Law Firm of the Year, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Chambers USA (2019)

Member, Law Firm of the Year, Employee Benefits (ERISA Law), US News/Best Lawyers – Best Law Firms (2019)

Ranked, Labor & Employment: Employee Benefits & Compensation, Illinois, Chambers USA (2013–2022)

Recognized, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Chicago, The Best Lawyers in America (2011–2020, 2022, 2023)

Awards Judge, Pensions & Investments, Eddy's Awards (2010–2017) and Innovators Awards (2012–2019) 

Member, National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators, Legislative Committee (2019–present) 

Counsel, Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association

Counsel, Employee Benefits Research Institute

Recognized, 100 Most Influential People in Defined Contribution, 401kWire (2013)

Member and Past President, Worldwide Employee Benefits Network (WEB), Chicago Chapter

Past Advisory Board Member, Pensions & Investments Defined Contribution Conferences

Member and Past Board Member, Women Investment Professionals

Admissions

  • Illinois

Education

  • University of Michigan, 1984, B.A.
  • University of Michigan Law School, 1987, J.D.

Sectors

  • Financial Services
  • Technology
  • Insurance
  • Investment Funds
  • Banking

Services

  • Labor, Employment & Benefits
  • ERISA Fiduciary Duty
  • Retirement Plan Design & Administration
  • Capital Markets & Public Companies
  • Investment Management
  • Private Equity
  • Institutional Investors
  • ERISA/Employee Benefits Litigation

Regions

  • North America

Trending Topics

  • SECURE Act 2.0: Updates and Developments

Events

5/25/2021 - ERISA Litigation Virtual Roundtable – Plan Sponsors Program
5/18/2021 - ERISA Litigation Virtual Roundtable – Providers and Carriers Program
9/15/2020 - Morgan Lewis, DiMeo Schneider, and Grant Thornton Present DC Market Leaders: Solutions for a New Decade
1/28/2020 - Morgan Lewis & NEPC: DC Legal Regulatory Update
10/3/2019 - 2019 Annual Private Fund Investors Roundtable
5/7/2019 - 2019 Morgan Lewis Advanced Topics in Hedge Funds and Other Alternative Funds Conference – Chicago
10/4/2018 - 2018 Annual Private Fund Investors Roundtable
5/8/2018 - 2018 Morgan Lewis Advanced Topics in Hedge Fund Practices Conference: Manager and Investor Perspectives – Chicago
12/6/2017 - DC Plan Sponsor Roundtable Managing DC Plans - San Francisco
11/6/2017 - JCEB-ABA Fiduciary Institute 2017
10/11/2017 - Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association Webinar
10/8/2017 - Pensions & Investments Annual West Coast Defined Contribution Conference – October 2017
10/3/2017 - 2017 Roundtable for Consultants & Institutional Investors
6/13/2017 - DC Plan Sponsor Roundtable Managing DC Plans - Dallas
5/23/2017 - 2017 Windy City Summit
3/2/2017 - Retirement Plans: Steering the Fiduciary Ship (Chicago)
2/8/2017 - Defined Contribution Plan Sponsor Roundtable
1/23/2017 - The DCIO Leadership Summit 2017
11/17/2016 - Stable Value: Still Waters Run Deep
10/23/2016 - Pensions & Investments Annual West Coast Defined Contribution Conference – October 2016
10/6/2016 - WIP’s Understanding the Department of Labor’s Conflict of Interest Rule and its Impact on our Industry
6/9/2016 - Chicago Defined Contribution Plan Fees Breakfast Workshop 2016
5/12/2016 - US Regulatory and Enforcement Issues for UK Financial Firms
5/3/2016 - PSCA's 69th Annual National Conference
4/6/2016 - CFA Society Chicago 2016 Annual Conference
3/10/2016 - WISER and Franklin Templeton’s Defined Contribution Forum
3/6/2016 - Pensions & Investments Annual East Coast Defined Contribution Conference – March 2016
10/18/2015 - Pensions & Investments Annual West Coast Defined Contribution Conference – October 2015
10/14/2015 - PSCA's 68th Annual National Conference
3/1/2015 - Pensions & Investments Annual East Coast Defined Contribution Conference – March 2015
1/23/2015 - 8th Annual Opportunities in the DCIO Market
10/15/2014 - 2014 Annual Private Fund Investors Roundtable
6/20/2014 - The DCIO Market Forum
4/9/2014 - LIMRA 2014 Retirement Industry Conference
3/2/2014 - Pensions & Investments Annual East Coast Defined Contribution Conference – March 2014
1/14/2014 - Opportunities in the DCIO Market
10/28/2013 - Pensions & Investments Annual West Coast Defined Contribution Conference – October 2013
6/25/2013 - DCIO Market Share Summit
4/16/2013 - Pensions & Investments’ 401(k) Investment Lineup Summit
3/21/2013 - Get Inside the Mind of Your Plan Participants: What Behavioral Economics Can Teach Us About 401(k) Plan Design
11/4/2012 - Pensions & Investments Annual West Coast Defined Contribution Conference – November 2012
7/17/2012 - WP&BC and ASPPA’s Western Benefits Conference
4/3/2012 - Recent Developments for Investment Advisers and Broker-Dealers/FCMs Roundtable
3/19/2012 - Retirement Income Industry Association’s Retail Distribution & Defined Contribution 2012 Spring Conference
3/11/2012 - Pensions & Investments Annual East Coast Defined Contribution Conference – March 2012

News

February-March 2020 - Seize the Opportunity, Plan Sponsor
1/10/2020 - How to Get Socially Conscious Funds Into Your 401(k), The New York Times
4/3/2014 - DCIIA Holds First-Of-Its-Kind Defined Contribution Auto Features Town Hall; Unveils Auto Features Resource Center (read the article)
2/13/2012 - Morgan Lewis Picks Up Dodd-Frank Pro, ERISA Partners, Law360
2/9/2012 - Morgan Lewis Continues Chicago Expansion with Two ERISA Fiduciary Partners

Publications

11/29/2022 - DOL Reframes ESG Investing and Proxy Voting for ERISA Fiduciaries
July 2022 - US Department of Labor Proposes Extensive Changes to QPAM Exemption
10/22/2021 - DOL Proposal Signals Relaxed Rules for ESG Investing, Law360
10/21/2021 - ERISA Fiduciaries: DOL Proposed Rule Signals More Ease for ESG Investing
7/16/2021 - Target Date Funds: Facing Increasing Congressional, Regulatory, and Legal Scrutiny
12/9/2020 - Common and Collective Investment Funds: SEC Action Warrants Attention but Offers Limited Guidance
9/4/2020 - DOL Proposes Rules on Pooled Plan Provider Registration Process
6/24/2020 - Information Requested on Pooled Employer Plan Prohibited Transaction Issues: Act Quickly to Help Shape Exemptive Relief
5/8/2020 - Stay Tuned – DOL to Issue RFI on Pooled Employer Plans
12/26/2019 - SECURE Act Increases Access to Retirement Plans with ’Pooled Employer Plans’
12/14/2015 - DOL’s Recent Guidance on State Retirement Initiatives for Private Sector Employees Part II: The Interpretive Bulletin
12/11/2015 - DOL’s Recent Guidance on State Retirement Initiatives for Private Sector Employees Part I: The Proposed Rule—State-Sponsored IRAs
11/19/2014 - IRS and DOL Issue Guidance on Including Deferred Annuities in Target Date Funds
5/1/2014 - Seventh Annual Advanced Topics in Hedge Fund Practices, Part 6: Getting Alternatives into Defined Contribution Plans
1/15/2014 - Regulatory Townhall: Update and Forecast, presented at the DCIO Market Share Summit
8/1/2012 - DOL Revises Guidance on Open Brokerage Windows
5/10/2012 - Department of Labor Releases Guidance on New Disclosure Rules
4/3/2012 - Co-presenter, Recent Developments for Investment Advisers and Broker-Dealers/FCMs Roundtable