About Us
ML BeneBits is a comprehensive blog that covers the waterfront of topics related to employee benefits and executive compensation—from plan design, qualification, and documentation matters to fiduciary questions, ERISA Title I investment issues, payroll tax, fringe benefits issues, executive compensation trends, and health and welfare benefits compliance. We also discuss the unique challenges that multiemployer plans and their contributing employers, tax-exempt entities, and governmental employers face. Our authors cover key regulatory, legal, and legislative developments in the areas of employee benefits and executive compensation and come primarily from our employee benefits and executive compensation practice as well as from other practice areas.
Contributors
Robert L. Abramowitz
Partner
Philadelphia +1.215.963.4811
Labor, Employment & Benefits; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Executive Compensation; Health and Welfare Plan Design & Administration; Multiemployer Plans; Privacy & Cybersecurity; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Healthcare Litigation & Regulatory Counseling
Craig A. Bitman
Partner
New York +1.212.309.7190
Labor, Employment & Benefits; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Multiemployer Plans; Capital Markets & Public Companies; Investment Management; Private Equity; Healthcare Litigation & Regulatory Counseling; Institutional Investors
Summer M. Blackburn
Senior Client Employee Benefit Advisor
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5548
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Multiemployer Plans
Claire E. Bouffard
Associate
Pittsburgh +1.412.560.7421
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Health and Welfare Plan Design & Administration
Samuel P. Bryant
Associate
Philadelphia +1.215.963.4657
Labor, Employment & Benefits; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Executive Compensation; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Investment Management; Mergers & Acquisitions; Private Equity; Capital Markets & Public Companies
Sariyah S. Buchanan
Associate
Philadelphia +1.215.963.5484
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Executive Compensation; ERISA Fiduciary Duty
Sean D. Callaghan
Associate
Boston +1.617.341.7794
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Executive Compensation; Health and Welfare Plan Design & Administration; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Benefits & Payroll Tax; ERISA Fiduciary Duty
Carley Clark
Senior Attorney
Princeton +1.609.919.6708
Labor, Employment & Benefits; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Executive Compensation; Retirement Plan Design & Administration
Althea R. Day
Partner
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5366
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Multiemployer Plans; Executive Compensation; Health and Welfare Plan Design & Administration; Mergers & Acquisitions; Healthcare Litigation & Regulatory Counseling; Healthcare Transactions
Leslie E. DuPuy
Of Counsel
San Francisco +1.415.442.1247
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Health and Welfare Plan Design & Administration; Employment Counseling; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Mergers & Acquisitions
Saghi Fattahian
Partner
Chicago +1.312.324.1744
Labor, Employment & Benefits; ; Privacy & Cybersecurity; Health and Welfare Plan Design & Administration; Mergers & Acquisitions; Healthcare Litigation & Regulatory Counseling; Healthcare Transactions
Allison J. Fepelstein
Associate
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5667
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Health and Welfare Plan Design & Administration
John G. Ferreira
Partner
Pittsburgh +1.412.560.3350
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Executive Compensation; Mergers & Acquisitions; Health and Welfare Plan Design & Administration
Elizabeth S. Goldberg
Partner
Pittsburgh +1.412.560.7428
Labor, Employment & Benefits; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) & Sustainability; ERISA/Employee Benefits Litigation
Lindsay M. Goodman
Associate
Chicago +1.312.324.1176
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Health and Welfare Plan Design & Administration
Michael Gorman
Associate
Pittsburgh +1.412.560.7476
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; ERISA/Employee Benefits Litigation
Carly E. Grey
Associate
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5379
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Health and Welfare Plan Design & Administration; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Executive Compensation; Mergers & Acquisitions
Matthew H. Hawes
Partner
Pittsburgh +1.412.560.7740
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Health and Welfare Plan Design & Administration; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Executive Compensation; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Mergers & Acquisitions
Brian D. Hector
Partner
Chicago +1.312.324.1160
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Employee Stock Ownership Plans; ERISA/Employee Benefits Litigation; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Mergers & Acquisitions
Mary B. Hevener
Partner
New York +1.212.309.6888
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5982
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Tax; Benefits & Payroll Tax; Mergers & Acquisitions; Healthcare Litigation & Regulatory Counseling; Healthcare Transactions
Amy Pocino Kelly
Partner
Philadelphia +1.215.963.5042
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Multiemployer Plans; Executive Compensation; Health and Welfare Plan Design & Administration; Mergers & Acquisitions; Private Equity; Capital Markets & Public Companies
Elizabeth G. Kennedy
Senior Client Employee Benefits Consultant
New York +1.212.309.6192
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Health and Welfare Plan Design & Administration
Barbara D. Klippert
Senior Counsel
New York +1.212.309.6840
Labor, Employment & Benefits; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Executive Compensation; Structured Transactions
Marla J. Kreindler
Partner
Chicago +1.312.324.1114
Labor, Employment & Benefits; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Capital Markets & Public Companies; Investment Management; Private Equity; Institutional Investors
Susan D. Lastowski
Senior Client Employee Benefit Advisor
Philadelphia +1.215.963.5950
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Retirement Plan Design & Administration
Gina L. Lauriero
Partner
New York +1.212.309.7103
Labor, Employment & Benefits; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Executive Compensation; Mergers & Acquisitions; Capital Markets & Public Companies
Robert J. Lichtenstein
Partner
Philadelphia +1.215.963.5726
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; ERISA/Employee Benefits Litigation; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Executive Compensation; Private Equity; Mergers & Acquisitions; Capital Markets & Public Companies; Healthcare Litigation & Regulatory Counseling; Healthcare Transactions
William J. Marx
Associate
Philadelphia +1.215.963.1744
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; ERISA Fiduciary Duty
Randall C. McGeorge
Partner
Pittsburgh +1.412.560.7410
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Executive Compensation; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Multiemployer Plans; Mergers & Acquisitions
Gregory L. Needles
Partner
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5448
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Tax; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Multiemployer Plans; Health and Welfare Plan Design & Administration; Healthcare Litigation & Regulatory Counseling; Institutional Investors
Georgina L. O'Hara
Global Chief Privacy Officer
Philadelphia +1.215.963.5188
Privacy & Cybersecurity; Litigation, Regulation & Investigations
Jacob M. Oksman
Associate
New York +1.212.309.6941
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Tax; Executive Compensation; Benefits & Payroll Tax
Zaitun Poonja
Partner
Silicon Valley +1.650.843.7540
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Executive Compensation; Mergers & Acquisitions; Private Equity; Capital Markets & Public Companies
Erin Randolph-Williams
Partner
Philadelphia +1.215.963.5982
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Executive Compensation; Mergers & Acquisitions
Jason C. Ray
Senior Attorney
Dallas +1.214.466.4112
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Employee Stock Ownership Plans; Private Equity
Patrick Rehfield
Partner
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5640
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Employee Stock Ownership Plans; Benefits & Payroll Tax; Executive Compensation; Tax; Private Equity; Capital Markets & Public Companies; Mergers & Acquisitions; Healthcare Litigation & Regulatory Counseling; Healthcare Transactions
Michael B. Richman
Partner
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5036
Labor, Employment & Benefits; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Investment Management; Institutional Investors
Jared W. Rogers
Senior Client Employee Benefits Consultant
Philadelphia +1.215.963.5102
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Retirement Plan Design & Administration
Gary S. Rothstein
Partner
New York +1.212.309.6360
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Executive Compensation; Mergers & Acquisitions; Private Equity; Capital Markets & Public Companies
Saniyyah Saka
Senior Client Employee Benefit Advisor
Philadelphia +1.215.963.5088
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Health and Welfare Plan Design & Administration
Mark J. Simons
Of Counsel
Philadelphia +1.215.963.5992
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Retirement Plan Design & Administration
Julie K. Stapel
Partner
Chicago +1.312.324.1113
Labor, Employment & Benefits; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Investment Management; Private Equity; Capital Markets & Public Companies; Institutional Investors; Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) & Sustainability
Lauren E. Sullivan
Associate
Philadelphia +1.215.963.4713
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Executive Compensation
R. Randall Tracht
Partner
Pittsburgh +1.412.560.3352
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Workforce Change; Privacy & Cybersecurity
Linda A. Way-Smith
Of Counsel
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5770
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Multiemployer Plans; Health and Welfare Plan Design & Administration
Mims Maynard Zabriskie
Partner
Philadelphia +1.215.963.5036
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Executive Compensation; Mergers & Acquisitions
David B. Zelikoff
Partner
Philadelphia +1.215.963.5360
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Executive Compensation; Mergers & Acquisitions; Private Equity; Capital Markets & Public Companies
Jonathan Zimmerman
Partner
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5212
Labor, Employment & Benefits; ERISA Fiduciary Duty; Executive Compensation; Health and Welfare Plan Design & Administration; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; Healthcare Litigation & Regulatory Counseling
Guest Bloggers
Sheila A. Armstrong
Partner
Dallas +1.214.466.4175
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5427
Litigation, Regulation & Investigations; White Collar Litigation & Government Investigations; Government Contracts; International Trade & National Security; False Claims Act & Qui Tam Litigation
Jeremy P. Blumenfeld
Partner
Philadelphia +1.215.963.5258
New York +1.212.309.6958
Labor, Employment & Benefits; ERISA/Employee Benefits Litigation; Multiemployer Plans; Healthcare Litigation & Regulatory Counseling
Mara E. Slakas Brown
Associate
Philadelphia +1.215.963.1720
Labor, Employment & Benefits; ERISA/Employee Benefits Litigation
Michael S. Burkhardt
Partner
Philadelphia +1.215.963.5130
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Systemic Employment Litigation; Employment Counseling; Trade Secrets, Proprietary Information & Noncompetition/Nondisclosure Agreements; Whistleblowing & Retaliation
Joyce A. Cowan
Senior Advisor
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5373
Corporate, Finance & Investment Management; Private Equity; Washington Strategic Government Relations & Counseling; Crisis Management; Healthcare Litigation & Regulatory Counseling; Healthcare Transactions
Melissa D. Hill
Partner
New York +1.212.309.6318
Labor, Employment & Benefits; ERISA/Employee Benefits Litigation; Wage and Hour Litigation & Counseling; Individual Employee Litigation & Arbitration; Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) & Sustainability
W. Reece Hirsch
Partner
San Francisco +1.415.442.1422
Privacy & Cybersecurity; ; Healthcare Litigation & Regulatory Counseling; Healthcare Transactions
Charles M. Horn
Partner
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5951
Investment Management; Transactional Finance; Privacy & Cybersecurity; Structured Transactions
Lindsay B. Jackson
Partner
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5120
Investment Management; ERISA Fiduciary Duty
James T. Kimble
Of Counsel
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5363
Labor, Employment & Benefits; US Labor/Management Relations; Multiemployer Plans; Retirement Plan Design & Administration; ERISA/Employee Benefits Litigation
Daniel R. Kleinman
Partner
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5143
Capital Markets & Public Companies; Mergers & Acquisitions; Investment Management; Private Equity; ERISA/Employee Benefits Litigation; ERISA Fiduciary Duty
Timothy P. Lynch
Senior Director
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5263
US Labor/Management Relations; Washington Strategic Government Relations & Counseling; Morgan Lewis Consulting LLC; Workplace Government Relations and Regulation; Climate Change
Brian T. Ortelere
Partner
Philadelphia +1.215.963.5150
New York +1.212.309.6850
Labor, Employment & Benefits; ERISA/Employee Benefits Litigation; Healthcare Litigation & Regulatory Counseling
Brian W. Shaffer
Partner
Philadelphia +1.215.963.5103
Appellate; Class Actions & Group Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Energy Litigation; Government Contracts; ; Intellectual Property Litigation; International Arbitration; Product Liability & Mass Torts; Trademark, Copyright, Advertising & Unfair Competition; Trade Secrets, Proprietary Information & Noncompetition/Nondisclosure Agreements; White Collar Litigation & Government Investigations; Healthcare Litigation & Regulatory Counseling
Michelle Seldin Silverman
Partner
Princeton +1.609.919.6660
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Individual Employee Litigation & Arbitration; Systemic Employment Litigation; Employment Counseling; US Labor/Management Relations
Grace E. Speights
Partner
Washington, DC +1.202.739.5189
Labor, Employment & Benefits; Systemic Employment Litigation; Employment Counseling; Crisis Management; Workplace Culture Consulting & Training; Class Actions & Group Litigation; Workplace Harassment Crisis Capabilities
