The editors of Employee Benefits Counsel closely monitor developments that impact the employee benefits community. This blog covers legislative and regulatory developments in the employee benefits arena, including the topics of health care reform; plan design and administration; employee benefits litigation; and executive compensation, providing insight and analysis on legal developments that warrant discussion.
Steven J. Friedman has led Littler’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Group since 2004. He advises employers on a variety of employee benefits topics, including the structuring and implementation of qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, executive compensation arrangements, welfare and fringe benefit programs, early retirement programs, and severance plans. Mr. Friedman’s expertise extends to advising clients in corporate transactions regarding benefits, counseling on ERISA and tax compliance issues, best practices to avoid employee lawsuits and adverse action by governmental agencies, advice on best corporate governance and fiduciary practices, and the manner in which employee benefit plans may be terminated, modified or restructured. Mr. Friedman has appeared on CNN, and has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News and World Report, USA Today, The National Law Journal, and many legal and business publications on employee benefits topics.
Warren E. Fusfeld, a shareholder in Littler’s Philadelphia office and Co-Chair of Littler’s Executive Compensation Practice Group, specializes in employee benefits and taxation, including executive compensation and deferred compensation (both qualified and non-qualified). His executive compensation practice includes significant experience in working with publicly traded and privately held companies in the areas of equity-based executive compensation programs and other incentive and performance-based compensation arrangements. Mr. Fusfeld has also spoken and published extensively on topics related to executive compensation and employee benefits more generally, including tax law changes, executive deferred compensation plans, and the tax rules regarding deduction of compensation paid to executive officers of public companies.
Deidre A. Grossman is a shareholder in the New York office and Co-Chair of Littler’s Employee Benefits Litigation Practice Group. She has extensive experience defending plans, plan sponsors, service providers, and fiduciaries in a wide range of complex ERISA cases: both single plaintiff and class action – across the country and in every industry. By keeping abreast of developments and detecting trends in ERISA case law, Ms. Grossman continues to effectively counsel clients on forward-looking measures to reduce the risks of litigation. Ms. Grossman is also a prolific writer on ERISA litigation issues. In addition to contributing articles to BNA Insights, The Benefits Law Journal, and Bloomberg Law Reports, she is a rewrite author for Employee Benefits Law, a publication of the ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law.
Ilyse Schuman leads Littler’s legislative and regulatory practice, providing clients with strategic counsel and substantive knowledge on legislative and regulatory developments impacting employers. A significant portion of her time is devoted to advising clients on federal health care reform. As a former top congressional staffer and policy advisor, including her role as Chief Counsel for the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), Ms. Schuman was pivotal in the development of key legislative initiatives in the areas of labor, employment, pensions, and health care. Ms. Schuman was also instrumental in the passage of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), and also worked closely on the Pension Protection Act, the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act, the Workforce Investment Act, the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act, and health care reform.