Linda Rosenzweig | The Wagner Law Group The Wagner Law Group 2026-06-18T16:04:25Z https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/feed/atom/ WordPress /wp-content/uploads/sites/1101401/2021/06/cropped-wagner-fav-icon-2-32x32.png asonneberg <![CDATA[14 Attorneys from The Wagner Law Group to be Recognized in 2026 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©]]> https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/?p=67352 2025-08-27T20:06:54Z 2025-08-21T19:42:50Z 14 Attorneys from The Wagner Law Group to be Recognized in 2026 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America© - The Wagner Law Group Press Release, August 21, 2025 (PDF)]]> by The Wagner Law Group <![CDATA[The Wagner Law Group’s Washington, D.C. Office: Experience, Savvy, And Leadership]]> https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/?p=65377 2025-07-10T14:55:05Z 2024-10-31T20:51:01Z The Wagner Law Group’s Washington, D.C. Office has continued to grow, adding Michael Schloss, EBSA’s former Director of Enforcement and before that a career ERISA litigator with the Office of the Solicitor of Labor. The Washington Office now includes three former DOL lawyers and three former PBGC lawyers, as well as financial, actuarial and benefits experts, representing more than 250 years of Inside-the-Beltway experience. Harold Ashner has consistently been named a Super Lawyer and holds a Martindale-Hubbell – Peer Review Rating of AV® Preeminent™ 5.0. The same is true of Linda Rosenzweig. Harold, Mark Poerio, Linda, and Israel (Izzy) Goldowitz are listed in Best Lawyers in America©. The Washington Office includes five Fellows in the prestigious American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, Harold Ashner, Izzy Goldowitz, Mark Poerio, Susan Rees, and Linda Rosenzweig, among WLG’s total of 10 Fellows (surpassing even the largest firms). Izzy and Susan recruited judges for the College’s 2024 Ellen A. Hennessy Moot Court and served as judges. Members of the Washington Office continued to publish on timely and important Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation issues: Harold Ashner and Izzy Goldowitz published an alert titled Highlights of the 2023 PBGC Meeting With ABA’s Joint Committee on Employee Benefits, along with minutes of the meeting. Along with Brian Donahue and John Lowell of October Three, Harold and Linda Rosenzweig published Defined Benefits Plans: Underfunded Plans in the Bloomberg Law Guide to Retirement Plan Designs. Harold published Surprise—You Just Missed a PBGC Reportable Events Deadline! in the Journal of Pension Benefits. Izzy published How Employee Benefits Rules May Fare in the Post-‘Chevron’ World (PDF) in Bloomberg Tax. Seth Gaudreau published alerts titled:  Izzy Goldowitz and Linda Rosenzweig updated Employee Benefits in the Unionized Workforce, in ERISA: A Comprehensive Guide (9th edition), edited by Andrew (Drew) Oringer (WLG New York). Izzy published Employee Benefits In Bankruptcy: Update On Key Issues in the Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors Journal with Dannae Delano, Withdrawal Liability Interest Rate Assumptions: The Battle Continues in the Bloomberg Tax Management Compensation Planning Journal, and an alert titled Court Upholds PBGC Denial of Special Financial Assistance to a Terminated Multiemployer Plan.  Mark Greenstein published an alert titled Longstanding Internal Revenue Service Position Called into Question, with Barry Salkin and Michael Schloss. Mark Poerio published Code Section 457(f) Conundrum: How to Handle Past Year Mistakes (from Vesting) with Barry Salkin in LexisNexis Practical Guidance and an alert titled New Fire for Enforcing Forfeiture-for-Competition Provisions, with Jordan Mamorsky (WLG Chicago) and Ban on Non-Competition Agreements – What Employers Need to Know and Do Now, along with several other WLG employment and executive compensation lawyers. Michael Schloss published: and alerts titled: Washington Office lawyers were in high demand as speakers at bar and other professional gatherings: Izzy Goldowitz spoke on Are Insolvency Laws Contributing to the Death of the Single-Employer Defined Benefit Plans? at the International Pension and Employee Benefits Lawyers Association’s Biennial, on ERISA at 50: How We Got Here and Where We are Headed for the Worldwide Employee Benefits Network, on Withdrawal Liability at D.C.’s ERISA Roundtable, on Working with PBGC at the Conference of Consulting Actuaries annual meeting, on Defined Benefit Plans and Bankruptcy at the Enrolled Actuaries annual meeting, and on defined benefit plans for an ACEBC ERISA history project. Mark Greenstein spoke at the U.S. Inventors conference as a member of the organization’s Policy Team. Mark Poerio spoke on Key Employee Incentives: From Design to Implementation for the CPAAcademy.org, and Avoiding Nonqualified Plan Traps: Key Considerations for ERISA Counsel and Employers for Strafford, and on a webinar titled FTC Bars Noncompetes: 7 Things Employees and Executives Must Know, and repeated his presentation on Key Employee Incentives: From Design to Implementation. Susan Rees spoke on Benefit Claims and Preparing for a DOL Cybersecurity Audit at the ABA JCEB ERISA Fiduciary Institute 2023, with Drew Oringer, on Cybersecurity Issues at the Joint TE/GE Council Employee Plans Annual Meeting, and on Multiple-Employer Plans Update at the ABA Tax Section Annual Meeting. Michael Schloss spoke on a webinar titled Surviving the New DOL Game Plan for Prohibited Transaction Exemptions with Steve Wilkes; and on DOL’s Retirement Security Rule for the Financial Planning Association. Washington Office members were often quoted in the media: Izzy Goldowitz in Why Some Ex-Workers at Bed Bath & Beyond Face 401(k) Losses (New York Times) and 3 Takeaways From The PBGC’s Latest Fiscal Health Checkup (Law360), Mark Greenstein in Judge Tosses Fossil-Fuel Divestment Suit Against NYC Pensions (FUNDfire) and New Republican Discrimination Bill Adds Little to Current Law: Lawyers (FUNDfire), and Michael Schloss, in 401(k) Advice Rule Puts New Fiduciaries in Litigation Crosshairs (PDF) (Bloomberg Law), Yellow: Pension Plan Unjustly Seeking ‘Free Money’ From Bankruptcy Case (FleetOwner), Merrill Edge in Hot Seat Over Rates Paid on IRAs (PDF) (Financial Planning), and Pension Benefits at Yellow Corp. Secured by Teamsters Fund Bailout This Year (Pensions & Investments). WLG’s Inside-the-Beltway expertise is not limited to lawyers in the Washington Office. Steve Wilkes (the firm’s Chief Legal Officer) has been involved in many of the firm’s webinars and publications involving ERISA fiduciary issues and related securities law issues that impact financial institutions. He also coordinates the firm’s federal lobbying/regulatory practice and, as a registered federal lobbyist, has represented clients on retirement plan legislative issues in Congress, as has Harold Ashner on PBGC issues. Steve leads the firm’s efforts in obtaining DOL prohibited transaction exemptions and in providing independent fiduciary service to comply with PTEs. Steve, Tom Clark (the firm’s Chief Operating Officer, practicing in WLG’s Boston and St. Louis offices), and founding partner Marcia Wagner (WLG Boston) have testified as experts before the DOL ERISA Advisory Council. Marcia served on the IRS Tax Exempt and Government Entities Advisory Committee and as Chair of its Employee Benefits Subcommittee. Marcia now serves on the Board of Governors of the ACEBC and on the Advisory Council to the Policy Board of Directors of the American Benefits Council. If you have questions about any of these materials, or need assistance with a legal, policy, federal agency, or litigation issue involving employee benefits or executive compensation, please contact a member of the Washington, D.C. Office or one of the other lawyers mentioned in this alert. [author] [author_image timthumb='on']https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1101401/2023/04/HJA.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Harold J. Ashner advises and represents clients on a wide variety of employee benefits matters, with an emphasis on PBGC issues. He served as Assistant General Counsel for Legislation and Regulations at PBGC, where he drafted or supervised virtually all regulations and policies issued by PBGC from 1988 until he left the agency in 2005.[/author_info] [/author] [author] [author_image timthumb='on']https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1101401/2023/04/Seth.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Seth F. Gaudreau concentrates his practice in ERISA business litigation, and investment management law. Within the ERISA field, he conducts research on all matters relating to employment law, which covers qualified and unqualified benefit plans, welfare plans, and retirement plans.[/author_info] [/author] [author] [author_image timthumb='on']https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1101401/2021/07/Israel-Goldowitz-1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Israel Goldowitz has over 40 years of experience. He was the Chief Counsel for the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). He led the legal teams that helped save the pensions of such companies as Chrysler and American Airlines. [/author_info] [/author] [author] [author_image timthumb='on']https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1101401/2021/11/Greenstein-Mark.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Mark Greenstein is a seasoned ERISA attorney who comes to our firm after nearly 25 years in the Office of Policy and Research at the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). During his tenure at the DOL, Mark analyzed complex legal issues arising under Title I of ERISA.[/author_info] [/author] [author] [author_image timthumb='on']https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1101401/2021/07/Mark-Poerio.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Mark Poerio has been in private practice with a focus on executive compensation, employee benefits (especially ESOPs), and retirement plan fiduciary matters, not only from a tax and labor perspective, but also from a business, governance, tax, securities, and litigation perspective. [/author_info] [/author] [author] [author_image timthumb='on']https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1101401/2021/07/Susan-Elizabeth-Rees.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Susan Rees has extensive experience with ERISA and other federal employment laws. In her capacity as a Division Chief for the Office of Regulations and Interpretations of the Employee Benefits Security Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington D.C., she provided advice to state and federal agencies, the public, and lawmakers and their staff, on ERISA interaction with state legislation involving all types of governmental plans and state retirement program alternatives.[/author_info] [/author] [author] [author_image timthumb='on']https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1101401/2023/04/Linda-Rosenzweig.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Linda E. Rosenzweig has over 40 years of experience. Linda's broad-based practice covers the entire range of employee benefits matters. Linda advises clients on compliance and plan design of tax-qualified, non-qualified and welfare plans, as well as issues arising under ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, Section 409A, the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act (MPPAA), COBRA, and HIPAA. She also works with clients to amend their plans and submit voluntary correction applications, implement reductions in force, and deal with service providers, including negotiating contracts.[/author_info] [/author] [author] [author_image timthumb='on']https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1101401/2023/06/Michael-Schloss-photo-new.jpg[/author_image] [author_info] Michael Schloss is a highly sought-after speaker on a wide range of topics relating to Title I of ERISA and DOL activities and is the recipient of multiple awards for his service at the DOL, including the prestigious Alan D. Lebowitz Award, recognizing managers and supervisors who exemplify dedication, a distinguished career of excellence and commitment to mentoring future leaders.[/author_info] [/author] [author] [author_image timthumb='on']https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/1101401/2023/04/StephenWilkes.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Stephen Wilkes heads the firm's Investment Management Law practice. He also is a Practice Group leader for the firm's ERISA Fiduciary Compliance and Independent Fiduciary practices. Steve advises a national client base of mutual funds, CIFs, private funds, registered investment advisers, insurance companies, broker dealers, wealth management firms, banks, trust companies, third-party platform providers, Taft Hartley Funds and plan sponsors on ERISA, tax, and related securities law issues. [/author_info] [/author]]]> by WLG <![CDATA[12 Attorneys from The Wagner Law Group to be Recognized in 2025 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©]]> https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/?p=64980 2026-05-21T04:51:16Z 2024-08-15T14:14:59Z 2 Attorneys from The Wagner Law Group to be Recognized in 2025 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America© - The Wagner Law Group Press Release, Marcia Wagner, Thomas Clark, Jr., Andrew Oringer, Harold Ashner, David Gabor, Israel Goldowitz, Russell Gaudreau, Jr., Johanna Matloff, Mark Poerio, Linda Rosenzweig, and Roberta Casper Watson, EIN Presswire, August 15, 2024 (PDF)]]> by WLG <![CDATA[11 Attorneys from The Wagner Law Group to be Recognized in 2024 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©]]> https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/?p=62585 2026-05-21T04:52:50Z 2023-08-17T18:43:03Z Boston, MA, August 17, 2023 – The Wagner Law Group, widely recognized as the country’s top ERISA and employee benefits law firm, is delighted to announce that 11 of its attorneys will be recognized as Best Lawyers® in the  2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, in practice areas including, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Litigation - Labor and Employment, and Labor Law – Management.  These exceptional attorneys include  Marcia Wagner, the firm’s founder and Managing Director, Thomas E. Clark Jr., Partner and the firm’s Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Oringer, Partner and the firm’s General Counsel, and Partners Harold Ashner, David Gabor, Russell Gaudreau, Jr., Israel Goldowitz, Mark Poerio, Linda Rosenzweig and Roberta Casper Watson.  “We are extraordinarily proud that such a large percentage of our firm’s attorneys continues to be listed among The Best Lawyers in America©,” says Ms. Wagner. The Best Lawyers in America© is widely regarded as a respected reference guide to legal excellence.  Recognition by Best Lawyers® is based solely on confidential peer review. The rigorous methodology utilized for recognition is designed to capture the consensus of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of colleagues within the same country and legal practice area.  Best Lawyers® employs a sophisticated and transparent survey process that is tailored to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services provided by attorneys.  The Best Lawyers in America© recognizes the top 5% of private practicing lawyers in the United States and is commonly used by consumers in need of legal services to identify the most qualified attorneys based on legal expertise, ethical standards, and professionalism.  The 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© will be distributed in more than 30 leading publications around the country, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. The Wagner Law Group has also been nationally ranked, as well as locally ranked in Boston and Washington, D.C., as a Tier 1 Best Law Firm in the area of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law in the U.S. News & World Report – Best Lawyers® most recently published "Best Law Firms" list.  Firms that receive this ranking are recognized for professional excellence with consistently high ratings from clients and peers.  Achieving a tiered ranking signifies a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.  ]]> by WLG <![CDATA[Defined Benefits Plans: Underfunded Plans]]> https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/?p=60574 2024-11-05T16:57:56Z 2023-03-21T13:56:19Z Defined Benefits Plans: Underfunded Plans - Harold Ashner and Linda Rosenzweig, contributing authors, Bloomberg Law Guide to Retirement Plan Designs. March 2023]]> by WLG <![CDATA[Nine Attorneys from The Wagner Law Group to be Recognized in 2023 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©]]> https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/?p=57993 2024-11-05T16:58:24Z 2022-08-18T13:20:51Z Boston, MA, August 18, 2022 – The Wagner Law Group, widely recognized as the country’s top ERISA and employee benefits law firm, is delighted to announce that nine of its attorneys will be recognized as Best Lawyers® in the area of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law in the  2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©.  These exceptional attorneys include Marcia Wagner, the firm’s founder and Managing Director, Thomas E. Clark Jr., Partner and the firm’s Chief Operating Officer, and Partners Harold Ashner, Russell Gaudreau, Jr., Israel Goldowitz, Mark Poerio, Linda Rosenzweig and Roberta Casper Watson.  “We are truly proud that such a large number of our firm’s attorneys have once again been listed among The Best Lawyers in America©,” says Ms. Wagner. Since it was first published in 1983, The Best Lawyers in America© has become widely regarded as a respected reference guide to legal excellence.  Recognition by Best Lawyers® is based solely on confidential peer review. The rigorous methodology utilized for recognition is designed to capture the consensus of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of colleagues within the same country and legal practice area.  Best Lawyers® employs a sophisticated and transparent survey process that is tailored to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services provided by attorneys.  The Best Lawyers in America© recognizes the top 5% of private practicing lawyers in the United States and is commonly used by consumers in need of legal services to identify the most qualified attorneys based on legal expertise, ethical standards, and professionalism.  The 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© will be distributed in more than 30 leading publications around the country, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. The Wagner Law Group has also been nationally ranked, as well as locally ranked in Boston and Washington, D.C., as a Tier 1 Best Law Firm in the area of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law in the U.S. News & World Report – Best Lawyers® most recently published "Best Law Firms" list.  Firms that receive this ranking are recognized for professional excellence with consistently high ratings from clients and peers.  Achieving a tiered ranking signifies a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise. The Wagner Law Group: The Wagner Law Group has been dedicated to the highest standards of integrity, excellence and thought leadership for over two decades and is considered to be the nation’s premier ERISA and employee benefits law firm.  With 48 attorneys in 12 offices, it provides unparalleled legal advice to its clients, including large, small and nonprofit corporations as well as individuals and government entities nationwide and in several foreign countries.  The firm’s attorneys combine many years of experience in their fields of practice and include those who are AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell and have been named to the prestigious Super Lawyers list for 2022.  The Wagner Law Group is certified as a woman-owned and operated business by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. ]]> by tclark <![CDATA[The Wagner Law Group Now Has 11 Fellows of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel – A Nationwide High]]> https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/?p=54268 2025-11-09T00:59:33Z 2022-01-26T18:13:51Z American College of Employee Benefits Counsel. Fellows of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel (ACEBC®) are selected by the College's Board of Governors from among employee benefits attorneys nominated for that honor and recommended for consideration by the Board's Membership Committee after considering the recommendations of regional screening committees and meeting its strict membership criteria. Our firm, now with 11 ACEBC® Fellows among our 46 lawyers, has more ACEBC® Fellows, by a wide margin, than any other law firm nationwide, including those with thousands of lawyers. Our 11 ACEBC® Fellows are Marcia Wagner, Harold Ashner, Dan Brandenburg, Ivelisse Berio LeBeau Russell A. Gaudreau, Israel Goldowitz, Mark Poerio, Susan Rees, Linda Rosenzweig, Barry Salkin and Roberta Casper Watson. Three of our firm’s members, Dan Brandenburg, Linda Rosenzweig and Roberta Casper Watson, are Charter Fellows of the College, having been inducted in the first class of Fellows at its inaugural gala dinner at the World Trade Center in New York City on July 8, 2000. To qualify for membership as a Fellow of the ACEBC®, an individual must: have at least 20 years of experience as an employee benefits practitioner following admission to the practice of law, in the private sector (including law firm, in-house corporate, tax-exempt organization or consulting), government or academic setting; have demonstrated a sustained commitment to the development and pursuit of public awareness and understanding of the law of employee benefits, through such activities as writing, speaking, participating in public policy analysis, public education or public service and representation projects, and leadership in the employee benefits activities of bar associations or other professional organizations; have consistently exhibited exemplary character and ethical behavior, with no discipline record with any professional or governmental body for departing from ethical or professional standards; and, be generally recognized by his or her peers for expertise in the field and intellectual excellence. The ACEBC® is dedicated to elevating the standards and advancing the public's understanding of the practice of employee benefits law. In pursuit of this goal, it encourages the study and development of employee benefits laws, initiates professional discussions of significant employee benefits issues, and sponsors an extensive list of Continuing Legal Education programs. Our firm’s 11 Fellows exemplify the ACEBC®’s goals and play a large part in furthering those goals both through their practice of law in every aspect of the realm of employee benefits, as well as by way of activities such as article and book authorship, speaking at a wide variety of seminars and webinars, serving on relevant committees and boards of bar associations and other professional organizations, and teaching employee benefits topics at various academic institutions.]]> by asonneberg <![CDATA[Entire Keightley & Ashner Team to Join The Wagner Law Group]]> https://www.wagnerlawgroup.com/?p=53444 2024-11-05T16:59:14Z 2022-01-12T14:58:01Z We are ecstatic to announce that the entire team from Keightley & Ashner, the nation’s premier PBGC-focused law firm, will be joining our Washington, D.C. office, where partner and former PBGC Chief Counsel Israel Goldowitz is located. Keightley & Ashner’s attorneys, Harold Ashner and Linda Rosenzweig, along with John Langhans (Senior Actuarial Advisor), Ellan Spring (Senior PBGC Benefits Advisor) and Jon Henkel (Senior PBGC Negotiations Advisor), will be part of our firm starting January 24, 2022. The knowledge and insight our expanded PBGC team will have about PBGC rules, policies, and procedures is simply unparalleled in the industry. In the aggregate, our PBGC team has 165 years of experience working for PBGC, in roles such as Chief Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, Senior Assistant General Counsel for ERISA/Bankruptcy Matters, Assistant General Counsel for Legislation and Regulations, Deputy Manager of PBGC’s Actuarial Services Division, Supervisory Auditor for PBGC’s Plan Termination Insurance Program, and PBGC’s primary program official on benefit policy. And beyond their time working for PBGC, the team members, in the aggregate, have 100 years of experience in providing legal or other professional services to employers and others facing PBGC issues. Our PBGC practitioners address issues arising under Title IV of ERISA, and work with employers and their actuarial or other advisors to identify the correct legal approach to a PBGC problem and to deliver practical and effective solutions. Matters addressed by our PBGC practitioners include: standard, distress and involuntary terminations; post-termination audits; PBGC coverage of private-sector defined benefit pension plans; PBGC flat- and variable-rate premiums; reportable events affecting either the plan sponsor’s controlled group or the plan; PBGC annual filings; participant notices and disclosures, partial and complete withdrawal liability with respect to multiemployer plans; abatement of withdrawal liability; merger and acquisition due diligence regarding PBGC and plan funding status; and representation of clients before PBGC. Our clients include defined benefit pension plan sponsors of all sizes, actuarial consulting firms, financial institutions, investment banking firms, and plan participants. Our firm’s PBGC practice also addresses complex merger, acquisition, private equity, and financial restructuring issues that involve defined benefit pension plans.

The Keightley & Ashner Team:

Harold J. Ashner, who joins our firm as a partner, advises and represents clients on a wide variety of employee benefits matters, with an emphasis on PBGC issues. He served as Assistant General Counsel for Legislation and Regulations at PBGC, where he drafted or supervised virtually all regulations and policies issued by PBGC from 1988 until he left the agency in 2005, along with Jim Keightley (1942-2021), PBGC General Counsel, and Bill Beyer (1945-2018), PBGC Deputy General Counsel, to form Keightley & Ashner. His practice includes advising clients on a broad range of PBGC issues, such as those relating to PBGC’s Early Warning Program, M&A transactions, bankruptcy matters, premiums, reportable events, annual employer reporting, standard, distress, and involuntary terminations, settlements of PBGC liabilities, and valuation and payment of PBGC benefits. Harold has been recognized as a Washington, D.C., Super Lawyer every year since 2008 in the field of Employee Benefits, has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© list in the field of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law every year since 2016, and has a Peer Review Rating of AV® preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5.0 from Martindale-Hubbell. He is the author of several publications on PBGC and related matters, is a frequent speaker on such matters at professional conferences sponsored by the American Bar Association, the American Academy of Actuaries, the Conference of Consulting Actuaries, and other organizations. He is a Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel and has served as a member of its Board of Governors; he also serves in a number of leadership positions in the American Bar Association. Linda E. Rosenzweig advises and represents clients on a broad range of employee benefits and employment matters, including PBGC matters, having practiced in these areas for more than 40 years. Her broad-based practice covers the entire range of employee benefits matters. She has represented employers in administrative and court proceedings arising under ERISA and federal employment laws, and has handled private litigation (including U.S. Supreme Court and federal court cases) on behalf of employers as well as on behalf of PBGC during her PBGC tenure. Linda was for several years the President of the Greater Washington Metropolitan Area Chapter of the Worldwide Employee Benefits (“WEB”) Network. She is a Charter Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, was the Chair of the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Interest Group of the American Bar Association Health Section, and completed two terms as the Chair of the Employee Benefits Committee of the ABA’s Tort and Insurance Practice Section (“TIPS”). She was the 2001 recipient of TIPS’ Edmund S. Muskie Pro Bono Service Award. Linda has been recognized as a Washington, D.C., Super Lawyer every year since 2014 in the field of Employee Benefits, has been selected annually by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© list in the field of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law since 2020, and has a Peer Review Rating of AV® preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5.0 from Martindale-Hubbell. She has published numerous articles on ERISA and was the author of the COBRA Handbook (Second Edition) and the Pension Answer Book (Fifth Edition). She has spoken nationally on all aspects of employee benefits. Linda is active in Washington, D.C., metropolitan area community affairs. She is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Olney Theatre Center for the Arts, and the President of the Washington, D.C. Regional Board of the American Jewish Committee (AJC). She previously served on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington and the now-defunct Washington Chamber Symphony. Throughout her time at PBGC, she supervised and conducted litigation on behalf of PBGC in bankruptcy courts, district courts, and courts of appeals in cases involving ERISA, bankruptcy and administrative law issues, and worked on some of PBGC’s largest and most significant cases, including General Motors Corporation, Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation, New Valley Corporation (Western Union), Global Crossing Ltd., Smith Corona, McLouth Steel, and Grand Union. From 1994 until she left the agency. John F. Langhans, FSA, MAAA, works closely with the firm’s attorneys in advising clients on a variety of actuarial issues, with an emphasis on those arising under Title IV of ERISA. John served as Deputy Manager of PBGC’s Actuarial Services Division for most of his 14 years at the agency, thereafter joining Keightley & Ashner as Senior Actuarial Advisor in 2008. During his tenure at PBGC, John was involved extensively in the Early Warning Program and in bankruptcy litigation, was responsible for estimating PBGC claims in and out of bankruptcy, advised and assisted PBGC attorneys on a broad range of actuarial issues in litigation cases, served as an expert witness for PBGC on a wide variety of actuarial matters, and played a key role in supervising the work of PBGC actuaries and of outside actuarial firms responsible for calculating liability amounts for the agency. Prior to his employment with PBGC, John had more than 20 years of experience as a consulting actuary to a variety of corporate and government organizations that sponsored pension plans, acting as enrolled actuary and advisor to plan sponsors in plan design and funding and in the termination of over 100 plans. Ellan Hamilton Spring works closely with the firm’s attorneys in advising clients on a variety of issues relating to how PBGC determines and pays benefits when it takes over a terminated pension plan. Prior to joining Keightley & Ashner as its Senior PBGC Benefits Advisor in 2010, she had a 27-year career at PBGC and another eight years as a consultant to PBGC. During her tenure at PBGC, she served as the agency’s primary program official on benefit policy, created and headed the agency’s central benefit policy office, worked closely with PBGC attorneys and corporate policy staff to develop policy decisions, authored much of PBGC’s Operating Policy Manual, and served as PBGC’s dispute resolution specialist. Previously, while at the Department of Labor, she prepared the termination insurance and fiduciary standards portions of the legislative history of ERISA. Ellan received PBGC’s highest honorary award, the prestigious Distinguished Career Service Award, in 2001. Jonathan L. Henkel consults with the firm’s attorneys in advising clients about PBGC distress terminations, PBGC’s pursuit of termination and other liabilities, and other matters involving negotiations with PBGC. Before joining Keightley & Ashner as its Senior PBGC Negotiations Advisor in 2016, he had a 30-year career at PBGC, and another seven years as a senior financial analyst with Deloitte (a major PBGC contractor), where he supported PBGC’s Corporate Finance and Restructuring Department by negotiating and valuing employer liability settlements. During his tenure at PBGC, he worked closely with PBGC attorneys, actuaries and corporate policy staff in making plan termination and trusteeship recommendations and negotiating settlements on behalf of PBGC for employer liability, unpaid contributions, premiums, and other amounts owed to PBGC in connection with failed pension plans and also in connection with ongoing pension plans so as to provide enhanced protections to guard against possible future PBGC losses. He made significant contributions to PBGC’s plan termination and trusteeship program, having served as Supervisory Auditor for PBGC’s Plan Termination Insurance Program, and having developed key guidance for PBGC’s Termination and Reportable Events Program relating to audit guidelines, processing procedures and financial valuation.]]>