Groom Law Group, Chartered

Groom Law Group has been at the forefront of developments in the nation’s benefits, health, and retirement laws since Congress passed ERISA in 1974, drawing many of its attorneys from the federal agencies that regulate employee benefits and forging strong ties with key players in all three branches of government.

With more than 90 attorneys dedicated to the employee benefits practice, Groom offers clients unparalleled coverage of issues and disputes arising from ERISA, the Tax Code, securities laws, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, ADEA, and the many other laws that govern employee benefits. Working collaboratively across practice groups, Groom’s attorneys build upon their diverse backgrounds to share a common understanding of benefits, health, and retirement law that enables them to integrate their efforts across areas of specialization to produce the best results for their clients. The firm prides itself on offering state-of-the-art advice on best practices and emerging trends in employee benefits to a diverse group of clients across the country. Groom emphasizes a team approach to clients that assures responsive and efficient service.

Main areas of practice
Employers: Groom offers practical experience and thoughtful advice for employers of all sizes across a diverse range of industries to assist with workplace and personnel issues, benefit design, plan funding and restructuring, executive compensation arrangements, litigation, advocacy, and more.

• Retirement plans: Groom’s expertise includes a broad range of retirement and pension plans, such as 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, defined benefit and cash balance plans, IRAs, and ESOPs.
• Executive compensation: We assist clients with the design, funding, and administration of plans that are advantageous to executives and comply with government regulation.
• Fiduciary and plan governance: Our attorneys helped shape most major administrative initiatives related to ERISA fiduciary responsibility provisions—plan governance is our second nature.
• Health and welfare benefits: Groom attorneys provide expert advice on benefits financing, contract negotiations, fiduciary issues, plan design and drafting, fringe benefits, and more.

Health services: In an evolving landscape, Groom attorneys provide sound counsel across an array of health and welfare matters, including advocacy and litigation, to expertly guide managed care organizations, insurance companies, trade associations, specialized health service companies, and others.

• Federal insurance regulation: Groom advises the largest insurance companies, managed care organizations, and health care service providers on federal programs and insurance regulation.
• State insurance regulation: Groom is uniquely positioned to help our clients understand state insurance law issues, especially given the growing body of overlapping federal laws.
• Privacy and security: Groom helps health plans, insurers, and service providers navigate privacy and security rules, including electronic recordkeeping, disclosures, and data sharing.
• ERISA: Our attorneys’ deep knowledge of ERISA allows us to provide best-in-class counsel on the myriad of ERISA matters that can arise when designing and administering health related products and services.

Retirement services: Groom attorneys are widely recognized for their forward-thinking work in representing retirement plan sponsors and financial institutions, as well as complex litigation matters involving plan service providers, rabbi trusts and other executive compensation arrangements.

• Financial institutions and advisers: We assist financial institutions and advisers with regard to the design and delivery of products and services in the retirement plan marketplace.
• Investment of plan assets: Groom attorneys combine the right tools, resources, and comprehensive experience to tactfully advise clients on their most important plan investment projects.
• Plan services and providers: Plan service providers rely on Groom for assistance with issues arising under ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, and other applicable state and federal laws.
• IRAs/HSAs: Our decades-long focus on health and retirement plans uniquely positions us to assist our clients in the development, marketing, and management of IRAs and HSAs.

Litigation: From complex class actions to federal agency investigations, Groom’s nationally recognized litigators use skill, toughness, and creativity to win successful outcomes for clients.

• Plan sponsor litigation: Our litigation team applies skill and creativity to shape processes and generate positive outcomes for employers in their plan sponsor and fiduciary capacities.
• Health services litigation: Groom’s litigation attorneys leverage the firm’s specialized focus on health care services to provide unparalleled litigation defense services to clients.
• Retirement services litigation: Groom litigators have a proven track record of representing retirement service providers in complicated, “bet the company” litigation.

Policy: Groom’s policy professionals are able to achieve positive outcomes for clients by leveraging substantive expertise and extensive relationships in Washington, DC.

• Employer advocacy: Groom brings its specialized expertise, practical advice, and focused counsel to employers of all sizes and industries.
• Health services advocacy: We work extensively on behalf of our clients to help shape healthcare policy at the state and federal level.
• Retirement services advocacy: Drawing on our substantive experience and leveraging our inside-the-Beltway connections, Groom advances retirement policy for employers and service providers.