As the nation’s third largest labor and employment firm representing management, Ogletree Deakins is keenly aware that the effective management of employee benefits—including the speedy and successful resolution of employee benefits disputes—is crucial to an employer's overall human resources and labor relations goals. Because we understand that an employer's benefits philosophy and programs are an integral part of the employer's "big picture," we demand more of ourselves as professionals than mere technical proficiency in the field of employee benefits law. We believe that providing clients with effective and cost-efficient employee benefits representation requires two additional qualities: the ability to understand how a client's employee benefits objectives fit into the client's overall employment and business goals, and the ability to translate the technical requirements of employee benefits law into practical, understandable, and affordable means to achieve those goals. This belief dictates the approach we take in our employee benefits practice, both as advisors and as litigators.

New and established clients often turn to members of Ogletree Deakins' employee benefits group for assistance in litigation involving employee pension or welfare benefits plans – sometimes brought on behalf of a single individual, but often brought on behalf of a class of plan participants – including claims under ERISA alleging breaches of fiduciary duties or violations of ERISA's substantive requirements. Our capabilities in defending employers, plans, and fiduciaries in benefits-related controversies set our employee benefits practice apart from the benefits departments of most firms.

What distinguishes us in this regard is that our employee benefits practice group includes seasoned litigators who also have a sound working knowledge of the complex tax and regulatory issues involved in employee benefit plan design and administration. The ERISA litigators in our practice group are an integral part of the overall benefits practice. They routinely draft plan documents and related instruments for qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, welfare plans, and fringe benefit plans; advise clients regarding the employee benefits aspects of corporate mergers, acquisitions, and restructurings; or counsel clients regarding other aspects of tax or regulatory compliance. Because our benefits litigators speak the language of employee benefits plan design and administration, they are able to communicate directly and effectively with the client's human resources personnel, actuaries, and other professionals to quickly recognize and marshal the facts essential to the defense.