Courts, Congress & Compliance

What’s New for ERISA Litigation, Benefits Legislation, and Agency Guidance for 2019?

 The Presentation: 

Benefits professionals know all too well how quickly the rules of the ERISA game can change, and staying on top of these changes has become an even bigger and more important task in recent years.  To help you stay abreast of the many judicial, legislative, and administrative changes facing plan sponsors and their advisors in 2019, we will take a whirlwind tour of current topics of interest including:

• Key ERISA litigation trends including developments on ERISA coverage, investment fees and costs, actuarial equivalence, and stock drop claims along with consequential “back room” issues like standing, statutes of limitations, and burdens of proof.
• Renewed Congressional interest in benefit plan legislation and oversight, including initiatives to expand retirement savings opportunities and encourage development of more affordable healthcare options.
• New and pending agency guidance on topics ranging from association health plans to multiple employer plans to hardship distributions to electronic disclosures to assistance with student loan repayments to fiduciary duties.

Daunting though they may be, all of these changes offer valuable opportunities to improve the ways we advise and operate employee benefit plans, and with the insights you’ll gather during our tour, you will be ready for the challenges that lie ahead in 2019.

Our Speaker: Tim Verrall

Timothy G. Verrall is a shareholder in the Houston office of Ogletree Deakins where he advises a diverse range of clients on a wide variety of employee benefit plan issues arising under ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, and related federal and state laws including employee benefit plan design and administration, executive and incentive compensation, controversies and litigation, plan investments and health care privacy.  Tim is a past president of the Orange County Chapter of the Western Pension & Benefits Conference and is a frequent speaker on employee benefits topics for industry organizations.

Who Should Attend:

• Plan Fiduciaries who want to know more about current and ongoing fiduciary litigation
• Plan Sponsors who want to know about potential changes that may affect their benefit programs
• Financial Advisors who want to know more about potential retirement plan changes that may affect their practices and opportunities that may result
• Auditors who want to know current retirement plan litigation and potential rules changes regarding retirement plans
• Recordkeepers who would like to know more about potential changes in the benefit plan arena
• Consultants who would like to have the most current information on proposed legislation and regulation as well as the current state of fiduciary litigation

• 2 CE for AIF Certification (pending)
  
• 2 CE for ASPPA certifications
  
• 2 CEC for NIPA certifications
  
• 2 CPE for CEBS
  
• 1.75 hours MCLE for California attorneys
  
• 2 hours for California CPAs
  
• 2 hours for Certified Financial Planners (pending)
  
• 2 hour for ERPA and Enrolled Agents 
  

Doors open at 7:30 a.m. for check-in, breakfast and networking.  Our program will begin at 8:00 a.m. and this program will end at approximately 9:45 a.m.  The registration fee includes a full breakfast buffet and hosted valet parking.

The reservation deadline for this event is Friday, April 12.

WP&BC Members can bring a guest for free!  This is a wonderful opportunity to introduce your peers and colleagues to our Chapter.  Remember, your guest should be a first-time visitor and potential member.   Look for the free guest offer when you register online

The statements and materials presented at WP&BC Orange County Chapter events are solely the opinions of the speakers and do not represent the opinions or positions of WP&BC Orange County Chapter. In addition, WP&BC Orange County Chapter assumes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the statements and materials presented by speakers at WP&BC Orange County Chapter events.