Order in the Court!  Litigation is expensive and time-consuming, but the parties often leave the courthouse having learned some valuable lessons.  As spectators, the experiences reflected in the pages of the Federal Reporter are available for all to see, and we can use the cautionary tales they tell to minimize the risks to our clients as they navigate the complex and evolving requirements that apply to employee benefit plans.

ERISA has been a productive area for the courts in recent years, and 2012 did not mark a change in that regard.  To keep you up-to-date about developments in the courts during 2012, we will discuss the current hot topics in the benefits litigation world including:

• the continued expansion of ERISA remedies under Amara,
• ongoing challenges to company stock investments
• plan investment practices relating to participant fees and costs, and
• other emerging issues including some new risks for employers under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. 

Come join us as we discover a few new ways to help our clients avoid ending up on the wrong side of the "versus" in a case caption.

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 9:30 a.m.  The registration fee includes a full breakfast buffet and hosted parking in the self-parking lot at the Hyatt.

The reservation deadline for this event is Friday, March 15. 

About our speaker:

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 Council and is a frequent speaker on employee benefits topics for industry organizations.

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.