Best Law Firms in the United States for Litigation - ERISA

More than 900 legal professionals in 26 offices across the country collaborate seamlessly at Barnes & Thornburg to field the right team for you. As one of the 100 largest law firms in the United States, we put our collective experience across legal disciplines to work so you can conduct business in today’s changing marketplace. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com.

Our founding members worked together for years at one of the largest law firms in Dallas, representing Fortune 500 companies and other high-profile clients in virtually every legal matter under the sun. Together, we felt that we had something new to offer – a different way of doing things. We wanted to find a way to take our big-firm experience and combine it with a personal approach that our clients simply wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else. Once we realized that, the next step was to open our own firm together.

How is our approach different?

First, we’re a part of your team. Even within a single practice, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to the law. So, before doing anything else, we work with you to create a set of goals that will form the foundation of our legal strategy. From there, we’re with you through every step of the process. We understand any legal dispute can be stressful and know that effective communication can go a long way toward allaying that. You’ll have questions, and we’ll be there to answer them. Simply put, you’ll be at the center of everything we do.

Second, our team of experienced attorneys prides itself on being more collaborative than most. When we take on a client, you’re not just getting a single lawyer’s experience and insight but the entire firm’s when it’s needed. Not a pile-on, with layers of lawyers, but a smart, efficient approach that means better solutions for you. You’re a part of the family now, so get used to the attention.

We believe that people like working with people they like, and that’s why we put personal service at the forefront of every client relationship. We get to know our clients, talk about family and vacations, and share an occasional bottle of wine. Connections are important to us.

We’re glad you found us, and we know that once you learn a little more about our attorneys and what we can do for you, you’re going to like working with us.

Practice Areas

• Appellate
• Arbitration & Mediation
• Business Litigation
• Construction
• ERISA Litigation
• Family Law
• Labor & Employment
• Legal Malpractice
• Texas Local Counsel

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. brings innovative, effective, and practical solutions to the complex problems clients face in today’s interwoven and evolving arenas of law, commerce, technology, insurance, education, healthcare, government, and public relations.

Excellent, efficient legal service requires an in-depth knowledge of our clients’ businesses and the challenges they face in today’s increasingly competitive marketplace. With attorneys experienced in a full range of practice areas, Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd attorneys work as a member of our clients’ team, providing advice and counsel for a broad range of matters, including general operations, regulatory compliance, corporate organization and governance, mergers and acquisitions, securities, taxation, employment, and litigation.

Admissions include state and federal courts in South Carolina, North Carolina, District of Columbia, Georgia, Florida, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas,  including the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. Backed by more than a century of commitment to the businesses it serves, the firm provides clients with the highest level of advice, counsel, and representation covering a diverse array of matters in regional, national, and international settings.

Distinguished in the legal community, firm attorneys have held leadership positions within state and national organizations such as past presidents of the South Carolina Bar, the South Carolina Bar Foundation, and the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association; including serving as board members of the American College of Bond Counsel and past president of the National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL).

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. has more than 110 attorneys and offices located in Charleston, Columbia, Florence, and Greenville, South Carolina, and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Holifield & Janich PLLC is a leading law firm with 2 lawyers recognized by Best Lawyers across 3 practice areas. The firm's tenure with Best Lawyers began in 2021. Having lawyers recognized in Best Lawyers' purely peer review process emphasizes the lawyers credibility and reputation for their practice amongst their peers in their practice area and region. It displays professional validation of the legal talent that Holifield & Janich PLLC has on their team. The firm has lawyers recognized in practice areas including: Litigation - ERISA, Commercial Litigation and Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law.

Holifield & Janich PLLC is also ranked by Best Law Firms in 3 practice areas. The Best Law Firms rankings are founded on a time-tested and transparent research process that has remained consistent since Best Lawyers launched it in 2010. Holifield & Janich PLLC has 5 rankings in 3 practices. Echoing their Best Lawyers awards and team of top legal talent.

Jones Walker LLP is among the largest 145 law firms in the United States. With offices in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, and Texas, we serve local, regional, national, and international business interests. The firm is committed to providing a comprehensive range of legal services to major multinational public and private corporations, Fortune® 500 companies, money center banks, worldwide insurers, and emerging companies doing business in the United States and abroad.

Since 2012, The BTI Consulting Group has named Jones Walker to its Client Service A-Team, which identifies the top client service firms in the nation. The firm has previously been named to both the A-Team and BTI's Client Service 30, a list of top 30 firms in the country for dedication to client service. Clients have recognized Jones Walker for consistent excellence in areas such as client focus, anticipating the client's needs, and understanding the client's business.

McDermott Will & Schulte is an international law firm serving businesses, institutions and individuals across a wide range of legal matters. With offices throughout the United States and Europe, including Chicago, New York, London, Paris, Frankfurt and Washington, D.C., the firm advises clients on complex transactions, regulatory concerns, litigation and industry-specific challenges. Since first earning attorney recognition in 1983, the firm has continued to build a broad legal practice shaped by changing markets and evolving client needs.

The firm is known for its work in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, banking and finance, tax law, health care law, intellectual property and high-stakes litigation. Its attorneys also counsel clients in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence law, fintech, privacy and data security, biotechnology and life sciences. McDermott Will & Schulte represents clients ranging from growing companies to multinational organizations, helping them navigate business decisions, disputes and regulatory matters with practical legal guidance.

McDermott Will & Schulte has earned recognition across numerous practice areas in Best Law Firms rankings, including bankruptcy and restructuring, employment law, real estate law, securities regulation, patent law, antitrust law and international trade and finance law. The firm also has 357 lawyers recognized by Best Lawyers, reflecting peer-reviewed acknowledgment across a broad range of legal disciplines.

Clients turn to McDermott Will & Schulte for counsel that is strategic, business-minded and tailored to the industries they serve. Whether handling cross-border transactions, intellectual property disputes, health care compliance or complex commercial litigation, the firm focuses on delivering clear legal solutions that align with each client’s long-term objectives.

Parr Brown Gee & Loveless is a commercial law firm based in Salt Lake City, Utah.  We assist corporate clients and individuals with transactional, litigation, and regulatory matters on a local, national and international basis. We have earned a reputation for our extensive experience handling complex financing, acquisitions and commercial transactions as well as bet-the-farm litigation, arbitration and mediation.

The firm was founded in 1975 with an emphasis on the importance of people, preparation and performance.  We recognize that building true relationships with our clients is the very foundation of our success.  This is accomplished through a deep understanding of our clients' needs and an intense, thorough and principled approach to every legal matter. We find solutions.  We resolve problems. We get deals done.

At Taft, we work together across offices and practice areas to help clients address legal and business challenges efficiently and strategically. Our attorneys focus on practical solutions designed to support clients’ goals, whether they are managing day-to-day operations, navigating complex transactions, or resolving disputes.

With more than 1,250 attorneys, Taft serves clients from offices in Chicago, Illinois; Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Delaware, Ohio; Aspen, Denver, and Colorado Springs, Colorado; Detroit and Southfield, Michigan; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Indianapolis, Indiana; Covington, Kentucky; Phoenix, Arizona; Stuart and West Palm Beach, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; and Washington, D.C.

Taft represents individuals, privately held businesses, public companies, nonprofits, and institutions across established and emerging industries throughout the United States and internationally.

The firm advises clients in a broad range of practice areas, including:

• Business
• Bankruptcy and Restructuring
• Employment and Labor Relations
• Energy
• Environmental
• Health Care
• Intellectual Property
• Lending and Finance
• Litigation
• Private Client
• Real Estate
• Tax

Since 1885, Taft has remained focused on delivering responsive legal counsel and client service tailored to the needs of businesses, organizations, and individuals.

Affiliated Businesses

Taft attorneys regularly collaborate with affiliated businesses to provide clients with additional consulting and advisory services in a variety of industries and operational areas. These affiliated businesses include:

• Ginovus
• Taft Advisors LLC
• Taft Business Consulting
• Taft Infrastructure Advisors

Through these organizations, clients have access to consulting services related to planning, forecasting, government relations, infrastructure, and public policy matters.

Awards and Honors

Taft and its attorneys have received recognition from legal industry publications and ranking organizations, including:

Main Areas of Practice:

Business: Taft represents public, private, and nonprofit clients in industries including banking, construction, finance, health care, insurance, manufacturing, private equity, real estate, retail, transportation, and utilities. The firm advises clients ranging from emerging businesses to Fortune 500 companies on local, national, and cross-border matters.

Bankruptcy and Restructuring: The firm represents debtors, lenders, creditors’ committees, trustees, suppliers, developers, landlords, buyers, sellers, and other parties in restructuring matters, insolvency proceedings, transactions, and related litigation across multiple industries.

Employment and Labor Relations: Taft advises employers on labor and employment matters, including workplace policies, litigation, labor relations, employee benefits and ERISA compliance, workplace safety, immigration matters, and workers’ compensation issues.

Energy: The firm represents energy providers, utilities, developers, independent power producers, transmission companies, and other participants in the energy sector on regulatory, transactional, and operational matters.

Environmental: Taft handles environmental litigation, regulatory compliance, enforcement matters, environmental due diligence, toxic tort claims, Superfund matters, Brownfields redevelopment, and administrative proceedings before state and federal agencies.

Health Care: The firm advises hospitals, physicians, health systems, research institutions, and medical device, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical companies on business, regulatory, reimbursement, litigation, employment, and compliance matters.

Intellectual Property: Taft counsels clients on patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, licensing, and intellectual property litigation, including matters involving pharmaceuticals, life sciences, software, and internet-related technologies.

Lending and Finance: The firm represents lenders and borrowers in a wide range of financing transactions, including asset-based lending, acquisition finance, mezzanine financing, real estate finance, equipment leasing, regulatory compliance, and consumer financial services matters.

Litigation: Taft represents clients in state and federal courts, arbitration proceedings, and regulatory matters involving commercial disputes, antitrust, bankruptcy, construction, environmental claims, intellectual property, securities, product liability, white collar defense, and other complex litigation matters.

Private Client: The firm advises individuals, families, and business owners on estate planning, wealth transfer strategies, succession planning, trusts and estates, charitable planning, and tax-related matters.

Real Estate: Taft represents clients in matters involving acquisitions, dispositions, financing, leasing, development, land use, construction, property management, and real estate litigation.

Tax: The firm advises corporations, financial institutions, nonprofit organizations, joint ventures, and individuals on tax planning, employee benefits, executive compensation, mergers and acquisitions, international tax matters, state and local taxation, and tax controversy matters.

With more than 30 legal professionals practicing solely in employee benefits law, Trucker Huss is one of the largest employee benefits specialty law firms in the country. Their in-depth knowledge and breadth of experience on all issues confronting employee benefit plans, and their sponsors, fiduciaries and service providers, translate into real-world, practical solutions for their clients.

Trucker Huss works with some of the country’s largest companies and union-sponsored and Taft-Hartley trust funds, handling sophisticated and varied employee benefits issues. They also represent and are familiar with the needs of mid-sized and small employers, public sector union and association plans, plan fiduciaries, institutional trustees, other law firms, benefits consulting firms, insurance brokers, accounting firms, third party administrators and other service providers.

Since its founding in 1980, Trucker Huss has built its reputation on providing accurate, responsive and personal service. The firm has grown in part through referrals from our many satisfied clients. They have excellent relationships with other law firms, often working with them on a strategic basis.

The following ten senior or retired Trucker Huss attorneys are fellows of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel:

• R. Bradford Huss
• Charles A. Storke
  
• Nicholas J. White
• Kevin E. Nolt
• Mary E. Powell
• Scott E. Galbreath
• Clarissa A. Kang
• Joseph C. Faucher
• Lee Trucker (retired)
  
• Barbara Creed (retired)

The ACEBC is an invitation-only organization of nationally recognized employee benefits legal experts with twenty or more years of experience. Fellows of the 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. Selection as a Fellow reflects the Board’s judgment that a nominee has made significant contributions to the advancement of the employee benefits field.

The national reputation of Trucker Huss and their recognized stature in the employee benefits area enable them to attract top legal talent in their field.