REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE
Mark’s experience includes the following representative matters:
- Advises a variety of plan sponsors, including Fortune 50 companies, on their employee benefits and insurance matters.
- Assisted in the design and operation of several hundred insurance and investment products; investment advisory, management and broker-dealer arrangements; and record keeping and other plan service arrangements.
- For benefits plans and sponsors, negotiated the acquisition of more than 50 sophisticated investment and insurance products.
- Represented our clients before the Internal Revenue Service, the Treasury Department, the Employee Benefit Security Administration (DOL), the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
- Managed more than 40 tax and ERISA cases in federal court.
- Served as counsel for the Nationwide Insurance Companies in a series of cases culminating in Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. v. Darden (Supreme Court 1992) and for the amici in Albertson’s, Inc. v. Commissioner (9th Cir. 1993, 1994).
PROFESSIONAL HONORS AND AWARDS
- Named to The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Employee Benefits Law (since 2001)
- Fellow, American College of Employee Benefits Counsel
PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
- Member, Board of Directors, D.C. Bar Foundation
- Former Chair, Employee Benefits Committee, Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, American Bar Association (1991-1992)
- Former Delegate, Joint Committee on Employee Benefits, American Bar Association
- Former Member, Advisory Board, Georgetown Corporate Counsel Institute
RECENT PUBLICATIONS AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- Author, “Investment Advice for Employee Benefit Plans and IRAs,” PLI Investment Adviser Regulation (2008 and subsequent updates to 2d edition)
- Author, “ERISA Compliance Issues for Broker-Dealers,” PLI Broker-Dealer Regulation (2008 and subsequent updates)
- Speaker, ALI-ABA Investment Adviser Regulation Course (January 15-16, 2009)
- Speaker, Life Insurance Counsel of New York Tax Conference (November 13, 2008)
- Speaker, Sutherland Securities Symposium (October 30, 2008)
- Speaker, 403(b) Retirement Plans: A Map of the New World (October 28, 2008)
- Speaker, NAVA 2008 Annual Meeting (October 5-7, 2008)
- Speaker, Society of Actuaries Insurance Product Tax Seminar (September 8-9, 2008)
- Speaker, Sutherland Securities Symposium (July 31, 2008)
- Speaker, Tax Executives Institute Region II Tax Forum (June 17-18, 2008)
- Speaker, NAVA 2008 Compliance and Regulatory Affairs Conference (June 1-3, 2008)
- Speaker, 2008 Retirement Income Distribution Evolution Summit (April 30, 2008)
- Speaker, Independent Broker-Dealer Regulatory Forum (April 16, 2008)
- Speaker, 2008 Pro Bono Institute (February 28-29, 2008)
- Speaker, Annuities in DC Plans – Creating Products for and Marketing to DC Plan Sponsors Webinar (February 6, 2008)
- Speaker, ALI-ABA Investment Adviser Regulation Program (January 24-25, 2008)