Area of Practice
Employee Benefits
Litigation

Education
J.D., Washington and Lee University School of Law, 1993
B.A., George Mason University, 1990

Memberships
Virginia State Bar
Federal Bar Association
South Carolina Bar

Mr.Black practices primarily in the field of employee benefits law. He assists employers in establishing and administering employee benefit plans, including pension and welfare plans. Mr. Black's experience includes drafting and revising plan documents for defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans, as well as a variety of welfare benefit plans, including group health plans. He advises clients in the private (including both for-profit and not-for-profit entities) and public sectors. He assists clients in complying with federal and state laws applicable to their plans, including ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, the Internal Revenue Code, and the Public Health Service Act. Mr. Black represents employers, fiduciaries, insurers, and third party administrators in employee plan-related litigation in federal and state courts.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Black served as senior counsel with the Sheet Metal Workers' National Pension Fund in Alexandria, Virginia.

Matters that Mr.†Black has handled include:

- Drafting plan documents and summary plan descriptions for fully-insured and self-insured group health plans.

- Amending plan documents to ensure compliance with changes in the Internal Revenue Code.

- Representing a controlled group of employers and their corporate officers in an action for breach of fiduciary duty arising from the failure to fund a self-insured health plan.

- Assisting client with establishment of a third party COBRA administration program, including drafting and revising guidelines and operational forms.

- Representing large multiemployer pension and welfare plans in litigation with noncompliant employers.

- Representing insurer in litigation arising from denial of claims for accidental death benefits.

- Assisting clients with establishing procedures for processing qualified domestic relations orders, including drafting guidelines, forms, and checklists for client use.