PBGC Chief Counsel Joins Ivins, Phillips & Barker
To Lead ERISA Litigation Practice
January 24, 2007
Ivins, Phillips, & Barker, Chartered, one of the Nation's premier tax and employee benefits law firms, located in Washington, D.C., announced today that Jeffrey B. Cohen, formerly Chief Counsel of the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, has joined the firm as a partner, where he will lead the firm's employee benefits litigation practice group.
Cohen commented that "It is well known in Washington and executive suites around the country that Ivins' benefits lawyers are the cream of the crop. That's why for decades they have remained the law firm of choice for so many of the largest and most sophisticated plan sponsors. No firm is better equipped to defend complex ERISA lawsuits. My decision to join Ivins was an easy one."
Kevin O'Brien, the firm's employee benefits chair, observed that "ERISA class action lawsuits have exploded in recent years. The stakes are so high that it makes sense for plan sponsors to rely on specialized ERISA litigation counsel to defend these cases. With the addition of Jeff and his quarter century of ERISA litigation experience to our team, Ivins now more than ever has the firepower to mount a winning defense against anything the plaintiffs' bar throws at our clients. We couldn't be more pleased to have him on our side."
Mr. Cohen was appointed Chief Counsel of PBGC in February 2005. In that capacity, he directed the work of 50 attorneys and served as lead counsel for the agency in major bankruptcy proceedings and ERISA litigation. Before his appointment as Chief Counsel, he served for many years as Deputy General Counsel of PBGC. While at PBGC, he was lead counsel for the agency in the bankruptcy proceedings, and related district court and appellate litigation, in such cases as United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Northwest Airlines, US Airways, Enron, Kaiser Aluminum, Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel, Pan American World Airways, Trans World Airlines, and New Valley (Western Union).
Mr. Cohen has successfully argued numerous cases in the federal courts of appeals, and has appeared as counsel in the Supreme Court in such cases as Beck v. PACE International Union, Hughes Aircraft v. Jacobson, Concrete Pipe & Products v. Construction Laborers Pension Trust, Local 144 Nursing Home Pension Fund v. Demisay, and Bay Area Laundry & Dry Cleaning Pension Trust Fund v. Ferbar. He also spearheaded PBGC's defense of individual and class actions involving allegations of breach of fiduciary duty and claims for benefits. In many of these cases, Mr. Cohen coordinated with senior officials at the U.S. Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service, and other Executive Branch agencies.
Mr. Cohen is a nationally recognized expert in ERISA litigation and on issues concerning the treatment of employee benefits in bankruptcy. In March 2006, The American Lawyer named him as a "Dealmaker of the Year" for 2005 for his work on behalf of PBGC in the United Airlines bankruptcy and other major bankruptcy cases. He is a frequent speaker at conferences on ERISA, bankruptcy, and ERISA litigation, and is a Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel.
Before joining PBGC, Mr. Cohen was a partner in a Washington, D.C. law firm specializing in ERISA litigation and counseling. He is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was an editor of the American Criminal Law Review, and the State University of New York at Binghamton. Mr. Cohen is a member of the District of Columbia, New York, and Virginia bars, as well as numerous federal district courts and courts of appeal, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Ivins, Phillips & Barker, Chartered, is a specialty law firm devoted exclusively to tax and employee benefits, with offices in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. Ivins represents a significant percentage of the Fortune 100 companies in tax and benefits matters. For more information about Ivins, please visit our website at www.ipbtax.com.
