Essentials for the Benefits Practitioner: Experts' Guide to Employee Benefits Research

Catha Worthman is a founding partner at the firm. Through her public interest practice involving class actions, multi-plaintiff cases, and individual litigation, Catha advocates for the rights of workers, retirees, and people with disabilities. She has litigated cases involving the full range of ERISA and employee benefits issues, including breach of fiduciary duty, ESOP, pension, healthcare and long-term disability benefits, as well as wage and hour and disability rights cases. Her work has helped to recover unpaid wages and benefits for employees across a range of industries, including healthcare, transportation, fast food, and construction.

Catha often partners with nonprofit social justice organizations and labor unions in impact litigation and policy strategies. Presently, she is co-counsel with leading civil rights advocates in a case challenging discrimination against Latinos on Medi-Cal. She served as co-counsel in National Association of the Deaf v. Netflix, obtaining a favorable decision of first impression that ultimately resulted in Netflix agreeing to make its streaming video 100% accessible through closed captioning.

Catha writes and speaks frequently on her issues of expertise, including civil procedure, ERISA and other employee benefits issues, and wage and hour rights. An effective appellate advocate, she has successfully argued in the Fourth Circuit and briefed several appeals in California and federal courts.

Before joining the firm, Catha was a shareholder at Lewis, Feinberg, Lee & Jackson, P.C., served as a law clerk to Judge William A. Fletcher of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and worked for the Health Systems Division of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

Michelle Lewis is an Associate at Hunton Andrews Kurth. She concentrates her practice in the areas of health and welfare plans, qualified retirement plans, and executive deferred compensation plans.

Michelle delivers insightful and practical advice to clients in addressing a broad spectrum of employee benefit issues, including drafting plan documents, preparing IRS submissions, resolving ERISA and Internal Revenue Code compliance issues, advising on benefit claims and appeals, addressing various litigation issues, and negotiating employee benefit vendor contracts and HIPAA business associate agreements.

Robert concentrates his practice in fiduciary responsibility as well as tax-qualified retirement plan design, compliance, and administration. He routinely works with plan sponsors and fiduciaries to 401(k), defined benefit, cash balance, and profit sharing plans.

Robert has wide-ranging experience in plan drafting, including plan documents, amendments, resolutions, and summary plan descriptions. He also assists plan sponsors in preparing committee charters and bylaws to establish strong plan governance.

Robert routinely works with clients to assist with compliance efforts, including all aspects of the Internal Revenue Service Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System. He has significant experience helping clients navigate through the voluntary compliance program and plan audits.

In addition to plan design and compliance, Robert works with plan sponsors and service providers to understand and adhere to ERISA’s fiduciary requirements, including guiding clients through the Department of Labor’s Voluntary Fiduciary Compliance Program. He applies these same skills to service provider reviews, investment contract drafting and Department of Labor Investigations.

Robert also assists plan sponsors with day-to-day administrative efforts, including benefit claims and appeals, QDRO determinations, and participant communications. He remains up-to-date on all aspects of qualified plan reporting and disclosure in order to assist plan sponsors in timely compliance with regulatory requirements.

Robert has spoken on an array of benefits issues, including the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System, retirement benefits for domestic partners, missing participants, controlled group considerations, plan governance, and the fiduciary responsibilities of retirement plan committees.

Robert has been recognized as a 2016–2019 Rising Star, and as a 2020 Super Lawyer by the Northern California Super Lawyers publication. He was also awarded “Outstanding Volunteer” for his work from 2016 through 2018 with the Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) by the Bar Association of San Francisco.

Sam Choy specializes in employee benefits and executive compensation matters. A partner in our Employee Benefits practice, Sam advises clients on all aspects of benefits and compensation in a wide range of situations.

Well versed in applicable laws and regulations, Sam advises plan sponsors, fiduciary committees, compensation committees, senior executives and investment managers on nearly all aspects of benefits and compensation. He guides clients on benefits and compensation considerations that apply in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and other corporate transactions.

Sam has broad knowledge of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), COBRA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and plan fiduciary governance matters. He also has experience in dealing with the IRS, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PGBC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on behalf of his clients.