tsg@groom.com

“I first dealt with the firm while working as in-house counsel for one of its clients,” responds Tom Gigot when asked how he came to Groom in the late 1980s. “The firm stood head and shoulders above the competition in every category. Like most young attorneys, I wanted to practice with the best. And Groom was the best.” He adds with a smile: “It’s still the best.”

At Groom, Tom maintains an active employee benefits litigation practice that involves client representation as well as more technical explorations of transactional issues and other matters arising under Title IV of ERISA. While representing plan sponsors and administrators in benefit and fiduciary responsibility disputes at both the trial and appellate court levels, he has expanded his practice to include actuaries and other plan professionals in matters related to their “non-fiduciary” liability to plan clients. He has compiled a considerable record of written material as well, including articles and briefs on controlled group liabilities under Title IV, PBGC involvement in corporate transactions, retiree health programs,  and employer stock investments. A regular speaker before professional service provider groups on liability issues, Tom also shares his experience and expertise with students who take his graduate level course at Georgetown University Law Center, “ERISA: Plan Termination and Withdrawal Liability.”

While he has seen many changes in the landscape of employee benefits law in his nearly two decades at Groom, Tom believes that recent developments are perhaps the most dramatic. “We’ve entered an era of high-stakes ERISA and ERISA-related litigation,” he observes, “and these claims are being prosecuted by sophisticated and creative legal counsel and regulators.” He believes that the “plaintiff” side of much of this litigation is several steps ahead of most ERISA practitioners, which makes Groom’s depth of focus and breadth of expertise on employee benefits law truly distinctive—and important. 

“Few ERISA attorneys outside Groom can honestly say that they saw today’s high-profile litigation coming ahead of time,” Tom maintains. “Most competent lawyers can analyze the legal issues, but in the current climate, clients need more than competent analysis. They need ERISA specialists who can spot tomorrow’s trouble spots ahead of time—attorneys who can understand their clients’ underlying business and personal needs and deal with them efficiently and pragmatically. Groom fills that need.”