cjr@groom.com
202-861-5418
Download v-card

Chris likens his work at Groom to fly-fishing, one of his passions. Patience and perseverance are required, as well as an intimate understanding of the subtleties of the craft. And the rewards lie in the process, as well as in the result. An avid outdoorsman who enjoys skiing, hunting, and fishing, as well as a collector of antiques, Chris balances his many years immersed in the hidden intricacies of ERISA litigation with a well-rounded existence outside the practice of law.

Chris brings his extensive understanding of ERISA matters to bear for the clients of Groom. Before coming to Groom in 2005, Chris was a partner in three large San Francisco firms, where he focused on labor and employment litigation, ERISA and employee benefit litigation, fiduciary counseling, and plan administration. He has counseled companies on ERISA administration and compliance, and has been lead or co-lead counsel on many class action ERISA cases. The spring of knowledge from which he draws is fed by his experience with 401(k) plans, cash balance and other defined benefit plans, profit sharing and ESOP’s, Taft-Hartley trust funds and benefit plans, various health and welfare plans, COBRA, and severance pay plans.  He has navigated both the wide waters of the Department of Labor and the deep waters of the Internal Revenue Service.

Most recently, Chris has been extensively involved in defending sponsors involved in cash balance conversion and company stock issues. The cash balance conversion cases are ERISA’s newest variant, combining the Age Discrimination in Employment Act with ERISA’s defined benefit provisions. The stakes in these complex cases are huge and courts are struggling to develop a coherent jurisprudence with regard to these claims. 

Chris is an avid speaker and writer on cash balance and company stock issues. Most recently, he has co sponsored the Advanced Forum on Complex ERISA Litigation, a two day seminar offered by the American Conference Institute in Washington, D.C.

Chris is admitted to practice in California and the District of Columbia.