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Brigen Winters admits that sometimes, when he’s feeling particularly pressured by work, he’ll glance longingly toward the putter he keeps in a corner of his office. “I really enjoy the camaraderie of golf and being outside in beautiful surroundings,” he says, and adds with a smile: “But I also like it because it’s an outlet for my competitive side.”
Brigen has considerable competitive experience in another challenging non-contact sport—national politics. Although he joined Groom in 1994 immediately after graduating from the University of Virginia School of Law and spent five quite satisfying years at the firm specializing in federal tax issues pertaining to employee benefits, in early 1999 he had an opportunity to realize a lifelong dream , accepting a position as the majority tax counsel to the House Ways and Means Committee. While he was particularly involved in the Portman-Cardin pension reform legislation enacted in 2001 as part of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act, he was more generally responsible for all issues related to employee benefits, assisting committee members in evaluating the merits of reform proposals, drafting legislation and report language, and participating in conference committee negotiations with the Senate.
Brigen’s experience on the Hill has convinced him that employee benefits have become an increasingly important part of the nation’s legislative landscape. “Although employee benefits may not have been regarded as very high-profile in the past,” he observes, “pension and health-related issues are now grabbing the headlines. The response of Congress and the Executive Branch to these issues will greatly affect both my practice area and the employee benefits field for many years to come.” Since his return to Groom in 2002, Brigen has been focusing his attention on the nexus of public policy and federal law that now defines his field, working with colleagues in the Policy and Legislation, Health, and Plan Design and Taxation groups on a broad range of legislative, regulatory, and traditional legal issues. In his three years at Groom since his return, he has found that amidst the many dramatic changes in his field, one thing has remained constant—Groom’s collegial workplace culture.
“The reason I chose to work at Groom after law school and the reason I returned after my stint on the Hill are the same,” he says. “I get to work on the latest issues with the preeminent attorneys in the employee benefits field in a strong and supportive work environment. The people at Groom are not just among the best in their profession, but also among the nicest.” |
