Lonie A. Hassel is a principal and co-chair of Groom's Plan Funding and Restructuring Group.  She focuses on employee benefits issues in corporate transactions and bankruptcy, including advice on funding, minimum funding waivers, plan termination and negotiations with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC).  She has represented plan sponsors, in and out of bankruptcy, in devising, negotiating, and implementing changes to employee benefit plans, including plan termination.  Her practice also includes benefit claim and fiduciary breach litigation, as well as litigation involving plan termination and multiemployer plan issues.  She advises plan sponsors and ERISA-covered and public pension and welfare benefit plans on fiduciary issues.

Ms. Hassel joined the firm after eight years of practice at PBGC.  As Assistant General Counsel, she represented the PBGC in litigation involving ERISA and bankruptcy issues.  She is admitted before the United States Supreme Court, most United States Courts of Appeals, and various United States District Courts throughout the country.