Brigen L. Winters is a principal at Groom Law Group, Chartered, a firm of 60 attorneys that focuses on ERISA and employee benefits issues.  Mr. Winters co-chairs the firm's Policy and Legislation practice group and also works with the firm's Executive Compensation, Health and Welfare, Plan Design and Taxation, and Public and Multiemployer Plans practice groups.  His practice includes counseling plan sponsors, insurers and other financial institutions regarding executive compensation, health and welfare and tax-qualified arrangements, and advising plan sponsors, coalitions, and trade associations on legislative and regulatory matters. 

Mr. Winters returned to the firm in January 2002 after serving for three years as majority tax counsel to the House Committee on Ways and Means.  While on the Committee on Ways and Means staff, he was responsible for all issues related to employee benefits and deferred compensation, including the Portman-Cardin pension reform legislation that was enacted as part of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001.  Mr. Winters also advised Members and staff on issues related to the Patients Bill of Rights legislation, Social Security, tax-exempt organizations, and the taxation of insurance companies and their products.

Over the last several years, Mr. Winters has worked extensively on health reform issues that were recently enacted as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  He also works extensively on executive and nonqualified deferred compensation issues, including compliance and plan design issues related to Code sections 409A, 162(m) and 457A.