Ian D. Lanoff

Ian entered the private practice of law in 1982 after serving for five years as Administrator of Pension and Welfare Benefit Programs at the U.S. Department of Labor, where he was responsible for the development and administration of the Department's ERISA regulations and enforcement policies governing private pension and employee health and welfare plans.  Previously, he served as Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare and as General Counsel to the United Mine Workers of America Health and Retirement Funds. Ian began his career as a labor law attorney at the National Labor Relations Board.

At Groom Law Group, Ian represents an impressive number of the largest and best known public employee pension and welfare benefit plans, as well as corporate and multiemployer plans.  Ian specializes in providing advice on the fiduciary responsibilities of trustees with a large dose of common sense informing his view of the law.  As a former political appointee, Ian understands the demands that are often placed on trustees in these high-profile plans.  Most recently Ian was hired by the board of the Ohio State Bureau of Workers Compensation to advise regarding the consequences for the trust fund of what’s come to be called “Coingate.”

Ian has come to depend on Groom’s collegial culture when dealing with such a broad range of clients, pointing in particular to the “expertise, sophistication, and focus of every attorney in the firm.”  He adds: “Every one of my colleagues is a resource for advice, counsel and consultation.”  The feeling is mutual:  whether seeking advice on how to deal with the Department of Labor or what to tell that trustee who is not sure that that investment opportunity is quite as good as it sounds, or even whether the Michigan defense will finally perform as well as the offense, Ian is a constant source of advice for his colleagues. 

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