Chambers USA has featured Groom in their 2023 guide, issuing rankings that cover every area of the firms’ practices. Groom is ranked in the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, ERISA Litigation, and Healthcare categories, and a number of Groom attorneys have received individual rankings and highly favorable accolades from client. Groom also retained the sole top ranking in Washington, D.C. for Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation for the 18th consecutive year.

Specializing in all aspects of benefits, health and retirement law, Groom was founded in the wake of a landmark regulatory development—the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Today, with over 90 attorneys practicing in the field, Groom has the largest ERISA and benefits practice in the United States, solving complicated legal issues for a variety of clients in finance, retirement, health care, and the public sector. In addition, as informed by decades of experience, Groom’s widely-recognized litigation practice maneuvers the complex, dynamic landscape of employer, health, and pension-related litigation to successfully represent clients in federal and state courts, arbitrations, and government investigations across the country.

Chambers praises Groom as being “highly sought after for its well-established connections to governmental entities and its specialized expertise in matters such as executive compensation, fiduciary responsibility, and plan funding and restructuring,” adding that, “The Groom team offers a wealth of experience with regulatory issues affecting plans, including Department of Labor investigations.”

Clients declare that “The Groom team has deep expertise on all substantive issues. A lot of its people have a government background so they know all the right people.”

Firm Rankings

  • Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, DC (Band 1)
  • Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Nationwide (Band 1)
  • ERISA Litigation, Nationwide (Band 2)
  • Healthcare, DC (Band 5)

Individual Lawyers Rankings

  • Jon Breyfogle – Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, DC (Band 3)
    Sources say: “Jon has a great understanding of issue spotting and resolution.”
  • Elizabeth Drake – Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, DC (Band 3)
    Sources say: “Elizabeth has unparalleled benefits knowledge” and “Elizabeth is an outstanding lawyer in matters relating to ERISA and retirement plans. She understands our company’s goals and delivers results.”
  • Jennifer Eller – Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, DC (Band 3)
    Sources say: “Jennifer’s advice is excellent.”
  • Lars Golumbic – ERISA Litigation, Nationwide (Band 2), Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, DC (Band 4)
    Sources say: “He is super knowledgeable and super personable” and “Lars is very smart and diligent.”
  • Daniel Hogans – Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, DC (Band 2)
    Sources say: “Daniel is an excellent practitioner.”
  • Christine Keller – Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, DC (Band 1)
    Sources say: “Christine is very practical and very client-focused.”
  • David Levine – Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, DC (Band 2)
    Sources say: “He really is somebody we trust implicitly. He always does a good job of understanding where we are and need to go, and is able to deliver value in terms of helping us accomplish what we need to” and “David is the consummate adviser to senior management and C-suite teams; he is aware of regulatory, legislative and political developments.”
  • Louis Mazawey – Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, DC (Senior Statesperson)
    Sources say: “Louis Mazawey is a very experienced lawyer, he has a lovely demeanor and way of counseling clients” and “He is an expert in many areas.”
  • Seth Perretta – Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, DC (Band 3)
    Sources say: “Seth is extremely knowledgeable and excellent at presenting the regulatory issues in a way the client can understand and act upon” and “Seth is very smart and very quick, no matter the question, he can respond with no preparation.”
  • Michael Prame – ERISA Litigation, Nationwide (Band 3)
    Sources say: “He is exceptional in the subject matter, client satisfaction and approachability” and “He understands the technical side of ERISA very well.”

What Clients Say About Groom

  • Clients praise Groom as having a “highly skilled, experienced team. Team members give timely responses, often anticipating our needs.”
  • One source states that “Groom’s practitioners are effective advocates in the briefs they file, knowledgeable about the law they refer to and very responsive.”

Chambers USA is a publication released by Chambers & Partners, a premier research organization and publisher of legal directories.  It provides rankings of law firms, individuals and departments by assessing technical legal knowledge and experience, ability, effectiveness, and client service