BOSTON – Attorney Marcia S. Wagner, founder of The Wagner Law Group and an authority on ERISA and employee benefits matters, has been appointed to the Massachusetts Advisory Council of the New England Legal Foundation (NELF – www.newenglandlegal.org), the leading non-profit public interest law firm in the region dedicated to addressing policy and constitutional concerns related to free enterprise.
The Wagner Law Group (www.wagnerlawgroup.com), a certified woman-owned-and-operated business, is one of the nation’s largest and most highly regarded boutique law firms, specializing in ERISA (the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974), employee benefits, executive compensation, employment, labor, human resources, personal law (estate planning and family), and investment management law. Ms. Wagner has been practicing employee benefits law for approximately 35 years. She founded The Wagner Law Group more than 25 years ago and is the firm’s Managing Partner. She graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Cornell University and is a graduate of Harvard Law School.
NELF President Daniel B. Winslow said of Ms. Wagner, “She is a quintessential example of a lawyer who has embraced the value of entrepreneurship. She founded her law firm on a shoestring and now oversees one of the nation’s premiere ERISA law firms. She brings to our Massachusetts Advisory Council a unique level of expertise, experience, and wisdom. She will be a great addition to our leadership ranks.”
“Our state Advisory Councils,” Mr. Winslow noted, “help develop our Foundation’s positions on public policy matters, and they often recommend legal advocacy for consideration by our Board of Directors on issues of importance to the region’s economy. The Advisory Councils also host speakers of interest to their particular sector of the economy at locations convenient to members in each state.
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About Marcia S. Wagner
Marcia S. Wagner is the founder of The Wagner Law Group (www.wagnerlawgroup.com), a certified woman-owned and operated business and one of the nation’s largest and most highly regarded boutique law firms, specializing in ERISA, employee benefits, executive compensation, employment, labor, human resources, personal law (estate planning and family) and investment management law. Ms. Wagner has been practicing employee benefits law for approximately 35 years. She founded The Wagner Law Group more than 25 years ago and is the Firm’s Managing Partner. She graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Cornell University and is a graduate of Harvard Law School.
Ms. Wagner is an authority on employee benefits matters, including qualified and non-qualified plans, fiduciary issues, deferred compensation, and welfare benefit arrangements. Her experience in employee benefits includes plan design, drafting and preparation, compliance, tax planning and consultation on all aspects of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. She consults with law firms, employee benefits organizations, and corporate and public plan sponsors, and serves as an expert witness in ERISA litigation. She counsels plan sponsors on qualified plans, 403(b) and 457 plans, multiple employer plans (MEPs), IRAs, employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), executive compensation arrangements and retiree medical benefits in matters involving plan operation and maintenance, plan terminations, mergers and acquisitions, tax treatment of plan participants, use of life insurance and annuities, and derisking of pension liabilities.
Ms. Wagner also specializes in Title I of ERISA, and has obtained advisory opinions, information letters and prohibited transaction exemptions from the U.S. Department of Labor. She handles fiduciary matters impacting plan sponsors, investment and other fiduciary committees, investment managers and advisors, recordkeepers, broker-dealers, banks, and other financial services firms. Ms. Wagner advises clients on the avoidance and rectification of prohibited transactions, the development of compliance programs, and investment policies. She is a renowned expert in issues concerning pension plan investments and fiduciary issues, and her opinion has been sought by noted authorities in the employee benefits area, including governmental agencies.
Ms. Wagner works on Department of Labor, IRS and PBGC audits of plans as well as of financial institutions that service plans, and has negotiated numerous favorable closing agreements.
She was appointed Chair of the Employee Plans subcommittee of the IRS Tax Exempt & Government Entities Advisory Committee and received that agency’s highest honor. She is a Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel and is the recipient of more than 50 professional honors. Ms. Wagner has written hundreds of articles and 24 books. She is a highly sought-after lecturer, and is widely quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Pension & Investments. She has been a guest on Fox, CNN, Bloomberg, and NBC.
About the New England Legal Foundation
The New England Legal Foundation (NELF – www.newenglandlegal.org) is the leading non-profit public interest law firm in the region dedicated to addressing policy and constitutional concerns related to free enterprise. NELF’s ongoing mission is to champion individual economic liberties, property rights, good government based on rule of law, and inclusive economic growth. NELF challenges actions by governments and private litigants which would unreasonably intrude on the economic freedoms of individuals and business enterprises in New England and the nation. We believe that free enterprise is a linchpin of a democratic society and offers the most sustainable path to advance the American ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, including freedom from material want.