|   | | Law Firm in Boston, Massachusetts | |
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| | Address | | 99 Summer Street, 13th Floor | | Boston, Massachusetts 02110 | | (Suffolk Co.) | | | |
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(Main Office)
| The Wagner Law Group
A Professional Corporation practices in the following areas of law:
ERISA/Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation, Employment Law, Labor Law, Immigration and Tax Law. | | Year Established: 1996 | Firm Profile:
Prior to forming The Wagner Law Group, Marcia S. Wagner was a partner at the Boston law firm of Warner & Stackpole, LLP (now Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP) where she headed its ERISA/Employee Benefits practice. Attorney Wagner is a frequent lecturer regionally and nationally and has lectured for the AICPA and ABA amongst others. She is also a prolific author in the ERISA/Employee Benefits field. Before joining the firm, Mr. Sowden was a partner in the employee benefits practice of Reid and Riege, P.C. in Hartford, Connecticut. Before joining the firm, Mr. Keegan was the head of the ERISA Legal and Regulatory Compliance Practice Group of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Boston. Before joining the firm, Ms. Cohen was Partner-in-Charge of the Employee Benefits Practice Group at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, LLP, a Columbus, Ohio-based national law firm. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Najjar was a Partner in the Labor and Employment Group of Hinckley, Allen & Snyders' Boston office, a Providence-based regional firm. | | Firm Size: 6 | Office Hours:
Monday: 09:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Tuesday: 09:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Wednesday: 09:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Thursday: 09:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Friday: 09:00 AM - 06:00 PM
| Rate Information:
Fixed Hourly Rates
Fixed Fees Available
| | PARTNERS | | Marcia Beth Stairman Wagner (Partner) born Lawrence, Massachusetts, August 23, 1962; admitted to bar, 1987, Massachusetts and District of Columbia; 2003, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts. Education: Cornell University (B.A., summa cum laude, 1984) Phi Beta Kappa; Harvard University (J.D., 1987). Law and Economics Fellowship, Harvard Law School. Delegate, Harvard Law School: 2003 and 2005-2006 Edition. Listed in Best Lawyers in America, Employee Benefits, Corporate Counsel. Distinguished Author, Bureau of National Affairs, Tax Management, Inc., 1994. Recipient, Best Practices Award, New England Employee Benefits Council, 2002. Author: BNA Tax Management Portfolio, "ERISA Litigation, Procedure, Preemption and other Title I Issues" (2005); BNA Tax Management Portfolio, "EPCRS - Plan Correction and Disqualification" (2004); BNA Tax Management Portfolio, "Plan Disqualification and ERISA Litigation," 1994, updated in 1999; "Alternatives to Plan Disqualification, Including Discussion of 403(b) Plans," New York University Fifty-Third Institute on Federal Taxation (Matthew Bender), October 1995; "Employee Benefits" and "ERISA Litigation," Labor and Employment Law, Clark, Boardman & Callaghan, 1997; "Crime and Punishment-The Theory, Evolution and Future of Alternatives to Plan Disqualification," BNA Tax Management Compensation Planning Journal, Special ERISA 20th Anniversary Issue, December 1994; "The Provision of Investment Advice Under Prohibited Transaction Exemption 97-60," BNA Tax Management Compensation Planning Journal, January 1998; "Participant Self-Direction of Account Balances: Investment Advice or Investment Education?" Villanova Journal of Law and Investment Management, Winter 1999; "Friend or Foe? The Pros and Cons of the New Department of Labor Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program," BNA Tax Management Memorandum, June 2000 and University of Denver College of Law Preventive Law Reporter, Summer 2000; "Managed Accounts: Are They The Answer?" Tax Management Compensation Planning Journal, August 2003. Member: Advisory Board on Compensation Planning for Tax Management, Inc., 1994—; Pension Liaison Committee, IRS Key District Office in Brooklyn, New York, 1992—. Northeast Regional IRS/ABA Liaison, 1997—. Delegate, Harvard Law School, 2003—. Member, Advisory Council, Foundation for Fiduciary Studies, Joseph M. Katz School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, 2004—. Member: Massachusetts (Member, Taxation Section; Advisory Council, 1992-1996) and American (Member, Taxation Section; Employee Benefits Committee) Bar Associations. Practice Areas: ERISA/Employee Benefits; Executive Compensation; Employment Law; Tax Law. Email: Marcia Beth Stairman Wagner | | Christopher J. Sowden (Partner) born London, England, August 26, 1948; admitted to bar, 1971, England and Wales; 1978, District of Columbia; 1990, Connecticut; 2004, Massachusetts. Education: University of Oxford, Oxford, England (B.A., Jurisprudence, with honors, 1970; M.A., Jurisprudence, 1976); Inns of Court School of Law, London, England (Barrister-at-Law, 1971); George Washington University (M.C.L., 1978). Exhibitioner, Jesus College, Oxford. Member: American Bar Association (Member, Section of Taxation). Practice Areas: Pension Plans; Profit Sharing; Employee Benefits; Tax Law. Email: Christopher J. Sowden | | John R. Keegan (Partner) born Scituate, Massachusetts, August 22, 1950; admitted to bar, 1977, Massachusetts. Education: Suffolk University (B.S.B.A., cum laude, 1972; J.D., cum laude, 1976); Boston University (LL.M., Taxation, 1980); The American College (C.L.U., ChFC, 1985). Listed in: Who's Who in Emerging Leaders in America; Who's Who in American Law; Who's Who in America. Author: "RIA Executive Compensation Coordinator," BNA Pension Reporter, Boston Bar Journal; Journal of Deferred Compensation; Journal of Pension Planning Compliance; CCH Pension Plan Guide. 1980—. Speaker: "Enrolled Actuaries," Meeting, Washington, D.C., 1994; Bentley College National Federal Tax Institute, 1997. Instructor: Bentley College, Center for Continuing Education, Waltham, Massachusetts, 1981-1987; Insurance Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, 1985-1987. Practice Areas: Employee Benefits; Executive Compensation; Tax Law. Email: John R. Keegan | | Debra Dyleski-Najjar (Partner) admitted to bar, 1983, Massachusetts, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts and U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit; 1989, New Hampshire and U.S. District Court, District of New Hampshire; 2000, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Wellesley College (B.A., summa cum laude, 1980); Boston University (J.D., magna cum laude, 1983). Phi Beta Kappa. Editor, Boston University Law Review, 1982-1983. Member, National Moot Court Team. Recipient, Criminal Procedure and Professional Responsibility Book Prizes. Recognized in: Who's Who Among U.S. Professionals & Executives, 2005; U.S. Chambers Guide to Leading Lawyers, 2005; "Top 10 Women Lawyers in Massachusetts," Women's Business Magazine, March 2005, Who's Who Among American Lawyers, 2005; Who's Who of American Women; Leadership New Hampshire, 2005. Member: Massachusetts, New Hampshire and American Bar Associations; Association of Trial Lawyers of America; New Hampshire Business and Industry Association. Practice Areas: Management Labor and Employment Law; Employment-Based Immigration Law; Occupational Safety and Health; Employee Benefits. Email: Debra Dyleski-Najjar | | Diane Goulder Cohen (Partner) born Columbus, Ohio, April 27, 1950; admitted to bar, 1975, Ohio. (Not admitted in Massachusetts). Education: The Ohio State University (B.A., summa cum laude, 1972) Phi Beta Kappa, Mortar Board; Cornell University (J.D., 1975). Listed, "Employee Benefits," Best Lawyers in America; Who's Who of American Women; Who's Who in American Law. Author: "The Mature Retirement Plan--Still Not Old Enough to Know Better," 2001, 2002, "ERISA Allows Employers to Provide 'Hot' Benefits Without Getting Burned," 2001, and "Employers Should Be Aware of Benefit Plans' Administrative Issues," 2000, The Daily Reporter. Speaker: "Hot Topics in Employee Benefits," Nationwide Insurance Company, 2001; "IRS Plan Correction Methods," co-presenter with IRS representatives, Creative Pension and Benefits Seminar, Ohio State University College of Law, 2000; "ERISA--2000--Educate or Litigate," PaineWebber Attorney Network Seminar, 2000; "Employee Benefit Issues in Choice of Entity and LLCs," Ohio State Bar Association, 1999; "Fixing the Broken Plan--IRS Correction Procedures," co-presenter with IRS representatives, Creative Pension and Benefits Seminar, Ohio State University College of Law, 1999; "Reporting and Disclosure Requirements," Certified Employee Benefits Specialists, Ohio, 1998; "IRS Update--Including Plan Restatements," Creative Pension and Benefits Seminar, Ohio State University College of Law, 1998; "Rainmaking," Women Lawyers of Franklin County, Ohio, 1997; "Building Your Professional Practice," Women Business Owners Conference, 1997; "Highlights of the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996," Certified Employee Benefits Specialists, Ohio, 1996; "Estate and Tax Planning," PaineWebber Attorney Network, 1996; "Qualified Plan Building Blocks," Creative Pension and Benefits Seminar, Ohio State University College of Law, 1996; "Recent Developments Affecting Fiduciaries, Naples, Highland Capital, 1999; "Advanced Compensation Techniques--Planning Options for Executives of Not-For-Profits," Columbus Bar Association, CPA and Columbus Life Underwriters' Association; "Counseling the Employer Regarding Retirement Plan Choices," Lorman Business Center/Ohio Business Law Seminar, 1995. Member, Pension Committee, United Way of Franklin County. Past Chair and Trustee, Goodwill Rehabilitation Center. Appointee, Pension Liaison Group, Northeast Key District of the IRS, 2002—. Lifetime Fellow: Columbus Bar Association; Ohio State Bar Foundation. Member: Columbus (Member, Sections on: Taxation, Employee Benefits) and American (Adjunct Member, Section on Taxation) Bar Associations; Ohio Women's Bar Association (Founding Member); Women Lawyers of Franklin County. Practice Areas: ERISA; Employee Benefits; Executive Compensation. Email: Diane Goulder Cohen | | Jon C. Schultze (Partner) born Rahway, New Jersey, January 25, 1965; admitted to bar, 1996, Massachusetts. Education: Wesleyan University (B.A., 1987); Boston University School of Law (J.D., 1996). Member: Boston and Massachusetts Bar Associations. Practice Areas: ERISA; Employee Benefits; ERISA Compliance. Email: Jon C. Schultze | | Charles G. Humphrey (Partner) born Saginaw, Michigan, June 23, 1950; admitted to bar, 1976, New York; 1979, District of Columbia. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1972); State University of New York at Buffalo (J.D., 1975). Author: "When Worker's Compensation Can Offset Plan Benefits," Journal of Compensation and Benefits, Vol. 4, No. 5, March-April 1989. Presenter: Employee Benefit Conference, Buffalo, New York, Spring 2002; New York Employee Benefit Conference, Buffalo, New York, April 2002; Northeast Pension Liaison Conference, Boston and New York City, June 2005. Former Instructor: Institute For Tax Studies, University of Buffalo School of Management; Certified Employee Benefits Program, Canisius College, Buffalo, New York. Adjunct Professor, Paralegal Studies Program, Hilbert College, Hamburg, New York, 2003-2007. Member: IRS Northeast Region Pension Liaison Group; IRS Determination Letter Liaison Group. Member: New York State Bar Association. Practice Areas: Employee Benefits; Compensation; Pension; Estate Planning/Probate. | | ASSOCIATES | | Stephen J. Migausky (Senior Associate) born Cambridge, Massachusetts, May 17, 1950; admitted to bar, 1975, Massachusetts and U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts. Education: Boston College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1972); Boston College Law School (J.D., 1975); New York University School of Law (LL.M., Taxation, 1979). Author: Sections of 1976 Report of U.S. Commerce Department Interagency Task Force on Products liability. Instructor, Pension Law, Bently College Center for Continuing Education, 1983-1993. Member: Boston and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Executive Compensation; 401(k) Plans; Pension Plans; Employee Benefits. | | Barry M. Newman (Associate) born 1950; admitted to bar, 1974, Massachusetts. Education: Clark University (B.A., 1970); Boston University School of Law (J.D., 1973). Author and Editor of texts and articles on various aspects of employee benefit, personnel and tax law. Co-author, subject matter expert, and editor of several texts, including Quick Reference to ERISA Compliance, Aspen Publishers and The FMLA Guide and The COBRA Compliance Guide, originally published by Irwin Professional Publishing. Articles published in various trade publications including the International Foundation Employee Benefits Annual, Journal of Compensation and Benefits, Benefits Law Journal, Contingencies and Benefits magazine. Member: Massachusetts Bar Association. Practice Areas: Employee Benefits; ERISA. Email: Barry M. Newman | | Dennis T. Blair (Associate) born July 12, 1949; admitted to bar, 1975, Massachusetts; 1976, Utah; 1979, New Hampshire; 1980, District of Columbia. Education: University of Massachusetts (B.S., 1971); Northeastern University School of Law (J.D., 1975). Author: Benefits Law Journal, Benefits Quarterly, Journal of the American Society of CLU & ChFC, and Tax Management Financial Planning Journal. Instructor: Lesley University School of Management, Cambridge, MA (1997-2002). Practice Areas: Employee Benefits; Executive Compensation; Tax Law. Email: Dennis T. Blair | | Ari J. Sonneberg (Associate) born Brooklyn, New York, January 28, 1975; admitted to bar, 2001, Massachusetts; 2003, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts. Education: City University of New York Queens College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1997); Brooklyn Law School (J.D., 2000). Author: "The Impact of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 on 401(K) Plans," Massachusetts Bar Association Section Review, Volume 4 Number 3, Summer 2002. Member: Massachusetts (Tax Section Council, 2001—; Chair, ERISA Practice Group, 2002—) and American Bar Associations. Languages: Hebrew. Practice Areas: ERISA; Employee Benefits. Email: Ari J. Sonneberg | | Stephanie Vaughn Rosseau (Associate) born Chicago, Illinois, July 14,1969; admitted to bar, 1996, Massachusetts. Education: Trinity College (1991); Boston College (J.D., 1996). Certified Employee Benefits Specialist. Author: Benefits Law Journal; HR Advisor; Compensation & Benefits; Employee Benefit Plan Review. Member, Advisory Board, Benefits Law Journal, 2007—. Practice Areas: Employee Benefits; Labor and Employment; Employment Immigration. Email: Stephanie Vaughn Rosseau | | Sholom M. Fine (Associate) born Brookline, Massachusetts, June 15, 1967; admitted to bar, 2006, Massachusetts. Education: Beth Medrash Govoha (M.S., 1992; B.S., 1989); Northeastern University (J.D., 2006). Practice Areas: ERISA; Employee Benefits; Labor and Employment; Employment Immigration. Email: Sholom M. Fine | | LEGAL SUPPORT PERSONNEL | | Lisa J. Buckowski (Paralegal) born Westfield, Massachusetts, November 24, 1973; Education: Mount Ida College (A.A.S., 1994; B.S., 1996). Email: Lisa J. Buckowski | | Virginia S. Peabody (Paralegal) born New York, N.Y., March 1, 1957; Education: Kenyon College (B.A.). Email: Virginia S. Peabody | | OF COUNSEL | | Alvin D. Lurie (Of Counsel) born New York, New York., April 16, 1923; admitted to bar, 1944, New York; 1978, District of Columbia. (Not admitted in Massachusetts). Education: Cornell University (A.B., 1943; LL.B., 1944). Former Assistant Commissioner of the IRS after ERISA's enactment. Co-Editor-in-Chief, Cornell Law Quarterly, 1943-1944. Assistant Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Employee Plans and Exempt Organizations, 1975-1978. Recipient, Commissioner's Award for Exceptional Leadership. Member of the BNA Tax Management Advisory Board. Counsel and Trustee of the New York Center for Financial Studies; Counsel of the New York City Chapter of the Society of Financial Services Professionals. Special Counsel of the Small Business Council of America; Former Advisor to Vice President Bush's Task Force on Pensions; Charter Fellow, American College of Employee Benefits Counsel. Member: The Association of the Bar of the City of New York (Member, Employee Benefits Committee, 1989-1990), New York State (Chairman: Pension Simplification Committee, 1986—; Employee Benefits Committee, 1964-1969; Tax Policy Committee, 1980-1982; Practice and Procedure Committee, 1983-1985), Federal (Chairman, Federal Taxation Committee, Empire Chapter, 1971-1974) and American (Chairman, Committee on Pensions and Other Deferred Compensation, 1962-1965) Bar Associations; American Law Institute; The District of Columbia Bar. Fellow: American College of Tax Counsel; New York Bar Foundation; New York State Bar Foundation. |
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