Outstanding employee benefits attorneys selected from throughout the country joined the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel (ACEBC) at its Twenty-First Annual Meeting and Induction Ceremony on October 8, 2020, held virtually.
Induction as a Fellow of the ACEBC is viewed as a national distinction. Each nominee is required to have focused on employee benefits law for at least 20 years and have demonstrated a sustained commitment to public awareness and understanding of employee benefits laws through such activities as writing, speaking, public policy analysis, public education or public service. Nominees are also required to have provided exceptionally high-quality professional services to clients, the bar, and the public. As a result, selection as a Fellow is a high honor reflecting substantive contributions to the field of employee benefits law over the Fellow’s entire career.
The ACEBC was formed in recognition of significant legal and social policy issues impacting the regulation and management of pension, retirement, group health, welfare and disability plans. The College’s mission statement is: “Fostering excellence in the practice of employee benefits law and advancing public understanding of employee benefits.” The College encourages the study and development of employee benefits laws and engages in projects such as initiating professional discussions and high-level symposiums of significant issues, offering a searchable data base of Fellows who are willing to serve as expert witnesses, mediators and arbitrators, co-sponsoring continuing legal education programs, and recognizing the achievements of distinguished employee benefits attorneys. The College also sponsors a law student outreach mentoring program, a national law student writing competition to encourage legal scholarship in this evolving area of law and a Simplification Award to inspire ideas to simplify the regulation of employee benefit plans.
2020 Inducted Fellows
Beth J. Dickstein, Chicago, IL
Theresa S. Gee, Washington, D.C.
Veena K. Murthy, Washington, D.C.
Tiffany N. Santos, San Francisco, CA
2020 Writing Prizes
Alvin D. Lurie Memorial Award: Rebecca A. Miller,
Boston College Law School
Sidney M. Perlstadt Memorial Award: Rachel Baker Mann,
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
2020 Simplification Award
J. Mark Poerio, Washington, D.C.