2025 Midwinter Meeting EBC Co-Chair Report

The EBC Co-Chairs are happy to report that the recent 2025 Employee Benefits Committee Midwinter Meeting was a success!  Held at the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort in Savannah, Georgia, from February 5 to February 8, 2025, the meeting was attended by over 180 attorneys from across the country.  We sincerely thank all who participated as attendees, administrative committee members, panelists, sponsors, organizers, mentors, and beyond.

The meeting began on Wednesday evening with a welcome reception to kick off festivities through informal networking, conversations, and introductions over food and beverages.  Before this reception, first-time attendees were invited to a special event at the resort’s Champions Grill to welcome them to the EBC Midwinter Meeting family and allow them to meet EBC leaders and each other –- it is never too early to get to know friendly faces!

Programming began on Thursday morning with a 2024 Employee Benefits Highlights panel that addressed subjects such as actuarial equivalence litigation, pension derisking, pharmacy benefit managers (and preemption of state laws regulating them), nicotine surcharges, and the Skrmetti transgender youth healthcare case. 

That was followed by a report from former EBC Committee member and Co-Chair, and now-former Assistant Secretary for the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), Lisa Gomez.  Now outside of government service, Lisa defended the important work of federal employees and shared her view that Congress needs to increase funding and resources for EBSA.  Following Lisa’s presentation, dual-track breakout sessions were offered on civil procedure updates, multiemployer plans, disability and life insurance litigation trends, and SECURE 2.0.

Following our first morning of programming, we held this year’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion luncheon, described in more detail below.  We thank our presenter, Professor Woodson, and the many sponsors who contributed to this luncheon, which was available to all and attended by a significant percentage of conference attendees.  Afternoon sessions allowed participants to meet the Employee Benefits Law treatise Editor-in-Chief(s) and Board of Editors, the Labor and Employment Section leadership, and the EBC Co-Chairs.  Thursday concluded with a fantastic reception across the Savannah River at the Bohemian Hotel’s Rocks on the River.

On Friday, programming continued with an update from Section Leadership and a special panel celebrating the 50th anniversary of ERISA’s passage, highlighted by remarks from EBC luminary members Phyllis Borzi, Karen Friedman, Jeff Lewis, Doug Selwyn, and Howard Shapiro.  Following this presentation were the plenary panels on ethics, class action litigation trends, and the 2024 mental health parity regulations.  Following the morning’s programming, Jackson Lewis hosted a Women’s Networking Luncheon.  It was a wonderful time for the women’s caucus to connect, and we are grateful to Jackson Lewis for continuing to sponsor such a special event.  Constituent groups hosted business meetings through Friday afternoon, and the day ended with another well-attended networking reception at the hotel.

On Saturday, we began with a panel on government investigations, followed by a regulatory update and a health and welfare plan update.  The meeting’s programming concluded with the Committee Business Meeting.

Altogether, the EBC presented 13 excellent panels, two outstanding luncheons, several networking receptions, and numerous constituent groups and other business meetings.  Again, we express our gratitude to all our panelists, presenters, and organizers.  We sincerely thank our Programming Committee Co-Chairs Russell Hirschhorn and Radha Pathak, as well as all the other committee members, for their thoughtful planning and coordination.  We additionally and specifically want to thank the following groups for their hard work and outstanding contributions as follows:

• The EBC Membership Committee held the annual first-time attendees’ breakfast on Thursday morning, which was well attended, along with the first-ever (and aforementioned) first-time attendees’ reception on Wednesday night.  We were thrilled to welcome approximately 23 new attendees to this year’s Midwinter Meeting.  We thank this committee’s members for extending themselves so graciously and being the EBC’s front door in Savannah.  We look forward to seeing our new members and friends at other Midwinter Meetings and EBC programming for years to come.
• The EBC Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee held an inspirational and informative diversity luncheon, attended by approximately 120 people, and headlined by University of Richmond School of Law Professor Kevin Woodson, PhD and J.D., on how racial imbalances at law firms and other institutions are perpetuated and amplified by racial discomfort, social alienation, and stigma anxiety.  Ever more important in today’s climate, the conversation sought to challenge conventional and prevalent narratives through meaningful and honest dialogue.  We thank Professor Woodson for his time and perspective, and we thank this committee’s members for their work in this important area.
• The EBC Pro Bono Committee raised over $21,000 in donations for the Southern Poverty Law Center.  This outstanding amount exceeded the committee’s goal and capped off another successful pro bono program.  Once again (and to the delight of Plaintiff/Employee Co-Chair Marie Casciari), the plaintiff and employee caucus contributed the most donations this year.  We thank everyone who donated to this worthy cause, and we thank the committee’s members for their excellent work.

As discussed at the meeting, planning for the latest supplement/update of the Employee Benefits Law treatise, published by Bloomberg BNA, is underway.  We welcome our incoming Editor-in-Chief, Michelle Roberts, and thank our outgoing Editor-in-Chief, Russell Hirschhorn, for his unending dedication to this vital publication.  We also thank our Board of Editors, Senior Editors, Chapter Editors, and contributing authors, especially those cycling off the “Big Book.”  We are excited to welcome attorneys who are new to the contributing author or editor roles, and we cannot wait to work with Michelle and this amazing team (spanning attorneys from all employee benefits constituencies) on the next update.

Last but certainly not least, this conference could not have happened without the tireless and significant efforts of ABA Section Director Brad Hoffman and Associate Director Rose Ashford.  We thank Brad, Rose, and all who support them for their incredible work in putting together such a successful Midwinter Meeting.  We appreciate everything you do for our committee.

We hope you all stay connected throughout this next year and stay tuned for an announcement of the dates and location for the 2026 EBC Midwinter Meeting!