ERISA, Pensions, Group Life/Health Plans, & Labor Relations Expert Witness

ERISA Benefits Consulting

1450 Hughes Road, Suite 120
Vineyard Centre I
Grapevine, Texas 76051
USA

Contact: Dr. Mark Johnson
Tel: (817) 909-0778, Fax: (817) 788-1399

 Website: www.erisa-benefits.com
 Email: Send an email

Expert Witness - Litigation Support - Speaker Bureau

ERISA Benefits Consulting headed by Mark Johnson, J.D., Ph.D., offers expertise in ERISA, pensions, health plans, 401(k) plans and labor union benefits. He managed $14 billion in pension assets for over 100,000 plan participants while serving as Managing Director, Benefits Compliance & Pensions for American Airlines, a Fortune 500 company.

Dr. Johnson has negotiated union contracts for group life, health, disability, pension and 401(k) plans. He’s an accomplished public speaker and an experienced expert and fact witness.

Services

Mark Johnson, J.D., Ph.D. is available to assist plaintiff or defense attorneys in cases involving but not limited to:

- Employee Retirement Income Security (ERISA) litigation
- Group life, health, disability, pension and 401(k) plans
- Retiree medical programs
- Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) for divorce settlement of pension assets
- Labor union disputes or collective bargaining regarding health and pension benefit plans
- Treatment of pensions & group life/health insurance plans in mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs
- Arbitration

Services include:

- Expert testimony
- Expert report writing
- Litigation support
- Seminars
- Presentations
- Benefit plan design and evaluation

Dr. Johnson has worked for both plaintiffs and defendants on ERISA cases involving major employers, including AT&T, Mary Kay, Kmart, Rexam, CVS, Montana Power, Avon, Delta Airlines, Qwest, Enron, Chevron, City of Cedar Rapids Iowa, CIGNA, MetLife, United Technologies, Acordia, Winn Dixie, Marsh McLennan, Delphi, Sears, Principal Financial Group, and Consolidated Edison.

Litigation Support Services

Mark Johnson, J.D., Ph.D. is a uniquely qualified expert witness in the areas of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), pensions, health plans, 401(k) plans, retiree medical, fiduciary liability and labor relations.

Dr. Johnson's work as an expert or fact witness includes these type of cases:

Cash balance conversion (class action)
Pension benefits in bankruptcy
401(k) fiduciary liability, (class action)
Severance benefits
Retiree medical plans
Survivor benefits
Third party administrator disputes
Long Term Disability benefits
Group Life & Health Plan benefits
Health plan reimbursement levels (class action)

Areas of Expertise:


Profile

Dr. Mark Johnson, founder of ERISA Benefits Consulting, has a 20 year career history bridging four closely related areas:

1. Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA);
2. Management and financing of pension, 401(k), group life/health & retiree medical plans;
3. Labor relations; and
4. Personnel policy

This experience includes serving at the director level with operational and financial responsibility for twenty (20) qualified plans; Chief ERISA Compliance Officer; presentation of arbitration cases, EEOC proceedings, and federal and state court litigation.

Dr. Johnson offers a unique set of credentials. He is a sought-after speaker on pension benefit, retirement and ERISA topics, with solid experience gained by managing billions of dollars in pension fund assets for thousands of plan participants. A law degree adds the ability to understand the legal issues at stake in ERISA litigation.

Specific work experience includes:

- Served as Managing Director, Benefits Compliance & Pensions for American Airlines, a Fortune 500 company. Also responsible for plan compliance with all ERISA regulations.
- Managed pension plans with over $14 billion dollars in assets
- Planned and implemented changes in workforce and total compensation strategy
- Made hundreds of ERISA presentations to employees, association and union members using practical experience and humor to enliven the program
- Negotiated group life and health, disability, pension and 401(k) plans with five labor unions
- Created new pension, 401(k) and group life and health in response to changing employer/employee needs, collective bargaining agreements or as part of mergers, acquisitions and spin-offs
- Designed and implemented early retirement bridge programs and voluntary severance plans
- Directed the ERISA appeals process with authority to decide all pension, group life and health and 401(k) cases - Presented arbitration cases and represented employers in federal and state court.

Licenses

- Licensed attorney in Texas (not practicing)
- Board Certified Labor and Employment Law Specialist, Texas Board of Legal Specialization

Professional Experience

Prior to founding ERISA Benefits Consulting, Dr. Johnson served as:

- Managing Director, Benefits Compliance & Pensions, American Airlines
- Attorney Southwestern Bell Corporation
- Associate Professor of Communication, Texas Wesleyan University
- Assistant Professor of Communication, University of Houston

Legal Experience & Services

Dr. Johnson has participated as an ERISA expert or fact witness in complex pension and benefits lawsuits, including:

- AT&T’s cash balance plan class action lawsuit, Engers et al v. AT&T
- American Medical Association (AMA) class-action lawsuit against United Healthcare, challenging how reimbursement levels are determined

Dr. Johnson was employed as an Attorney by Southwestern Bell Corporation in Houston from 1983 to 1987. During this time he was responsible for the litigation of claims by and against the company, predominantly employment issues, advice and counsel on labor relations and employment law.

Mark is a licensed attorney in Texas and is a Board Certified Labor and Employment Law Specialist, Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is experienced in arbitration matters.

Affiliations

- Southwest Benefits Association
- International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans
- State Bar of Texas, Committees on Labor and Employment
- Colleyville Area Chamber of Commerce in Texas
- Chairman, Colleyville Center Board of Directors

Seminars & Training

Currently teaching insurance adjustors for the state of Texas Department of Insurance on a periodic basis.
Frequent lecturer for Medical Educational Conferences, a provider of continuing education for medical professionals.
Former Adjunct Professor of Business Communication at Tarrant County College (part-time).

Articles Published on HGExperts.com

• ERISA Reporting and Disclosure Requirements
• Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB)
• Multiple Employer Pension Plans and ERISA
• "Non Qualified" Executive Compensation
• ERISA: The Distinction between Settlor, Fiduciary and Corporate Functions
• The Source and Creation of ERISA Fiduciary Obligations
• ERISA Fiduciary Duties

Education

- J.D., University of Houston, 1983
- Ph.D, Communication Studies, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1976
- M.A., Mass Communication, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1973
- B.A., History, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1971

Consulting Practice:

All States

More Information:

Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) Expert Witness
Fiduciary Liability Litigation Support
About Mark Johnson, Ph.D., J.D. - Expert Witness
Retiree Medical Benefits Expert Witness
Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs) Expert Witness
Contact ERISA Benefits Consulting, Inc. - Litigation Support