At the law firm of Klausner, Kaufman, Jensen & Levinson, a Partnership of Professional Associations, we devote our practice exclusively to the representation of retirement and benefit systems and related labor and employment relations matters. Today, we are among the most highly regarded firms in North America in the increasingly crucial area of pension issues.
As a major player on the national level in public employee retirement matters, we often call upon a comprehensive research system capable of accessing virtually all relevant legislation at the federal level and across the 50 states. In so doing, we are able to monitor – and in some cases anticipate – changing trends in the law to a degree that most general practitioners would consider a luxury to be funded by their clients. To us, it’s simply part of being a responsible and pro-active advocate.
In addition, we frequently furnish state and local governments throughout the United States with background information on many of the newest and most complex issues involving public retirement systems. No matter how much proficiency we develop, though, our relationship with those we represent can still be summed up in one sentence: As important as it is to know the laws, it is even more important to know our clients.
The law firm of Klausner, Kaufman, Jensen & Levinson specializes exclusively in the representation of retirement and benefit systems and related labor and employment relations matters. The firm is composed of four lawyers, three clerical/paraprofessional employees, and an administrator.
As a result of our substantial involvement on a national level in public employee retirement matters, we have developed a unique and comprehensive research system enabling us to readily access the law in all 50 states and on the federal level in this unique area of specialty.
By concentrating our practice in the area of public employee retirement and related employment issues, we are able to keep a focus on changing trends in the law that more general practitioners would consider a luxury.
The law firm of Klausner, Kaufman, Jensen & Levinson, among the most highly regarded in the country in the area of pension issues, is frequently called upon as an educational consultant by state and local governments throughout the United States on some of the newest and most sophisticated issues involving public retirement systems. The examples of those areas are:
Legislative Drafting
The firm provides services to dozens of public employee pension plans throughout the United States in the area of plan review and legislative drafting. On both the state and local level, statutes and ordinances are reviewed for the purposes of maintaining compliance with current and pending Internal Revenue Code Regulations affecting public plans, as well as compliance with provisions of the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Older Workers Protections Act. When benefit changes occur we prepare all necessary legislative drafts and appear before the appropriate legislative body to answer questions concerning those drafts.
Fiduciary Education
The primary duty of a pension fund lawyer is to ensure that the trustees do the right thing. It is our practice to prepare for all of the boards of trustees which we represent, trustee handbooks which explain the general principles of fiduciary responsibility, as well as more specific principles regarding voting conflicts, compliance with open meeting laws, conflict of interest laws, etc. We regularly apprise the boards of trustees through newsletters, memoranda and other vehicles of changes in the law, both legislatively and judicially, which impact upon their duties. We also conduct training workshops to improve the trustees’ skills in conducting disability and other benefit hearings. As a result of our regular participation and educational programs on a monthly basis, all of the materials prepared as speaker materials for those programs are distributed without additional charge to our clients. Our firm provides its clients, at no cost, an annual pension conference held in South Florida. This national event draws internationally known legal and financial experts and is attended by more than 200 trustees and administrators from throughout the United States.
Administrative Rule Making
It has been our experience that boards of trustees find themselves in litigation because of inconsistency in the administration of the fund. Accordingly, we have worked with our trustee clients in developing rules and regulations for the administration of the trust fund. The development of these administrative rules ensures uniformity of procedure and guarantees the due process rights of persons appearing before the board. They also serve to help organize and highlight those situations in which the legislation creating the fund may be vague or incomplete. By utilizing rule making powers, the board of trustees can help give definition and more practical application to sometimes vague legislative language.
Legal Counseling
In the course of its duties, the board of trustees will be called upon from time to time to interpret various provisions of the ordinance or statute which governs its conduct. The board will also be presented with various factual situations which do not lend themselves to easy interpretation. As a result, counsel to the board is responsible for issuing legal opinions to assist the trustees in performing their function in managing the trust. It is our practice to maintain an orderly system of the issuance of legal opinions so that they can form part of the overall body of law that guides the trustees. As changes in the law occur, it is our practice to update those legal opinions to ensure that the subjects which they cover are in conformance with the current state of the law.
Litigation
Despite the best efforts and intentions of the trustees, there will be times when the board finds itself as either a plaintiff or defendant in a legal action. We have successfully defended boards of trustees in claims for benefits, actions regarding under-funding and failure of plan fiduciaries to fulfill their responsibilities to the trust. The firm has substantial state and federal court trial experience, and regularly argues complex appellate matters on both the state and federal levels. We pride ourselves on the vigorous representation of our clients while maintaining close watch on the substantial costs that are often associated with litigation.
Summary Plan Descriptions
Federal law and many state laws require that pension plans provide their members with a plain language explanation of their benefits and rights under the plan. Part of the responsibilities of a fiduciary is to ensure that plan members understand their rights and the benefits which they have earned. It has been our practice to develop for each of our clients a plain language summary plan description which is easily updatable as plan provisions change. We are also advising plans on liability issues associated with electronic communication between funds and members as part of our continuing effort at efficient risk management.
The firm also performs educational services for the:
National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA)
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
Florida Public Pension Trustees Association (FPPTA)
The Texas Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems (TEXPERS)
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
National Preretirement Education Association
Missouri Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems
We invite you to visit these websites.