Professional Experience
Russ chairs the firm's Employee Benefits Group. He has testified before the Senate Finance
Committee on employee benefit issues and has participated in meetings sponsored by the
Department of Treasury, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Department of Labor. Previously,
Russ was a partner with Thompson, Hine and Flory for more than 18 years, and headed that firm's
Employee Benefits Group.
Russ lectures on employee benefit and fiduciary liability issues to various professional and nonprofit
organizations. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Case Western Reserve University School
of Law.
Russ has been recognized by Chambers USA as one of "America's Leading Lawyers" in the areas of Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (2006 - 2012), and as one of Ohio's "Super Lawyers" in the areas of Employee Benefits/ERISA and Non-Profit law by Law & Politics Magazine (2004 - 2008, 2011). He has also been selected for inclusion in the 2012 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, which marks his 10th year as a "Best Lawyer" in the area of Employee Benefits Law.
Areas Of Emphasis
Employee Benefits
- Russ has been an employee benefits specialist since 1970, and has a nationwide practice that includes all aspects of employee benefit plans, including retirement plans, executive deferred, compensation, welfare benefit plans, voluntary employee beneficiary associations (VEBA's-organizations exempt under Section 501(c)(9) of the Internal Revenue Code), and 403(b) tax deferred annuities. This includes plan design, administration, funding methods, qualification of retirement plans, prohibited transactions and fiduciary liability issues, termination of defined benefit plans and their terminal funding, 401(k) plans, employee stock ownership plans (ESOP's), multi-employer plans, joint apprenticeship committee programs, and the benefits to which retirees are entitled from private and public systems. He also advises charitable foundations and other tax exempt organizations on tax, fiduciary, and related matters.
- With in-depth knowledge of ERISA and non-ERISA employee benefit matters, Russ assists the firm's Employee Benefits litigation team in a variety of cases involving claims of breach of fiduciary duties, fraud, self-dealing, denial of benefits and benefits discrimination.
Professional & Community Associations
- American and Ohio State Bar Associations
- International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
- United Way Services - former Vice President and Trustee
- Ohio United Way - former President and Trustee
- Ohio Governor’s Operations Improvement Task Force
- Ohio Advisory Council for the Aging - former Chairman
- University Settlement - former Trustee
Education
The Ohio State University, J.D., 1965
The Ohio State University, B.S. in B.A., 1962
Licensed to Practice
- All Ohio courts
- U.S. District Court (Northern District of Ohio)
- U.S. Supreme Court
Awards & RecognitionsAV rated by Martindale-Hubbell2006 - 2012 - Selected for inclusion in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business: Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Ohio) 1995 - 2012 - Selected for inclusion in 2012, for the 10th time, in The Best Lawyers in America. Listed in current edition for Employee Benefits/ERISA Law and Litigation - ERISA. 2004 - 2008; 2011 - 2012 - Selected for inclusion in Ohio Super Lawyers magazine. Areas of practice: Employee Benefits/ERISA; Non-Profit. 2005 - 2006 - Listed in the Professional Directory for Foundations |
