William J. Flanagan is a partner specializing in employee benefits matters. He is also a member of the firm's Labor and Employment and Corporate groups, and assists the firm's Health Care and Securities practices in matters relating to employee benefits.

Bill has over 25 years of experience with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act ("ERISA"). He has represented major insurance companies, Fortune 500 companies, institutional money and investment managers and employee benefit plans in all areas covered by Title I of ERISA. He provides counseling and representation on a full range of ERISA issues, including plan administration and fiduciary duties, plan investments and investment management, plan design for qualified plans, welfare plans and non-qualified executive deferred compensation plans, health care reporting and coverage issues (including COBRA and HIPAA), and ERISA compliance analyses and reviews. He has represented clients before the Department of Labor in numerous prohibited transaction exemption and advisory opinion proceedings. Additional practice areas include advice regarding age and disability discrimination issues, matters relating to the Family Medical Leave Act, and other employment-related areas.

Bill began his ERISA career with the Department of Labor's Office of the Solicitor, Plan Benefits Security Division, where he was Assistant Counsel for Regulation. In that capacity, he helped formulate ERISA policy in a variety of areas, including class exemptions for plan investments in securities and real estate; regulations regarding participant loans and "top hat" plans; and legislative and advisory work involving plan terminations and COBRA. Bill was also a law clerk for retired U.S. District Court Judge Thomas A. Flannery in the District of Columbia. Bill is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Foreign Service (B.S.F.S. 1974 summa cum laude) and Georgetown University Law Center (J.D. 1977), where he was articles editor for the American Criminal Law Review and where he currently serves as an Adjunct Professor in the graduate employee benefits and tax program. He is a member of the District of Columbia and Virginia State Bars.

Education
Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, B.S.F.S., 1974 - summa cum laude
Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., 1977

Affiliations
Admitted to practice: District of Columbia, Virginia

Publications
"COBRA Subsidy--Federal and State Law Update," American Health Lawyers Association Labor & Employment Newsletter (January 4, 2010). Co-Authors: William J. Flanagan and Joel D. Wood.

"Current Benefit Issues: Health Savings Accounts," HMOs & Health Plans, an AHLA publication, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Late Spring 2007). Author: William J. Flanagan.

"Tax Practice Series Analysis: 5450. Age and Sex Discrimination in Employee Benefit Plans," Tax Management Inc. – BNA’s Tax Practice Series (March 2007). Author: William J. Flanagan.

"Compliance Issues for Tax Deferred Custodial Accounts Under Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code," 29 Tax Mngmnt Comp. Planning J. 303 (December 7, 2001). Author: William J. Flanagan.

"Insurance Companies as Fiduciaries," Life Insurance Answer Book, 2d ed. (1999). Author: William J. Flanagan.

"Fiduciary Responsibility under ERISA," Trustees Handbook, 5th ed. (1998). Author: William J. Flanagan.

"The Real Estate Operating Company Exception to the Plan Assets Regulation," 15 Tax Mngmnt Comp. Planning J. 231 (June 5, 1987). Author: William J. Flanagan.

Speeches & Presentations
"The First 100 Days and Beyond -- Employment and Benefits Issues and Developments," International Liquid Terminal Association's Committee of Chief Executives (May 7, 2009). Co-Speakers: Thomas P. Gies and William J. Flanagan.

"Labor and Employment Developments in President Obama's First 100 Days," Crowell & Moring Webinar Presentation (April 2009). Co-Presenters: Trina L. Fairley, William J. Flanagan, Thomas P. Gies and Kris D. Meade.

"More Exposure, Less Deference and Increased Reporting," Bad Times For ERISA Fiduciaries - Crowell & Moring's HOOPS 2008 (October 2008). Co-Presenters: William J. Flanagan and Lauren Kim.

"Responses to Questions Relating to Designing Plans for Older Workers," Society of Professional Benefit Administrators, Spring Meeting, Washington, D.C. (April 2, 2008). Co-Presenters: Robert L. Roth and William J. Flanagan.

"LaRue and Its Implications: The Next Wave of ERISA Fiduciary Breach Litigation," Crowell & Moring Webinar (March 2008). Panel: Thomas P. Gies, William J. Flanagan, Karen Handorf and Jane Foster.

"Current and Emerging Trends in Managed Care Litigation," Crowell & Moring's 2007 Healthcare Ounce of Prevention Seminar (HOOPS) (October 2007). Co-Presenters: Julie A. Barnes, William J. Flanagan, Christopher Flynn, David Florin and Jeffrey L. Poston.

"Protecting Your Most Valuable Assets," and "Sexual Harassment in the Workplace," Oxford Round Table International Conference on Employment Law and Individual Rights (2004). Panel Chair and Member: William J. Flanagan.

"Age, Sex and Disability Discrimination in Employee Benefit Plans," 363-3rd Tax Management Portfolios (2003). Presenter: William J. Flanagan.

"Employee Benefits -- ERISA Primer and Update," Lorman Education Services (May 13, 1998). Presenter: William J. Flanagan.

"Real Estate Investments by and with Tax Exempt Organizations," American Bar Association Section on Taxation (May 6, 1990). Presenter: William J. Flanagan.