HBL helps plan sponsors, in-house legal teams, benefits professionals, executives, corporate attorneys, and PE firms tackle complex benefits issues—reducing fiduciary risk and delivering savings that strengthen bottom-line results.
ERISA penalty abatement, waivers, and negotiated benefit plan service provider fee concessions.
Hall Benefits Law is a national ERISA and benefits firm, delivering counsel that helps plan sponsors manage risk, control costs, and stay compliant.
Practical counsel in ERISA, health & welfare, retirement, and executive compensation—core strengths that protect plans and improve outcomes.
Guidance to manage fiduciary duties, reduce risk, and keep plans compliant year-round.
Design, compliance, and audits for medical, dental, disability, and fringe benefits plans that are critical to employee retention.
Qualified plan design, operations, and corrections for 401(k), 403(b), 457, and defined benefit plans.
Incentive, equity, and deferred comp programs aligned with tax, ERISA, and governance requirements.
Strategic responses to DOL/IRS audits, fiduciary claims, plan-related litigation, and other ERISA-related investigations.
Diligence, integrations, and risk transfer solutions that safeguard value pre- and post-close.
Hall Benefits Law delivers proven results, abating over $410 million in ERISA penalties and securing more than $40 million in provider concessions for clients.
A Global Digital Marketing Firm and technology leader in e-commerce, advertising, communications, and entertainment has over 1,200 U.S. employees. The company sponsors a group health plan governed by ERISA. Amid evolving U.S. regulations, the company sought expert assistance to renegotiate contracts with its third-party administrator (Aetna CVS Health), pharmacy benefits manager, health insurance broker (Alliant Insurance Services), and Delta Dental to ensure compliance and optimize costs.
Regulatory changes from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, fee transparency rules, and PBM laws elevated risks of fiduciary breach lawsuits for excessive fees. Providers resisted concessions, claiming 2025 rates were set, leaving Global Digital Marketing Firm exposed to potential overpayments and legal liabilities.
Hall Benefits Law, led by Anne Tyler Hall and supported by Tim Kennedy, reviewed contracts for vulnerabilities, engaged providers on DOL requirements, and leveraged alternative vendor interviews to negotiate improved terms, including fee reductions and fiduciary safeguards.
Global Digital Marketing Firm secured over $1 million in concessions from 2025 to 2029, with annual reductions from Aetna CVS Health and capped increases from Alliant. This enhanced fiduciary protections, minimized lawsuit risks, and provided substantial savings, allowing the company to offer competitive benefits sustainably.
Global Pizza Chain, a multinational restaurant operator, sponsors a retirement savings plan exceeding $30 million in value. In 2022, a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) audit alleged fiduciary breaches by the plan and its investment committee, demanding $1.2 million in “lost opportunity” costs under ERISA.
The DOL’s firm stance on the breach claims posed risks of substantial f inancial penalties, potential personal liability for committee members, and disruptions to employee benefits, requiring a prolonged dispute to challenge the findings effectively.
Hall Benefits Law, led by Anne Tyler Hall, conducted a 24-month negotiation, systematically dismantling the allegations using ERISA fiduciary standards and common law precedents from prior successful defenses.
Global Pizza Chain settled for $100,000, saving nearly $1.1 million. This protected the plan’s integrity, shielded fiduciaries from liability, and resolved the matter in January 2025, enabling continued focus on core operations.
Regional Airline, a U.S.-based carrier, operates a retirement plan that accrued multi-year compliance errors, including untimely document adoption, legislative amendment failures, ADP test shortcomings for 2019-2020, and improper employee exclusions.
These issues exposed the airline to over $10 million in IRS and DOL penalties, risked plan disqualification, and favored highly compensated employees, with standard correction programs insufficient to address the complexities.
Hall Benefits Law partner Anne Tyler Hall developed a custom correction strategy outside EPCRS, proposing distributions and taxes to generate IRS revenue while f ixing discrimination and compliance flaws, negotiated through IRS meetings.
Regional Airline settled for $53,700 in Summer 2024, averting $10 million in penalties, preserving tax status for participants, and launching a compliant new plan, marking a pioneering resolution.
Ready to work with HBL? Partner with our ERISA and benefits compliance team to protect your plans and achieve stronger results.
