Mark Schmidtke Named Chair of U.S. Department of Labor’s ERISA Advisory Council

INDIANAPOLIS – January 6, 2016 – Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins), one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, is pleased to announce that Mark E. Schmidtke, a shareholder in the firm’s Indianapolis office, has been named chair of the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2016 Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, also known as the ERISA Advisory Council. Schmidtke, who was appointed to the council in March 2014, is serving a three-year term as a representative for the insurance field.

The 15-member ERISA Advisory Council provides advice on policies and regulations affecting employee benefit plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The board includes three representatives of employee organizations, three representatives of employers, three representatives of the general public, and one representative from each of the following fields: insurance, corporate trust, actuarial counseling, investment counseling, investment management, and accounting. By law, council members serve for staggered three-year terms.

Schmidtke has more than 30 years of experience representing clients in ERISA and non-ERISA employee benefits matters in state and federal courts throughout the United States. He has been lead or co-lead counsel in ERISA litigation matters pending in the courts of 49 states. He has argued appeals in the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuits, as well as the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the Minnesota Supreme Court, the Minnesota Court of Appeals, the Indiana Court of Appeals, and the California Court of Appeals. Schmidtke has also authored several briefs and petitions at the United States Supreme Court, including amicus curiae briefs in several important ERISA cases. Schmidtke has spoken and written widely on ERISA litigation and is a Fellow in the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel.

About Ogletree Deakins
Ogletree Deakins is one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. Premier client service, as outlined in the firm’s Client Pledge, is one of the firm’s top priorities and a cornerstone of its core values. U.S. News – Best Lawyers^® “Best Law Firms” has named Ogletree Deakins a “Law Firm of the Year” for five consecutive years. In 2016, the publication named Ogletree Deakins its “Law Firm of the Year” in the Employment Law – Management category. Ogletree Deakins has 750 attorneys located in 48 offices across the United States, in Europe, and in Mexico. The firm represents a diverse range of clients, from small businesses to Fortune 50 companies.