Amy M. Gordon

Chicago, IL

Amy Gordon is a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP and is based in the Firm’s Chicago office. She focuses her practice on the areas of welfare benefits compliance which entails HIPAA, ERISA, the Public Health Service Act, the Internal Revenue Code and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). She regularly advises clients with their self-funded and insured health plans. She has extensive experience with assisting clients who transition their employees and/or retirees to the public and private Marketplace Exchanges. She assists clients in designing and maintaining compliant flexible benefit, life, medical, dental, pharmacy, EAP, educational assistance, disability, supplemental health, severance, Health Savings Accounts, Health Reimbursement Accounts and other types of welfare plans. She consults with clients regarding the design and compliance of their wellness programs and initiatives. She regularly assists clients with respect to their retiree benefit plans, including FASB liability issues and funding options. Amy regularly handles fiduciary issues, including prohibited transactions and other ERISA Title I matters.

Amy is recognized as a leading lawyer in the U.S. in the area of welfare benefits. The Legal 500 United States 2011 stated that “welfare benefits expert Amy Gordon… is ‘thoughtful, thorough and listens, thereby producing work that is comprehensive and captures the concerns voiced’.”

Prior to joining McDermott, Amy served as in-house counsel to Prudential Financial, formerly Prudential Insurance Company of America. Here she advised Prudential on their current and new products, including long term and short term disability, health insurance, life insurance, guaranteed products, IRAs and pension plan investments. She also represented Prudential in various fiduciary and prohibited transaction matters. Prior to Prudential she worked in the New York Regional Office of the Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), formerly the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (PWBA). During her EBSA tenure, she prepared a number of high profile civil and criminal litigation actions brought by the Department of Labor and the U.S. Attorney’s office.

She is a fellow of The American College of Employee Benefits Counsel.

Amy is admitted to practice in Illinois, New Jersey and New York. She is a member of the Labor and Employment Section of the American Bar Association and the WEB Network of Employee Benefits Professionals.

Education
Hofstra University School of Law, J.D., 1991
Pennsylvania State University, B.S., 1988