Timothy J. Parsons

Timothy J. Parsons, who died in 2015 at age 66, was a noted employee benefits lawyer particularly accomplished in litigation and issues relating to collective bargaining and multiemployer benefit plans. He was inducted as a Charter Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel in 2000.

Tim received his B.A. in 1971 from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME, where he graduated magna cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his law degree in 1974 from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC.

Tim began his practice in employee benefits law at a time when the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) was quite new, first becoming Associate General Counsel of the United Mine Workers Health and Retirement Funds in 1976 and later working in private practice in Washington, DC (circa 1979-1984). Tim necessarily spent many hours evaluating how initial regulatory guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Labor defining “hour of service” and the concept of “contiguous service” applied to the unionized coal industry. Tim also served as trial counsel for the Trustees in the litigation that resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court decision in United Mine Workers of American Health and Retirement Funds v. Robinson, 455 U.S. 562 (1982). In that case, the Court held that benefits provided under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement were not subject to court review sought by beneficiaries under a “reasonableness” standard not provided by statute. Tim’s participation in collective bargaining negotiations on behalf of the United Mine Workers of America led to a spin-off and creation of a new national multiemployer pension plan to cover the unionized coal mine construction industry.

In 1984, Tim relocated to Denver where he continued his prolific practice for the next 30 years. He represented a number of large multiemployer trust funds in Colorado. He was associated with several Denver law firms during that period. Initially he was a Member of Gorsuch Kirgis Limited Liability Company, becoming a partner in 1987 (dissolved in 2005). In 2004, he became a founding partner in Parsons Heizer Paul LLP. Subsequently Tim was appointed Special Counsel at the Denver law firm of Pendleton, Friedberg, Wilson & Hennessey, P.C., where he continued to specialize in the area of employee benefits and ERISA with an emphasis on the representation of multiemployer and governmental benefit plans.

Tim lectured widely and made substantial contributions to employee benefits law through articles and presentations. In 2005, he was recognized as a contributory author and editor of ERISA Litigation (2004 Supp.) and Employee Benefits Law (2d Ed) (2004 Supp.) He served for many years on various committees of the American Bar Association and of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, where he served as a Member of the Attorney Committee (1994-96). He was also a member of the National Association of Pension Plan Attorneys and a member of its Benefits Committee (1994).

Tim was also known for his commitment to pro-bono representation of the disabled and as a staunch advocate for older, homeless women. In 2010, he was elected to the board of The Legal Center for Persons with Disabilities, a non-profit that protects and promotes the rights of people with disabilities and older people.

A dedicated advocate who helped develop the understanding of pension law rights of workers and who contributed that knowledge and experience to others in the employee benefits profession, Tim left his imprint on ERISA.


Photo Source: The Decade Book, American College of Employee Benefits Counsel 2000-2010