Melanie Nussdorf

Partner

• mnussdorf@steptoe.com
• vCard
• Washington Office

Melanie Nussdorf is a partner in the Washington office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where she is a member of the Tax and Employee Benefits groups.

Her practice spans the entire range of employee benefits, from the tax-based rules for qualified pension plans, to fiduciary issues, welfare benefits, and plan termination. Ms. Nussdorf's particular focus over the last several years has been fiduciary issues, including prohibited transaction exemption questions under ERISA, especially in connection with financial products and services. Ms. Nussdorf represents a number of financial institutions including major banks, investment advisers, brokerage firms, and insurance companies. In addition, she has particular experience in all aspects of the plan termination process, including issues of employer liability for poorly funded plans terminating in or outside of a bankruptcy proceeding. She has done substantial work on ERISA issues relating to hedge funds and private equity vehicles. She also has substantial experience with the exemption and advisory opinion process under ERISA and has worked extensively on legislative issues related to ERISA.

Ms. Nussdorf was counsel for age and sex discrimination at the Department of Labor prior to serving as Executive Assistant to the Solicitor of Labor from 1977-81. During this period, she had significant oversight responsibility for the department's legal work under ERISA. From 1981-84, she served as Special Counsel at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

Noteworthy

• Listed under Employee Benefits and ERISA Law in Best Lawyers in America (1995-2012)
• Received Star Individual Rating for DC: Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation and ranked #1 for Nationwide: Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Business Lawyers (2011)
• Ranked #1 for DC: Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation and Nationwide: Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Business Lawyers (2010-2011)
• Recommended for Tax: Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation by Legal 500 US (2011)
• Recommended as a Leading Lawyer for Labor & Employment: Employee Benefits by Legal 500 US (2009)
• Listed under Employee Benefits/ERISA in Washington, DC in Super Lawyers (2007-2011)
• Listed in Lawdragon 3000 Leading Lawyers in America (2011)
• Listed as International Law Office Client Choice Award Guide 2010 winner for US Employment and Labor (2010) 

Select News & Events

• Steptoe Receives 67 Individual Mentions from Best Lawyers
• Steptoe Receives 13 Practice, 45 Individual Mentions in Legal 500 United States 2011
• Washington, DC Super Lawyers Honors Steptoe Attorneys
• "Pension Plan Investment: Current Perspectives," Practising Law Institute's Conference, April 5, 2011
• Steptoe Receives 18 Practice, 56 Individual Mentions in Chambers USA 2011
• "ERISA Fiduciary Basics," Practising Law Institute's Conference, February 23, 2011
• "Investment Management Institute," Practising Law Institute's Conference, February 10, 2011
• "CFTC’s Proposed Business Conduct Standards for Swap Dealers: Costs and Consequences to Swap Dealers and Plans," Practising Law Institute's Teleconference, January 25, 2011
• Pensions & Investments Quotes Melanie Nussdorf on CFTC Proposed Rule
• "DOL’s Proposed Significant Expansion of the Fiduciary Definition," Practising Law Institute's Teleconference, November 19, 2010
• "New ERISA Rules for Service Providers to Plans," Practising Law Institute's Teleconference, August 10, 2010
• Chambers USA Honors 18 Steptoe Practices and 41 Attorneys

Selected Publications

• ERISA Advisory - CFTC Announces New Swap Rules
  February 2, 2012
• ERISA Advisory - Labor Department Issues Final Regulations Addressing Provision of Investment Advice to Participants and Beneficiaries of Self-Directed Individual Account Plans and IRAs
  October 31, 2011
• ERISA Advisory - Proposed Regulation Redefining Fiduciary
  November 5, 2010
• ERISA Advisory - ERISA Advisory Council Makes Stable Value Fund Recommendations to Labor Department
  November 17, 2009
• Melanie Nussdorf Quoted in Pensions & Investments about Revamped Rules for Offering Investment Advice
  May 4, 2009
• Melanie Nussdorf Quoted in US News & World Report About 401(k) and IRA Financial Advice Rules
  March 25, 2009
• Melanie Nussdorf Quoted in Pensions & Investments about Future Pension Reform
  March 24, 2009
• ERISA Advisory - Labor Department Issues But Then Proposes to Delay Effective Date of Final Regulation Addressing Provision of Investment Advice to Participants and Beneficiaries of Self-Directed Individual Account Plans
  February 3, 2009

More Publications »