Paul J. Ondrasik Jr.

Partner

• pondrasik@steptoe.com
• vCard
• Washington Office

Paul Ondrasik is a partner in the Washington office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where he practices primarily in the employee benefits field, with a particular emphasis in ERISA litigation and the fiduciary responsibility area. 

He is the head of the firm's ERISA, Labor, and Employment Group, which recently received Number 1 rankings in National ERISA Litigation, in Chambers USA 2010, America's Leading Business Lawyers, a position which it has enjoyed since Chambers began ranking law firms in this category in 2005. The firm also received a first ranking for National ERISA Litigation in the 2010 Edition of The Legal 500.

Mr. Ondrasik has more than 25 years of experience in the employee benefit plan field, and has served as lead counsel in numerous ERISA action, including class actions and cases arising from complex corporate transactions.  Representative cases include: Albrecht v. Comm. on Employee Benefits of the Federal Reserve Employee Benefits System, 357 F.3d 62 (D.C. Cir. 2004) (successfully defended claims of fiduciary breach based on failure to eliminate plan’s mandatory employee contribution feature), Flanigan v. General Elec. Co., 242 F.3d 78 (2d Cir. 2001) (successfully defended ERISA fiduciary and statutory claims arising from complex corporate transaction involving, among other things, trust-to-trust transfer of assets exceeding $1 billion), and Cal. Ironworkers Field Pension Trust v. Loomis Sayles & Co., 259 F.3d 1036 (9th Cir. 2001) (successfully defended fiduciary breach claims based on investment of plan assets in complex mortgage derivatives).  In addition, Mr. Ondrasik has had lead defense roles in a number of major class actions challenging the investment of 401k plan assets in company stock, including the Enron, Dynegy, and Williams cases.

He also was the principal ERISA attorney involved in Steptoe & Johnson LLP's successful representations of petitioners before the Supreme Court of the United States in two important decisions dealing with the scope of remedies available in ERISA actions—Massachusetts Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Russell, 473 U.S. 134 (1985) (holding that punitive damages are not available under ERISA in benefit claim cases) and Pilot Life Ins. Co. v. Dedeaux, 107 S. Ct. 1549 (1987) (holding that ERISA preempts state common-law remedies in cases involving claims under an employee benefit plan).

He has served as an Advisory Director of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.  He also serves as a co-chair of the Annual ERISA Litigation Conference, sponsored by West Legalworks, which recently concluded its twentieth anniversary. He is a frequent lecturer and author on fiduciary responsibility, preemption, and other ERISA matters for a variety of educational organizations.

Noteworthy

• Recommended by Legal 500 US 2009-2010 for Labor & Employment: ERISA Litigation
• Distinguished as a Top 100 attorney in Washington, DC Super Lawyers 2010
• Listed in Washington, DC Super Lawyers 2007 - 2010
• Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2010 for Employee Benefits Law
• Received a #1 Ranking in Chambers USA 2009 and 2010, America's Leading Business Lawyers; ERISA Litigation (Nationwide)
• Received a #1 Ranking in Chambers USA 2010, America's Leading Business Lawyers; Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (District of Columbia)
• Listed in Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel Edition 2008 for Employee Benefits/ERISA
• Charter Fellow, American College of Employee Benefits Counsel
• ERISA Team Wins Twice for Caremark in Misclassification, Fiduciary Status

Select News & Events

• Paul Ondrasik to Speak at ACI's 2nd Annual Forum on Defending and Managing ERISA Litigation, October 20, 2010
• Legal 500 US Honors Seven Practices and 23 Attorneys from Steptoe
• Chambers USA Honors 18 Steptoe Practices and 41 Attorneys
• Super Lawyers Honors 24 Steptoe Attorneys
• Paul Ondrasik and Eric Serron to Speak at 22nd Annual ERISA Litigation Conference (Orlando, FL), February 11, 2010
• Paul Ondrasik to Speak at 22nd Annual ERISA Litigation Conference (New York, NY), November 12, 2009
• Paul Ondrasik to Speak at the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans' (IFEBP) 55th Annual Employee Benefits Conference, November 9, 2009
• Paul Ondrasik and Eric Serron to Speak at 22nd Annual ERISA Litigation Conference (Las Vegas, NV), October 22, 2009
• Best Lawyers in America Honors 44 Steptoe Attorneys
• 44 Steptoe Lawyers and 19 Practice Areas Named Among Best in the US by Chambers USA 2009
• US Legal 500 Recognizes Steptoe & Johnson LLP’s Leading Practices and Lawyers
• Paul Ondrasik Co-Chairs, Eric Serron Speaks at, 21st Annual ERISA Litigation Conference, February 12, 2009

Selected Publications

• ERISA Advisory - Labor Department To Issue Proposed Regulations Addressing Notice Requirements In Participant-Directed Plans
  July 22, 2008
• ERISA Preemption and State Health Care Reform (Part 2)
  Summer 2008, infrastructure
• ERISA Preemption and State Health Care Reform (Part 1)
  Spring 2008, infrastructure
• ERISA Advisory - Leber v. Citigroup, Inc. and Gipson v. Wells Fargo & Co.
  December 11, 2007
• ERISA Advisory - Update on Cases Challenging Allegedly Excessive Fees Paid By Participant-Directed Individual Account Plans
  September 6, 2007
• Cash Balance Plans, Former Employee Standing Top ERISA Legal Issues of 2006
  January 9, 2007, BNA Pension & Benefits Daily
• ERISA-Based Class Actions Attack Fees Charged to 401(k) Plans: But Are They Really Just Excessive Fee Cases?
  November 22, 2006