When Experience Matters ®
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Areas of Practice
Education
  • University of Virginia School of Law, J.D., 1975, Notes Editor, Virginia Law Review, Order of the Coif
  • Princeton University, A.B., 1972 (Distinction in American Civilization)
Judicial Clerkships
  • Hon. Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice, US Supreme Court, 1976-1977
  • Hon. Collins J. Seitz, Chief Judge, US Court of Appeals, Third Circuit 1975-1976
Bar & Court Admissions
  • District of Columbia

Paul J. Ondrasik Jr.

Partner

1330 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington DC 20036
TEL: 202.429.8088
FAX: 202.429.3902

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, DC Employee Benefits, and Executive Compensation, and Phoenix Employment in Chambers USA 2006, America's Leading Business Lawyers.

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 and is currently a member of its Government Liaison Committee.  He also is a frequent lecturer and author on fiduciary responsibility, preemption, and other ERISA matters for a variety of educational organizations.

Noteworthy

  • Listed in Best Lawyers of America 2008 for Employee Benefits Law
  • Listed in Washington, DC, SuperLawyers 2007 for Employee Benefits/ERISA
  • Received a #1 Ranking in Chambers USA 2008, America's Leading Business Lawyers; ERISA Litigation
  • Charter Fellow, American College of Employee Benefits Counsel
  • ERISA Team Wins Twice for Caremark in Misclassification, Fiduciary Status

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