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 2011, 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

• Named Best Lawyers’ 2012 Washington DC Litigation - ERISA Lawyer of the Year
• Recommended by Legal 500 US 2007-2011 as a Leader Lawyer for Labor & Employment: ERISA Litigation
• Distinguished as a Top 100 attorney in Washington, DC Super Lawyers 2010-2011
• Distinguished as one of The Nation's Most Powerful Employment Attorneys - Top 20 for Employee Benefits and ERISA by Lawdragon 2011 
• Listed in Washington, DC Super Lawyers 2007-2011
• Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2010 for Employee Benefits Law
• Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2005-2012 for ERISA Litigation
• Received a #1 Ranking in Chambers USA 2005-2011, America's Leading Business Lawyers; ERISA Litigation (Nationwide)
• Ranked in Chambers USA 2010-2011, 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

Select News & Events

• "Misrepresentation Claims, Preemption, and Employer Stock Cases," 24th Annual ERISA Litigation Conference, February 9, 2012
• "Misrepresentation Claims, Preemption and the New Healthcare Environment, and Employer Stock Cases," 24th Annual ERISA Litigation Conference, November 9, 2011
• Four Steptoe Partners Named ‘Lawyer of the Year’ by Best Lawyers
• 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
• Steptoe Receives 18 Practice, 56 Individual Mentions in Chambers USA 2011
• Paul Ondrasik and Eric Serron Speak at 23rd Annual ERISA Litigation Conference (Orlando, FL), February 17, 2011
• Paul Ondrasik and Eric Serron Spoke at 23rd Annual ERISA Litigation Conference (New York, NY), November 9, 2010
• Paul Ondrasik Spoke at ACI's 2nd Annual Forum on Defending and Managing ERISA Litigation, October 20, 2010
• Daily Tax Report Quotes Paul Ondrasik on Disclosure Rule's Impact on Litigation
• Paul Ondrasik and Eric Serron Spoke at 22nd Annual ERISA Litigation Conference (Orlando, FL), February 11, 2010

Selected Publications

• Recent Developments in Public Utility, Communications and Transportation Industries 2011
• ERISA Advisory - Proposed Regulation Redefining Fiduciary
  November 5, 2010
• Recent Developments in Public Utility, Communications and Transportation Industries 2010
  July 2010
• 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

More Publications »