Sam Schwartz-Fenwick > Seyfarth Shaw LLP > Chicago, United States > Lawyer Profile

Seyfarth Shaw LLP Offices

Seyfarth Shaw LLP
233 SOUTH WACKER DRIVE
SUITE 8000
CHICAGO, IL 60606 - 6448
ILLINOIS
United States
Visit website 1 312 460 5000 1 312 460 7000

Sam Schwartz-Fenwick

Sam Schwartz-Fenwick photo
(312) 460-5948 [email protected]

Work Department

Labor & Employment Department; ERISA & Employee Benefits Litigation; Labor & Employee Relations.

Position

Mr. Schwartz-Fenwick is a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice Group of Seyfarth Shaw LLP.  He is particularly well-versed in benefits-related litigation under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).  Mr. Schwartz-Fenwick defends complex class actions and single-plaintiff lawsuits under ERISA.  In the class action realm, he has defended various types of claims, including claims for benefits and claims for breach of fiduciary duty, including 401(k) fee litigation.

In addition to his ERISA litigation practice, Sam has significant experience in general employment matters. He regularly assists in the defense of complex litigation matters brought under the National Labor Relations Act, and represents clients in collective bargaining, in hearings before the National Labor Relations Board and in grievance arbitrations. Sam represents clients in litigation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Illinois Human Rights Act. He also provides day-to-day counseling and advice to clients about the various laws affecting the employment relationship, especially as it relates to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Sam speaks nationwide and publishes regularly on a variety of employment law and litigation topics, and issues regarding diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. He has serves as a Senior Editor to Employee Benefits Law (ABA) and is a member of the ABA’s Labor & Employment Law Nominating Committee.

Sam leads the firm’s LGBT Affinity Group and is the executive vice president of his synagogue.

Career

Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP.

Memberships

Chicago Bar Association; American Bar Association, Employee Benefits Committee

Education

J.D., Northwestern University School of Law, cum laude (2005); B.A., Tufts University, summa cum laude (2001)

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Labor and employment > ERISA litigation

Noted for its ‘deep knowledge of ERISA litigation nationwide,’ the team at Seyfarth Shaw LLP covers a broad spectrum of ERISA and employee benefits litigation covering all stages from filing through trial and appeal. Lawyers benefit from its collaboration with the employee benefits department’s compliance experts in matters including representing employers in disputes with multi-employer Taft-Hartley plans. In Chicago, Ian Morrison focuses on representing Fortune 500 companies in ERISA cases, and is sought out by employers and plan service providers for defense of significant ERISA litigation. Kathleen Cahill Slaught, in San Francisco, acts as lead trial counsel in ERISA litigation, and has been active in ERISA bench trials in the Central District of California in 2024. Also in Chicago, Sam Schwartz-Fenwick counsels clients in employment and employee benefit best practices matters across the changing legal and cultural landscape surrounding the LGBT community, including transgender insurance benefit coverage and setting up protocols for a more gender-fluid workforce, as well as counselling on claims arising from transgender and LGBT employee benefits discrimination.

Lawyer Rankings

Top Tier Firm Rankings

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