Press Release

The Wagner Law Group Grows its Washington D.C. Office with Veteran DOL Attorney Michael Schloss

Issued by The Wagner Law Group P.C.

June 7, 2023

Boston MA -- Marcia S. Wagner, the Managing Director of The Wagner Law Group, nationally recognized as the nation’s leading ERISA and employee benefits law firm, has announced that long-time Department of Labor attorney Michael Schloss has joined the firm as Of Counsel in its Washington D.C. office. “The vast accomplishments Michael has accumulated during his tenure at the DOL speak for themselves and will be of immeasurable value to our firm and clients. We are excited to have him join,” says Ms. Wagner.

Prior to joining The Wagner Law Group, Mr. Schloss was the Director of the Office Enforcement at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), where he served as EBSA’s principal advisor regarding policy and program matters pertaining to civil and criminal enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) as well as related provisions of other federal laws. He also provided executive leadership and direction in the formulation of policies, development of programs and execution of activities conducted by the four Divisions within EBSA’s Office of Enforcement. 

Mr. Schloss previously served as EBSA’s Philadelphia Regional Director, where he planned and executed a civil and criminal program enforcing ERISA, oversaw outreach, education and participant assistance programs in six states, and supervised the activities of over 60 investigative, advisory and other staff based in offices in Philadelphia, PA and Silver Spring, MD. During his tenure as Regional Director, Mr. Schloss spearheaded EBSA’s “terminated vested” (a.k.a., missing participant) initiative that, in just a few years, produced record-setting multi-billion-dollar recoveries for tens of thousands of American retirees and their families. He also oversaw investigations involving employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), mental-health parity, digital assets, multiple employer welfare arrangements, improper claims denial practices, bankruptcies, 401(k) plan mismanagement, abandoned plans, and other activities and plans covered by ERISA. 

Before joining EBSA, for 25 years Mr. Schloss worked in the Plan Benefits Security Division of DOL’s Office of the Solicitor as Counsel for Financial Litigation and as a trial attorney, during which time he handled all phases of complex federal district court trial and federal appellate litigation arising under ERISA. Mr. Scloss’s litigation experience included matters involving imprudent investments in company stock by ESOPs, securities cross-trading, imprudent investments in derivatives (mortgage-backed securities), prohibited transactions, foreign-exchange transactions, retiree health and fiduciary misrepresentations. Notably, he was DOL’s lead trial attorney in the Enron litigation.

Mr. Schloss is also a highly sought-after speaker on a wide range of topics relating to Title I of ERISA and DOL activities and is the recipient of multiple awards for his service at the DOL, including the prestigious Alan D. Lebowitz Award, recognizing managers and supervisors who exemplify dedication, a distinguished career of excellence and commitment to mentoring future leaders.

The Wagner Law Group

The Wagner Law Group is a nationally recognized practice in the areas of ERISA, employee benefits and executive compensation, employment, labor & human resources, investment management, bankruptcy and restructuring, HIPAA, privacy & security, expert witness, mergers & acquisitions, legislative, regulatory & policy services, tax exempt organizations, trusts & estates, probate, litigation, independent fiduciary services, family law and Union Members Estate Planning.

The Wagner Law Group continues to be dedicated to the highest standards of integrity, excellence and thought leadership, and is considered to be the nation’s preeminent ERISA and employee benefits law firm. Now with 43 attorneys in 10 offices, it provides unparalleled legal advice to its clients, including large, small and nonprofit corporations as well as individuals and government entities nationwide and in several foreign countries. The firm’s attorneys combine decades of experience in their fields of practice and include those who are AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell and have been annually named to prestigious Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers® lists. The Wagner Law Group is recognized by U.S. News and World Report as a Tier 1 National Best Law Firm in the areas of ERISA and employee benefits and has the largest number nationwide of Fellows of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, an invitation-only organization of nationally recognized employee benefits lawyers. It is certified as a woman-owned and operated business by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council and is listed among the largest woman-owned businesses in Massachusetts by the Boston Business Journal.

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