Richard Birmingham

Practice Areas

Rich Birmingham has over 40 years of experience in both employee benefit consulting and ERISA litigation. He is one of the few lawyers in the country who is listed in "Best Lawyers in America" in two employee benefit categories—ERISA law and ERISA litigation. Rich's command of both the substantive and litigation areas of ERISA enable him to give practical proactive advice when consulting with clients and to obtain early dismissal or settlement when litigating ERISA matters. Rich is a frequent speaker at employee benefit seminars and has published numerous articles and client advisories on a wide variety of employee benefit issues.

Rich assists clients through the entire range of employee benefit issues – from designing qualified pension or profit-sharing plans, health and welfare plans, or non-qualified deferred compensation plans – to IRS and DOL audits or defending participant litigation. His practice consists of private, governmental, and nonprofit entities, single and multiple employer plans and multiemployer withdrawal liability.

Rich has participated in mediation training through the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution and is available to mediate or arbitrate ERISA cases, including multiemployer withdrawal liability and excessive fee cases.

Rich's personal interests include adventure travel, photography, and bicycling. In 1991, he completed a 4,000-mile bicycle journey across Siberia, Russia (Bicycling Magazine, June 1997). Rich is married with a daughter.

Professional Memberships

Former Adjunct Professor, Pension & Profit Sharing, Seattle University School of Law

Former Contributing Editor, Compensation and Benefits Management (a national quarterly)

Executive Compensation and Employee Benefit Committee; Employee Benefits Committee; Welfare Benefit Committee – American Bar Association

Seattle Pension Roundtable

Western Pension Conference