The Wagner Law Group earns Tier 1 ranking for ERISA and employee benefits in 2027

The Wagner Law Group was ranked Tier 1 by Best Lawyers for 2027 in ERISA and employee benefits law. The recognition underscores the Boston firm’s national footprint, broad benefits practice and long-running focus on retirement and fiduciary matters.

Why it matters: - The Tier 1 ranking reinforces The Wagner Law Group’s position in a highly specialized legal field tied to retirement plans, fiduciary duties and employee benefits compliance. - The recognition can matter for employers, plan sponsors and individuals seeking counsel on ERISA, executive compensation and related regulatory issues.

What happened: - Best Lawyers ranked The Wagner Law Group as a Tier 1 Best Law Firm for 2027 in ERISA and employee benefits law. - The firm is based in Boston and is celebrating its 30th anniversary. - Marcia S. Wagner, the firm’s founder and managing partner, said the honor belongs to the firm’s attorneys and professionals and that the firm is grateful for the recognition.

The details: - The Wagner Law Group has 46 attorneys in eight offices. - The firm serves large, small and nonprofit corporations, individuals and government entities nationwide and in several foreign countries. - The firm says its attorneys are AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell and are named annually to Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers and Chambers USA. - The Wagner Law Group is certified as a woman-owned and operated business by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. - The firm has been listed among the largest woman-owned businesses in Massachusetts by the Boston Business Journal. - The firm’s ERISA and employee benefits practice includes PBGC matters, fiduciary compliance, bankruptcy, retirement plans, ESOPs, executive compensation, welfare benefit plans, HIPAA privacy and security, investment management, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, tax-exempt organizations, Retiree Medical Trusts, Taft-Hartley trusts, expert witness services, legislative and regulatory services, independent fiduciary services and ROBS plans. - The practice also covers defined benefit pension plans, profit sharing and 401(k) plans, multiemployer plans, Davis-Bacon plans, prototype and pre-approved plans, VEBAs, cafeteria plans, group medical and health plans, QDROs, QMCSOs and qualified and nonqualified deferred compensation programs. - The firm says its attorneys help clients establish, operate, merge and terminate benefit plans and executive compensation arrangements. - The firm also advises on labor, tax and securities laws as they apply to employee benefit plans and executive compensation programs. - The Wagner Law Group has designed compliance systems to help employers meet ERISA and Internal Revenue Code requirements. - The firm advises on ERISA fiduciary responsibility and prohibited transaction rules. - The firm represents clients seeking individual and class exemptions from ERISA prohibited transaction rules. - The firm has a fiduciary audit practice that reviews the operation of clients’ benefit plans. - The firm helps clients locate, select and engage investment advisers for retirement plans. - The firm says it has represented clients before the Department of Labor, the IRS and the PBGC in audits, examinations and settlement negotiations.

Between the lines: - The ranking adds third-party validation to a practice that is already positioned as niche and compliance-heavy. - The breadth of services suggests the firm is built to handle both routine plan administration and more complex disputes, audits and transactions.

What's next: - The firm is likely to continue using the ranking to support its national ERISA and benefits practice as it enters its 31st year. - Clients facing plan design, fiduciary or regulatory issues can expect the firm to keep emphasizing its audit, exemption and advisory work.

The bottom line: - The 2027 Tier 1 ranking extends The Wagner Law Group’s standing as a major player in ERISA and employee benefits law.