Attorneys at Law
For nearly 35 years, McKenzie Rothwell Barlow & Korpi, P.S. has provided consultation, collection, and litigation services to employee benefit plans and their fiduciaries. The firm represents a number of pension and profit-sharing plans (including 401(k) plans), health and welfare plans, apprenticeship plans, vacation plans, HRA plans, and joint labor-management cooperative committees. The firm has clients in both the private and public sectors.
In the private sector, McKenzie Rothwell Barlow & Korpi provides legal services to over 100 joint labor-management trust funds. These funds cover participants in various states including Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Alaska, and Montana. Representative Taft-Hartley clients include funds in the following industries:
Construction (Operating Engineers, Carpenters, Laborers, Plumbers, Ironworkers, Cement Masons and Plasterers, Bricklayers, Glassworkers, Sheet Metal Workers and Asbestos Workers);
Maritime (Longshoremen, Inland Boatmen and Masters, Mates and Pilots);
Retail and Office Workers (Clerks, Meat Cutters, Bakers, Pharmacists and Office Workers);
Manufacturing and Warehousing (Machinists, Metal Fabricators, Warehousemen and Millmen);
Transportation (Teamsters, Automotive Machinists).
In the public sector, the firm serves as special counsel to the Washington Education Association with respect to all its fringe benefit programs, and the Portland School District Health Trust. Other public sector clients include the Association of Washington Cities Employee Benefit Trust and the Washington Counties Insurance Fund. The firm also works with police organizations, fire districts, and other public bodies on their benefit programs.
In addition to its consultation practice, the firm provides collection services to over 40 Taft-Hartley clients. The Collection Department is staffed by two attorneys and two legal assistants. The Collection Department is familiar with all aspects of collection and has pursued matters in a variety of state and federal courts.
The attorneys in the firm have broad experience with the provisions of the Employees Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 as amended (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code, the Taft-Hartley Act, relevant state statutes, and the related administrative regulations and court decisions. The attorneys advise plan sponsors and fiduciaries on all aspects of plan administration, including governmental compliance and the establishment of new plans. They also have extensive experience in federal and state transaction courts litigating fiduciary issues, denied benefits, plan design and prohibited transaction claims, withdrawal liability matters and other benefit plan issues. The firm has represented clients undergoing U.S. Department of Labor investigations and IRS audits, and has been specially retained by Taft-Hartley plans or their fiduciary insurers to defend a wide range of lawsuits.