Littler’s Chicago Office Lands a Group of Three Strengthening Firm’s National Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice

CHICAGO, IL (April 17, 2012) - Littler Mendelson, P.C. (Littler), the nation’s largest employment and labor law firm representing management, has added a group of three attorneys to the firm’s expanding Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice. Two new shareholders and an associate from Seyfarth Shaw LLP—David M. Weiner, Judith L. Wethall and D. Finn Pressly—have joined Littler’s Chicago office. The trio brings with them extensive retirement benefit, health and welfare benefit and executive compensation experience. Their arrival follows a string of recent additions to the firm’s national Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice, including Joni Andrioff (Chicago), Mark Grushkin (Los Angeles), Sam Stein (Los Angeles) and Dan Wille (Pittsburgh), who all joined Littler in the last six months.

“We are excited to welcome David, Judith, and Finn to the firm. Their arrival significantly enhances our Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice while furthering our strategic growth initiatives throughout the Chicagoland area,” said Adam Wit, managing shareholder of Littler’s Chicago office. “As we continue to expand the firm’s expertise in all aspects of labor and employment law throughout the region and nationally, the addition of this group gives us the added opportunity to more fully serve our clients who have complex employee benefits needs.”

Weiner is a former executive compensation and employee benefits consultant whose legal practice focuses on assisting clients with strategic and technical aspects of benefits and compensation compliance. He is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and was co-chair of the Health and Welfare Practice Group at Seyfarth, where he designed service delivery models that achieved clients’ compliance and business objectives. He received his J.D., with honors, from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and his B.S., cum laude, from the University of Illinois.

Wethall has extensive experience in health and welfare plans, including all aspects of health care reform, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy and security compliance, subrogation and claims reimbursement issues, coordination of benefits, state and local compliance issues, wellness programs and consumer-driven health care initiatives and health care continuation coverage. She received her J.D., cum laude, from Stetson University College of Law and her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Pressly has experience counseling clients on health and welfare plans and qualified retirement plans and regularly advises clients on health and welfare plan compliance, including medical and dental plans, cafeteria plans, flexible spending accounts, wellness programs and retiree benefits. He counsels clients on plan design decisions relating to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, HIPAA and health care reform legislation. Pressly has also assisted clients with qualified retirement plan design and administration questions, as well as submitting plans for voluntary correction. He received his J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School, his L.L.M. (Tax) from the University of Florida and B.A., cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame.

Steven Friedman, chair of Littler’s Employee Benefits Practice Group added, “These attorneys are skilled in all aspects of benefits work and complement Littler’s nationally-recognized Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation group. We have a comprehensive practice that includes more than 30 attorneys focused on executive compensation, employee benefits and benefits litigation. David, Judith and Finn, along with the recent arrivals of Joni, Mark, Sam and David, will further our resources as we continue to successfully advise clients in these areas.”

About Littler Mendelson

With over 900 attorneys and 56 offices, Littler Mendelson is the largest U.S.-based law firm exclusively devoted to representing management in employment and labor law matters. As the only U.S. member of the Ius Laboris global alliance, Littler has extensive resources to address the needs of multi-national clients, from navigating international employment laws and labor relations issues to applying corporate policies worldwide. Established in 1942, the firm has litigated, mediated and negotiated some of the most influential employment law cases and labor contracts on record.