ERISA Consultant and Mediator John Koss

The stand-out feature of the ERISA consulting and mediation practice of John Koss is the high level of experience and professional qualifications of Mr. Koss himself. To schedule a consultation with John Koss, please contact his San Francisco office.

Mr. Koss is admitted to the Bar in Illinois and New York, and has more than twenty years of practicing law in the area of employee benefits (ERISA) and related matters. He is a storehouse of knowledge and information on the subjects in which employers and their in-house counsel need technical assistance.

Mr. Koss’s services are of interest to a wide range of organizations, including employers, unions, lawyers, in-house counsel, HR managers, other mediators, and others in need of conflict management consulting or employment-focused mediation or with respect to employee benefits design and administration.

Mr. Koss is well-versed by training and experience in the provisions and regulations of ERISA (the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974), FMLA (the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993), HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996), and COBRA (the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986).

Consulting, Training, and Counsel

• He conducts and critiques audits of benefit plans (preferably with the plan’s lawyer) for technical completeness, including matters relating to Severance Plans, Voluntary Early Retirement Programs, COBRA, and HIPAA.
  
• He negotiates with the IRS and the Department of Labor (DOL) on adjustments required under self-correction programs.
  
• He project manages internal self-audits of the administration of employee benefit plans on behalf of in-house counsel or the plan’s attorney.
  
• He performs early neutral evaluations of benefit claims and if necessary, mediates disputes relating to those claims.
  
• Finally, he speaks on current developments in employee benefits law and the design of systems for managing workplace conflict.

Of course, all consulting, auditing and dispute resolution services are performed with the assurance of maximum confidentiality. If Mr. Koss collaborates with in-house counsel, every effort is made to assert the attorney-client privilege, as appropriate.

Employee Benefit Plan Administrators

Mr. Koss is highly qualified to provide these services to corporate, public sector, and multi-employer employee benefit plan sponsors, administrators, and trustees.

His background prior to establishing his sole practitioner mediation office includes years as an attorney and performing compliance consulting and design work for employee benefit plan consulting companies in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. Mr. Koss also served as ERISA counsel for an international Fortune 100 Company in New York City, as well as an adjunct associate professor of business law at the City University of New York, Hunter College.

To schedule a consultation, contact John Koss.