PHILADELPHIA – Stradley Ronon is pleased to announce that Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) lawyer
Katrina L. Berishaj, whose multi-discipline practice spans investment management, qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, and executive and equity compensation arrangements, has joined the firm’s Washington, DC office as counsel. Berishaj comes to Stradley Ronon from a leading diversified financial services company and has experience at a multinational law firm.
Berishaj advises companies and institutional investors on issues arising under the fiduciary and prohibited transaction rules of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. Berishaj has experience handling complex ERISA matters, including with respect to investment products, such as mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, collective investment trusts, private equity funds and hedge funds. She counsels financial services clients, including banks, trust companies, broker-dealers, investment advisers and insurance companies, on the products and services they provide to retirement plans and accounts. She assists corporate and governmental retirement plan sponsors on a broad range of issues concerning their fiduciary and non-fiduciary responsibilities. Berishaj also advises public and private companies on qualified and nonqualified retirement plans and executive and equity compensation arrangements.
“Katrina’s career as a seasoned ERISA lawyer, both in-house and in private practice, affords her a multi-dimensional perspective on these complex issues and the ability to translate intricate ERISA regulations into practical, actionable guidance for our clients,” said
Matthew R. DiClemente, partner and co-chair of the firm’s
investment management group. “We are excited to have Katrina on board to provide sophisticated ERISA guidance in this key area.”
“Katrina’s ability to advise our clients in areas such as the design and implementation of tax-qualified pension, profit-sharing, 401(k) and employee stock ownership plans; fiduciary responsibility and compliance; employee benefits; and the executive compensation aspects of mergers and acquisitions will be valuable to Stradley clients of all types and sizes,” added
David H. Joseph, partner and chair of the firm’s
business department.
Before joining Stradley Ronon, Berishaj served as associate general counsel at Raymond James Financial for several years and was an associate at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP in its investment management and employee benefits practices. She received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, completing all coursework required for a certification in employee benefits and her B.A.,
with high distinction, from the University of Michigan. During law school, Berishaj served as a judicial intern for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Stradley Ronon’s nationally ranked investment management practice is one of the largest in the U.S., representing investment company clients with more than 1,500 separate funds and assets under management exceeding $3.5 trillion. The investment management group provides assistance with respect to the full range of investment company products and acts as counsel to investment advisers, hedge fund sponsors, managers, administrators and underwriters/distributors, as independent legal counsel to investment company independent directors/trustees, and as special counsel to other law firms with regard to complex issues arising under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Stradley Ronon’s corporate and securities practice represents clients, including banks and other financial services providers, buyers and sellers, managed care organizations, closely held and family owned businesses, emerging companies and entrepreneurs, and public and private companies, throughout all stages of the corporate life cycle. The interdisciplinary team combines significant transactional capabilities and regulatory knowledge with experience across a range of industries to help clients complete deals, address complex regulatory compliance issues and maintain appropriate policies and practices.
About Stradley Ronon
Counseling clients since 1926, Stradley Ronon has helped private and public companies – from small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations – achieve their goals by providing pragmatic, value-driven legal counsel. With offices in seven strategic locations, our responsive team of more than 200 attorneys seamlessly addresses the full spectrum of our clients’ needs, ranging from sophisticated corporate transactions to complex commercial litigation.