Chris Hwang has nearly 20 years of experience advising health and pension plan sponsors and plan administrators regarding a broad array of issues involving fiduciary issues, benefit claims and appeals, plan administration, strategy, and design. In addition to assisting clients navigate complexities in corporate transactions to assess withdrawal liability risk and benefit plan integration, Chris regularly counsels employers and plan administrators with qualified retirement and welfare plan compliance and has advised on legislative and regulatory requirements under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Internal Revenue Code, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA).
Chris has also represented welfare and pension plans in litigation and arbitration in cases involving fraud, fiduciary issues, benefit claims, delinquent contributions, subrogation and reimbursement, contracts with plan vendors, and withdrawal liability. She has spoken at multiple employee benefits conferences and will be a presenter on ERISA Remedies at the forthcoming ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits ERISA Basics National Institute 2023.
Chris is a member of the Firm's Asian Lawyers and the LGBTQ+ Affinity Groups. She was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Labor to serve on the Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans from 2014 to 2016. She also served a four-year term on the City and County of San Francisco Board of Appeals, from 2011 to 2014.
Chris is a member of the State Bar of California and the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans and the American Health Law Association.
- University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (J.D. 1996); Dartmouth College (B.A. 1991)
- California