McDermott Will & Schulte, a global law firm

Brian J. Tiemann counsels public and private companies on a broad range of employee benefit matters, including matters related to pension plans, 401(k) plans and executive and incentive compensation. He advises plan fiduciaries with respect to their fiduciary duties, investment policies and alternative investments. He also advises multinational clients on global employee benefits matters, particularly with respect to global incentive compensation plans. Brian has extensive experience negotiating investment management agreements and service provider agreements.

Brian regularly advises clients on prohibited transaction issues and has successfully obtained prohibited transaction exemptions from the US Department of Labor on behalf of multiple clients. His experience includes advising on compliance with statutory and class prohibited transaction exemptions, as well as on captive reinsurance arrangements.

He represents clients in negotiations before the Internal Revenue Service and the US Department of Labor and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, including in connection with plan audits. He has assisted clients with internal compliance reviews, voluntary correction filings under the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS) and applications for determination letters on tax qualification.

Brian is a frequent author and speaker on employee benefits issues related to the investment of tax-qualified plan assets and issues resulting from domestic partnerships and same-sex marriages. Brian has presented at the Association for Financial Professionals’ annual conferences, the New York University Institute on Federal Taxation and the Out & Equal Workplace Summit.

Brian serves on the Firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the Recruiting Committee, and co-heads the Firm’s summer associate programs for the Chicago office.

Margaret (Peg) Warner has served as first chair trial and appellate counsel in state and federal courts in over thirty jurisdictions. Her work has spanned antitrust, commercial, class action, environmental, healthcare, insurance, mass tort, product liability, and reinsurance disputes. As lead trial counsel, Peg has taken over fifty cases to verdict/judgment before juries, judges and arbitration tribunals. Many of her cases have involved high-profile public policy issues from the Agent Orange litigation in the 1980s, environmental and Superfund litigation involving such notorious sites as Love Canal and the Hudson River in the 1990s, to sexual abuse, 9/11, antitrust, healthcare, ERISA and COVID-19 litigation in the 21st Century.

Peg is recognized as a leading national trial lawyer in a number of highly regarded legal directories and industry publications. She has been described as “an intimidating figure” “knowledgeable, assertive and in tune with clients’ needs.” She “excels at complex litigation and arbitration” and “has a reputation for being a hard-nosed, no nonsense and smart litigator.”

She has counseled numerous senior executives and boards of insurance entities on an array of business opportunities and exposures.

Peg and her team received The Financial Times 2012 US Innovative Lawyers Award for work resolving 9/11 litigation. She formerly led McDermott’s global controversies practices and served on the Executive and Management Committees.