SEND AN E-MAIL TO THIS FELLOWJacquelyn M. Abbott
Houston, TX
Jacquelyn “Jacquie” Meng Abbott is of counsel in the Houston office of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, and a member of the firm’s labor and employment group. Her practice focuses on employee benefits and related federal compensation tax matters, advising on labor negotiations, pension and fringe benefit plan mergers and acquisitions. She also provides legal advice to human resource and corporate financial services leaders on employee benefits and employment tax laws including MHPAEA, CAA, ERISA, ADEA, ADA, GINA, FMLA, COBRA, ACA, HIPAA and other applicable federal laws.
Jacquie was included in the 2024 and 2025 editions of the Best Lawyers in America list for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. She has been a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation since 2021. During 2007, she received the Pro Bono Lawyer of The Year award from the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program.
She has nearly 50 years of experience in the employee benefits and labor arena. Prior to joining Vorys, she served as the supervising tax counsel for the ExxonMobil Corporation, responsible for legal compliance of medical, dental, life insurance and disability plans. She also served as in-house counsel for the Lincoln National Corporation and Lincoln National Life Insurance Company for more than two decades.
Jacquie is a frequent speaker on recent developments and is currently vice-chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law, Welfare Benefit Plans Committee.
She has previously served as chair of the ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) health policy committee (2008-2012), as well as the co-chair for American Bar Association Section of Taxation, Subcommittee on Welfare Plan and EEOC, FMLA and Leave Issues (2019-2020). She has been a member for the American Council of Life Insurance, Risk Classification Committee (1988-1990); the Indiana State Bar Association Board of Governors (1991-1993); the Task Force on Fiduciary Matters (1980-1996); the Joint Committee with Health Insurance Association of America on Task Force on the Application of ERISA to Welfare Benefit Plans (1994-1996); and the Task Force working on DOL general account regulations (1980-1999).
She has presented and has been published on a number of employee benefits related topics including: what should the ERISA qualifications of an annuity purchased by an employer in the face of the Executive Life insolvency; ERISA: Ten Years After, “Plan Asset Reversions;” and developments in the life insurance industry.
Jacquie has three children, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild, and she appreciates the support she has received from all – including her husband, Jim – across her career!
