Priscilla E. Ryan

Chicago, IL

Ms. Ryan is a retired partner of Sidley Austin LLP. In her retirement, she has served as an expert witness in several ERISA class action lawsuits. She also serves on the committee with fiduciary responsibility for a defined benefit plan sponsored by the American Bar Association and its affiliates.

While in private practice,she represented large multi-national corporations and domestic corporations with multi-state operations on issues related to the design, implementation and administration of retirement plans, health plans, fringe benefits, equity-based compensation, deferred compensation and executive compensation.
Ms. Ryan's practice included advising clients on the implications of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on their group health plans. Ms. Ryan was primarily responsible for the firm’s insurance policies (other than malpractice insurance), including policies providing for health and disability benefits, as well as other employee welfare benefits. Ms. Ryan also regularly advised clients on ERISA fiduciary rules and trained plan committees on their fiduciary responsibilities under ERISA. One aspect of her practice involved providing ERISA litigation support in class action lawsuits involving employer sponsored defined benefit plans and 401(k) plans. Ms. Ryan has represented clients on a variety of matters before the Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Labor and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
Ms. Ryan has been recognized as a leading lawyer, receiving the number one ranking in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in Employee Benefits & Compensation: Illinois and the number two ranking nationwide for Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation. She also has been recognized in the field of ERISA Litigation in The Legal 500 U.S. Also, she has been recognized in the specialty of Employee Benefits Law by Best Lawyers in America, a partner of U.S. News & World Report.
Ms. Ryan has lectured on numerous employee benefit topics, has authored articles appearing in various tax and employee benefit periodicals, and has been a member of the faculty of numerous professional seminars. During 1988 and 1989, Ms. Ryan served as an attorney-advisor in the Office of Tax Policy of the U.S. Treasury Department.
MEMBERSHIPS & ACTIVITIES
Ӣ Prior Member of the Board of Governors of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel
Ӣ Prior Vice Chair of Committee Operations of American Bar Association, Section on Taxation
Ӣ Prior Member of the ABA Tax Section Public Service Fellowship Committee (awards grants each year to two section 501(c)(3) organizations that agree to employ a recent law school graduate or judicial clerk for a two-year term to carry out a public interest project that is developed by the student or clerk involving taxation or the administration of tax law)
Ӣ Member of the A-E-F-C Pension Plan Committee
”¢ Past director of the ABA Tax Section’s governing Council: 2006-2008
Ӣ Past Chair of the ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits
”¢ Past Chair of the American Bar Association Tax Section’s Employee Benefits Committee
Ӣ IRS Great Lakes Area Tax Exempt and Government Entities (TE/GE) Council (Emeritus)

DC Plans

I have served as an expert witness for the defense in two class action lawsuits filed against fiduciaries of 401(k) plans.