Who We Are
The American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, Inc. (ACEBC®) was formed as a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization to recognize employee benefits attorneys who have dedicated their careers to the field of employee benefits and who in doing so have demonstrated their leadership, character, ability and professional responsibility. Since College Fellows have a minimum of 20 years experience and have been selected as Fellows based on their significant contributions to the advancement of the employee benefits field, the College represents a tremendous wealth of knowledge in the field.
At its first Dinner in 2000, 150 Charter Fellows were inducted along with 6 Emeritus Fellows and 8 In Memoriam Fellows. Since that time, ACEBC® has grown to more than 400 Active, Emeritus and In Memoriam Fellows. The growth of ACEBC® reflects the continued growth of employee benefits law since ERISA was first enacted in 1974.
From its inception, ACEBC® has always been composed of employee benefit practitioners who represent all aspects of employee benefits law and all types of clients including employers, unions, plans, plan participants, and each of the government agencies that have a major role in regulating employee benefit plans. Because of the varied nature of the practices and perspectives of the Fellows of ACEBC®, the decision was made during the formation process to avoid taking positions for or against legislative or regulatory proposals. Thus, ACEBC® has been able to avoid internal strife and instead to maintain a high degree of collegiality among its Fellows.
ACEBC® has worked hard to fulfill its mission of promoting excellence in employee benefits law. Many of its activities have this objective in mind such as CLE, the law student writing competition, providing a method for the public to locate Fellows who are willing to be speakers in employee benefits law, and the IRS training programs. Other activities of the ACEBC® are similarly aimed including its ListServ, its participation in the JCEB Government Officials Conference, its participation in the Agency Questions and Answer Sessions, the law student outreach program (which pairs students interested in learning more about employee benefits as a career with ACEBC® members), its member teleconferences, and its expert witness and mediator finder on its website which allows members to publicly post areas in which they are available as expert witnesses and mediators and permits the public to find assistance.
