Brings more than 30 years of private practice experience in employee benefits and insurance product taxation

Venable LLP announced today the addition of leading employee benefits attorney Carol V. Calhoun as counsel in the firm’s Washington, DC office. Ms. Calhoun joins Venable from the Calhoun Law Group, P.C., where she has served as founder and president for nearly 17 years. Prior to that, she was a partner at Morgan, Lewis &Bockius LLP.

Ms. Calhoun has more than 30 years of experience in employee benefits and insurance product taxation matters, including qualified retirement plans, health and welfare arrangements, executive compensation, and insurance and annuity products. She has significant experience with standard pension plans (both defined benefit and defined contribution), the full array of government plans (including 403(b) and 457), executive compensation, excess benefit, 401(k), cafeteria/flexible spending, and a wide variety of welfare plans (e.g., health, life, and disability). She provides counsel to states, localities, and international organizations regarding their benefit plans. Ms. Calhoun also represents government plans themselves, and boards and agencies charged with administering such plans.

“Employee benefits and retirement plans continually face a number of challenges as laws and regulations evolve over time. Carol has long been one of the leading voices on employee benefits law and has the experience to provide our clients with the substantive and up-to-the-minute advice they need to craft comprehensive plans and maintain compliance with the laws governing them,” said Robert L. Waldman, Chair of the firm’s Business Division.

Added Ms. Calhoun, “I’ve worked closely with Venable and Lisa Tavares over the years and have seen firsthand the firm’s reputation as a leader in employee benefits law. As my practice has grown, I felt that joining a full-service firm with Venable’s bench strength served the best interests of my clients, and I look forward to working with such a dynamic group of attorneys and professionals.”

A frequent writer, Ms. Calhoun was one of the co-authors of the fourth edition of the Governmental Plans Answer Book, an in-depth overview of aspects of plan administration and compliance of these complex plans, which must satisfy federal laws as well as pension, investment, and other laws of state or local governments. She also authored two chapters in the sixth edition of the 457 Answer Book, focusing on the history of 457 plans and a variety of issues, including problems facing independent contractors, matching contributions, benefit reductions, and rollovers.

Ms. Calhoun earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1980 and her B.A. from Johns Hopkins University in 1976.