Skip to content
DWT logo
People Expertise Insights
About Locations Careers
Search
People
Expertise
Insights
About
Locations
Careers
Search
Desktop Image: Birmingham, Richard
Mobile Image: Birmingham, Richard

Richard Birmingham

Partner

T 206.757.8145 Seattle
I efficiently guide employers through the complex maze of benefits laws, regulations and acronyms to achieve their desired goals.
  •  

Download vCard Download bio Print this page
Share

Rich Birmingham has over 40 years of experience in both employee benefit consulting and ERISA litigation. He is one of the few lawyers in the country who is listed in "Best Lawyers in America" in two employee benefit categories—ERISA law and ERISA litigation. Rich's command of both the substantive and litigation areas of ERISA enable him to give practical proactive advice when consulting with clients and to obtain early dismissal or settlement when litigating ERISA matters. Rich is a frequent speaker at employee benefit seminars and has published numerous articles and client advisories on a wide variety of employee benefit issues.

Rich assists clients through the entire range of employee benefit issues – from designing qualified pension or profit-sharing plans, health and welfare plans, or non-qualified deferred compensation plans – to IRS and DOL audits or defending participant litigation. His practice consists of private, governmental, and nonprofit entities, single and multiple employer plans and multiemployer withdrawal liability.

Rich has participated in mediation training through the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution and is available to mediate or arbitrate ERISA cases, including multiemployer withdrawal liability and excessive fee cases.

Rich's personal interests include adventure travel, photography, and bicycling. In 1991, he completed a 4,000-mile bicycle journey across Siberia, Russia (Bicycling Magazine, June 1997). Rich is married with a daughter.

Practice Highlights

Consulting

Designing employee benefits and executive compensation plans in the financial, airline, governmental, hospital, technology and transportation industries and for government contractors, including cafeteria plans, qualified plans, and non-qualified plans. Assisting clients with multiple employer welfare arrangements and association health plans. Advising with respect to employee benefit issues in mergers and acquisitions.

IRS and DOL audits and MPPAA arbitration

Successfully guiding clients through IRS and DOL audits, and the Voluntary Compliance relief process, without adverse consequences and structuring transactions to avoid the assessment of withdrawal liability under MPPAA, as well as negotiating lump-sum settlements or withdrawal liability. Requesting "reviews" for withdrawing employers and arbitrating withdrawal liability demands.

ERISA class action lawsuits

Served as both plaintiff counsel and defense counsel in over 20 ERISA class action lawsuits, raising first-of-their-kind issues in both defense and litigation of ERISA matters.

Class Actions

*Denotes experience prior to joining Davis Wright Tremaine
Searching...

Specialized Insurance / Fiduciary Litigation

Searching...

Multiemployer Withdrawal Litigation

Searching...

Retiree Medical Plan Litigation

Searching...

RLA / Grievance Litigation

Searching...

Top Hat Litigation

Searching...

IRS / DOL Audit Litigation

Searching...

Admitted to Practice

  • Washington
  • Oregon
  • Alaska

Education

  • LL.M., Taxation, Boston University School of Law
  • J.D., Seattle University School of Law
    • Associate Editor, Law Review
    • Distinguished Law Graduate
  • B.A., Political Science, Washington State University, cum laude

Memberships & Affiliations

    • Former Adjunct Professor, Pension & Profit Sharing, Seattle University School of Law
    • Former Contributing Editor, Compensation and Benefits Management (a national quarterly)
    • Executive Compensation and Employee Benefit Committee; Employee Benefits Committee; Welfare Benefit Committee – American Bar Association
    • Seattle Pension Roundtable
    • Western Pension Conference

Professional Recognition

    • Named one of "America's Leading Lawyers for Business" by Chambers USA in Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Law (California), 2021-2022
    • Fellow, The American College of Employee Benefits Counsel
    • Named one of the "Best Lawyers in America" in Employee Benefits Law by Best Lawyers in two categories: ERISA law and ERISA litigation  
    • Selected by Best Lawyers as Seattle's "Lawyer of the Year" in Employee Benefits (ERISA), 2012, 2014 
    • Selected to "Washington Super Lawyers" in Employee Benefits, Thomson Reuters, 2003-2004, 2007-2022
    • Selected to "Who’s Who in American Law," "Who's Who in Practicing Attorneys," and "Who's Who in Emerging Leaders"
Ranked in Chambers USA 2021
Clear Filter
Searching...
Your search returned no results. Please try another search or remove search criteria.
DWT logo
©1996-2022 Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
NAVIGATE
Home People Expertise Insights
About Locations Careers Events Blogs
STAY CONNECTED

Subscribe to stay informed.

Subscribe
Employees
DWT Collaborate
EEO
Affiliations
Legal notices
Privacy policy
©1996-2022 Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Close
Close

CAUTION - Before you proceed, please note: By clicking “accept” you agree that our review of the information contained in your e-mail and any attachments will not create an attorney-client relationship, and will not prevent any lawyer in our firm from representing a party in any matter where that information is relevant, even if you submitted the information in good faith to retain us.