General Information

Year founded: 1996
This is the year the firm (or its earliest predecessor entity) was founded.
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Overview

Content is provided by the firm.

The Wagner Law Group is a nationally recognized practice in the areas of ERISA and employee benefits, which includes the distinct areas of Fiduciary Compliance, Retirement Plans, ESOPs, Executive Compensation & Nonqualified Plans, Welfare Benefit Plans, PBGC and Retiree Medical Trusts™, as well as Employment, Labor & Human Resources, Investment Management, Trusts & Estates, Litigation and Family Law. Established in 1996 by Marcia S. Wagner, The Wagner Law Group is dedicated to the highest standards of integrity, excellence and thought leadership and is considered to be amongst the nation's premier ERISA and employee benefits law firms. The firm has offices across the country, providing unparalleled legal advice to its clients, including large, small and nonprofit corporations as well as individuals and government entities worldwide.

The firm primarily focuses in the pension, compensation and employee benefits (ERISA) realms with recognized expertise in such areas as defined benefit pension plans, profit sharing plans, 401(k) plans, ESOPs, prototype plans, VEBAs, "cafeteria" plans, group medical and health plans (including the areas of COBRA and HIPAA), qualified domestic relations orders, qualified medical child support orders, qualified and non-qualified deferred compensation programs, stock option programs and other such compensation arrangements. The firm also provide service with respect to a variety of other fringe benefit matters.

The Wagner Law Group has also developed a particular expertise in governmental audits (Department of Labor, Internal Revenue Service and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation) and helping resolve issues concerning troubled plans, such as prohibited transactions and plan disqualification defects.

Members of the firm also serve as expert witnesses in several areas of ERISA, employee benefits, executive compensation and investment management law. They have regularly represented clients with distinction in cases relating to plan design, benefit administration, financial issues, fiduciary matters, best practices and evolving industry standards.

The Wagner Law Group's attorneys, senior benefits consultant and paralegals combine many years of experience in their fields of practice with a variety of backgrounds. Its attorneys include those who are AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, Fellows of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, an invitation-only organization of nationally recognized employee benefits lawyers as well as those who have been named to the prestigious Super Lawyers lists, which highlight outstanding lawyers based on a rigorous selection process. Our firm is distinguished by the U.S. News & World Report's Best Law Firms as a Tier-1 ERISA and employee benefits law firm. The Wagner Law Group is also certified as a woman-owned and operated business by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.

Rankings

The Wagner Law Group is nationally ranked in 1 practice areas and metro ranked in 3 practice areas. Best Law Firms rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process.

Read how Best Law Firms ranks firms

National Rankings

Tier 1
Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Metro Rankings

Boston
Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Tier 1 for Litigation - Labor and Employment
Chicago
Tier 2 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Tier 3 for Labor Law - Management
New York City
Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

About Our Clients

The firm has a comfortably large clientele base, ranging in variety from large, publicly-traded, multinational corporations to small, closely-held corporations. Our clients includes, but is by no means limited to, administrators, trustees, broker-dealers, major U.S. financial institutions, government instrumentalities, professional and trade associations, investment groups, and prominent individuals, along with investment advisors and managers of employee benefit plans in connection with their investment activities in securities transactions, limited partnerships, joint ventures and real estate investments. We also provide expertise in tax-exempt organizations, especially hospitals and physician organizations and their affiliates. The firm represents clients across the Unites States and in several foreign countries.

Rankings

National Rankings

Tier 1
Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Regional Rankings

Boston
Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Tier 1 for Litigation - Labor and Employment
Chicago
Tier 2 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Tier 3 for Labor Law - Management
New York City
Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
St. Louis
Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Tampa
Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Washington, D.C.
Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Practice Areas

The below are areas of legal specialty volunteered by the firm and do not designate a specialty in which a Best Law Firms ranking is held.
  • Banking and Finance Law
  • Corporate Law
  • Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
  • Employment Law - Individuals
  • Employment Law - Management
  • ERISA
  • ESOPS
  • Executive Compensation
  • Family Law
  • Fiduciary Responsibility
  • Financial Services Regulation Law
  • Labor Law - Management
  • Litigation - ERISA
  • Litigation - Labor and Employment
  • Pension, Health and Welfare
  • Qualified Plans
  • Securities Regulation
  • Trusts and Estates
  • Workers' Compensation Law - Employers

Individuals Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®

The Wagner Law Group has 12 lawyers recognized for individual performance in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. By receiving this Best Lawyers recognition from their peers for their professional excellence, these lawyers made The Wagner Law Group eligible for evaluation for Best Law Firms rankings. For almost two decades, Best Lawyers has awarded these singular accolades, making them the foundation of our Best Law Firms awards. Read more about our Best Lawyers process here.
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Awards

Awards are self-reported by firms and are not verified by the Best Law Firms rankings.
  • The firms attorneys include those who are AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, Fellows of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, an invitation-only organization of nationally recognized employee benefits lawyers as well as those who have been named

Main Location

Boston, MA
125 High Street
Oliver Street Tower, 5th Floor
Boston, MA 02110
United States
617-357-5200 Call our Boston, MA location at 617-357-5200 Get Directions Get directions to our Boston, MA location

Office Locations

San Diego, CA
8677 Villa La Jolla Drive, Suite 888
San Diego, CA 92037
United States
619-232-8702 Call our San Diego, CA location at 619-232-8702 Get Directions Get directions to our San Diego, CA location
San Francisco, CA
315 Montgomery Street, Suite 900
San Francisco, CA 94104
United States
415-625-0002 Call our San Francisco, CA location at 415-625-0002 Get Directions Get directions to our San Francisco, CA location
Boynton Beach, FL
1880 North Congress Avenue, Suite 200
Boynton Beach, FL 33426
United States
561-293-3590 Call our Boynton Beach, FL location at 561-293-3590 Get Directions Get directions to our Boynton Beach, FL location
Tampa, FL
101 East Kennedy Boulevard, Suite 2140
Tampa, FL 33602
United States
813-603-2959 Call our Tampa, FL location at 813-603-2959 Get Directions Get directions to our Tampa, FL location
St. Louis, MO
439 South Kirkwood Road, Suite 215
St. Louis, MO 63122
United States
314-236-0065 Call our St. Louis, MO location at 314-236-0065 Get Directions Get directions to our St. Louis, MO location

Management and Personnel

Significant Matters

Below are matters chosen by the firm to highlight.
The Wagner Law Group is a nationally recognized practice in the areas of ERISA and employee benefits, which includes the distinct areas of Fiduciary Compliance, Retirement Plans, ESOPs, Executive Compensation & Nonqualified Plans, Welfare Benefit Plans and PBGC, as well as Employment, Labor & Human Resources, Investment Management, Trusts & Estates, Litigation, Immigration, Family, Municipal, Corporate & Commercial and Real Estate Law.
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