Brad Campbell
Mr. Campbell, partner at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, is a nationally-recognized figure in employer-sponsored retirement plans. He counsels his clients in ERISA Title I issues and litigation, including fiduciary conduct and prohibited transactions.
Mr. Campbell served as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employee Benefits and head of the Employee Benefits Security Administration from 2006-2009. As ERISA’s former “top cop” and primary Federal regulator, he provides his clients with insight and knowledge across a broad range of ERISA issues, and also serves as an expert witness in ERISA litigation. Brad has been listed as one of the 100 Most Influential Persons in Defined Contribution by 401kWire and has been listed as one of the top 15 ERISA attorneys in the country by a poll of the National Association of Plan Advisors. He has testified before Congress on employee benefits issues 11 times, including testimony before four different Congressional Committees regarding the effects of the Department of Labor’s fiduciary regulation.
During his years in government, Mr. Campbell played a key role in the significant ERISA retirement and health reform initiatives of the prior decade, and his regulatory and policy decisions had a fundamental impact on the structure and operation of ERISA plans, including:
- Issuing final regulations establishing Qualified Default Investment Alternatives (QDIAs) to facilitate automatic enrollment in defined contribution plans;
- Proposing the original 408(b)(2) service provider and 404(a)(5) participant disclosure regulations;
- Issuing final regulations improving participant access to professional investment advice; and,
- Orchestrating implementation of the Pension Protection Act’s sweeping changes to pension regulations, issuing more than a dozen regulations and major guidance documents.
Previously, Mr. Campbell held a number of other senior positions in the government, including Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor, Senior Legislative Officer for the Department of Labor, and Senior Legislative Assistant for then-Congressman, later SEC Chairman Cox.
Mr. Campbell received his law degree, cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center, and his AB from Harvard University. He is a member of the bar of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia.