Michael L. Hadley
Partner
Michael Hadley is a partner in the law firm Davis & Harman LLP. He practices in the area of employee benefits, advising clients on the full range of tax, ERISA, and other laws affecting benefit plans. He has a particular focus on helping financial institutions that sell products to defined contribution and defined benefit plans, IRAs and similar plans navigate the special rules that govern those plans. He also provides clients with strategic advice, plan design, counseling, and compliance assistance for qualified plans, 403(b) and 457 plans, non-qualified executive compensation, employment agreements, and health and other welfare plans.
Mr. Hadley was formerly Associate Counsel for Pension Regulation at the Investment Company Institute, the national association of U.S. investment companies. His responsibilities included advocating for the Institute’s membership before Congress, the Department of Labor, the Department of the Treasury, and the Securities and Exchange Commission on retirement security issues and assisting ICI members and staff in understanding tax and ERISA rules. Among other duties he managed ICI’s work implementing the Pension Protection Act and responding to 401(k) fee, investment advice, and fiduciary developments in Congress, DOL, and the courts.
Prior to joining ICI, Mr. Hadley was with the law firm Covington & Burling LLP in the employee benefits group.
Mr. Hadley is a frequent speaker on the latest retirement savings policy developments coming out of Congress and the regulatory agencies and has testified before Treasury, IRS, and Department of Labor. He is the co-editor of the 403(b) Answer Book and is the author of the chapter on "Annuities in Tax-Favored Retirement Plans" in the Annuities Answer Book. A sampling of articles he has authored or co-authored: States Dive Headfirst Into Retirement Cos average Debate - But Will Their Initiatives Run Afoul of Federal Law, Pension and Benefits Daily (February 2015); ERISA Compliance for Investment Advisers: A Q&A Guide To DOL's 408(b)(2) Disclosure Regulation, Investment Lawyer, Vol. 20, No. 7 (July 2013); The Economics of Providing 401(k) Plans: Services, Fees, and Expenses, 2010 ICI Research Perspective, Vol. 17, No. 4 (June 2011); and 401(k) Plans: A 25-Year Retrospective, ICI Research Perspective, Vol. 12, No. 2 (Nov. 2006).
Mr. Hadley was a law clerk for the Honorable Gerald Tjoflat, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He received his J.D. from the University of Virginia, where he was Notes Editor of the Virginia Law Review and elected to the Order of the Coif. He received his B.A., cum laude, from the College of William and Mary.
Prior Experience
- Associate Counsel for Pension Regulation, Investment Company Institute
- Associate, Covington & Burling
- Law Clerk to Hon. Gerald Tjoflat, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Bar and Court Admissions
- District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Virginia
The Willard 1455 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
, Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20004 Tel 202-347-2230
Fax 202-393-3310
Education
- BA, cum laude, College of William and Mary, 1996
- JD, University of Virginia, 1999
Recent Publications
and Presentations
The Willard
1455 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20004
Tel 202-347-2230
Fax 202-393-3310
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