Colleen Howard

• Litigated complex labor disputes, ensuring adherence to federal regulations and legal standards.
• Advised clients on federal employment laws and regulations, including OSHA, MSHA, ERISA, and FLSA regulations.
• Negotiated settlements with opposing parties, achieving favorable outcomes for clients while minimizing litigation costs.
• Developed comprehensive case strategies through detailed research and analysis of legal precedents.
• Drafted clear and compelling legal documents such as pleadings, motions, briefs, and discovery requests to advance case objectives.

• Provided legal advice to OSHA on standards and guidance materials, contributing to regulatory compliance and safety.
• Collaborated with OSHA's National Office to provide legal counsel on agency policies, interpretations of law, and enforcement initiatives.
• Offered litigation support to the regional offices on novel, significant, and complex cases.

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• Conducted legal research to support case preparation and strategy development.
• Assisted attorneys with case organization and administrative tasks.
• Reviewed and summarized case files to identify key issues and relevant precedents.

• Researched laws, court decisions and other documents relevant to cases before court to aide in judge's decision-making.
• Drafted bench decisions, summary judgment decisions, and case management orders.
• Reviewed briefs and pleadings, identifying key arguments and potential weaknesses.
• Observed and participated in administrative hearings and conferences during various stages of litigation.

• Researched, analyzed, and drafted memoranda regarding breach of fiduciary duty issues under ERISA.
• Reviewed litigation briefs and memoranda for citation, grammatical, and clarity issues.
• Assisted regulation attorneys with various projects surrounding rule promulgation.

• Served as the operational point of contact for case management and resolution of ERISA and non-ERISA retirement plans compliance and safety.
• Researched and resolved issues in compliance with the plan documents and service provider agreements.
• Oversaw the ongoing administration of complex retirement plans based on deliverables and plan document provisions.
• Maintained data integrity and plan requirements to ensure accuracy and plan regulatory compliance.

• Supported the administration of defined contribution plans for two large market corporate clients with a combined total plan asset of about $2 billion dollars.
• Worked with the internal client team, customer service, and third-party vendors to ensure seamless ongoing administration.
• Managed and enhanced ongoing standard procedures to ensure plan compliance is within IRS Regulation.
• Monitored and tracked service-related metrics to ensure adherence to standard operating procedures and overall quality of deliverables.