As authors of the leading QDRO texts, including Dividing Pensions in Divorce: Negotiating and Drafting Safe Settlements with QDROs and Present Values, 3rd Edition, and Value of Pensions in Divorce, 5th edition, we provide deep and precise expertise on the issues that matter most to your client. Vexing issues like military benefit division, Taft Hartley plans, Social Security offsets, disability retirement, and the double dipping of pensions.
Our experience is unrivaled, having advised tens of thousands of attorneys, produced over 55,000 actuarial present value reports, prepared more than 80,000 orders, testified as experts in over 1,700 cases, and having been mentioned in hundreds of courts of appeals cases.
No one in the QDRO-drafting field has the breadth of experience and knowledge that QDRO Group possesses. Our legal, actuarial, and plan knowledge is evidenced by our leading texts in the field and our ability to handle the most difficult cases that others avoid. When that knowledge is coupled with more than 130 cumulative years in the field, thousands of trips to court as expert witnesses, our knowledge of QDRO plan administration gleaned from processing tens of thousands of orders for corporate America, and individual team members who have been trustees of large plans, you have the most knowledgeable and experienced staff in the country.
We offer our expertise at a reasonable, flat fee which will save you time and your client money. Our division orders are guaranteed through approval. If you receive a plan administrator’s rejection notice, just forward it to us and we’ll assist with any required modifications at no additional cost to your client.
QDRO Group uniquely combines the legal and actuarial expertise necessary to guide domestic relations attorneys through the complex world of retirement asset division. We are the first team member chosen by experienced domestic relations attorneys. Our actuarial and plan specialists understand the intricacies of retirement assets, and are available to discuss the best strategies for valuing and dividing benefits. When you are ready to prepare the Order, our experienced drafters will walk you through the process. If you run into an unexpected issue, our legal team is ready to step in and help you solve the most difficult issues.
President/Lead ERISA Attorney
James Myers, an ERISA attorney and Lead Staff Attorney for QDRO Group, has extensive experience researching ERISA issues, as well as drafting briefs, motions, complaints and position statements on a wide variety of technical pension, labor, and employment topics. He is a licensed attorney in both Ohio and Indiana. A cum laude graduate of the University of Toledo College of Law, he has a special expertise in multiemployer plans.
Vice President/Founder
Dave Kelley is a leading national authority on dividing pensions in divorce. He is the author of Dividing Pensions in Divorce: Negotiating and Drafting Safe Settlements with QDROs and Present Values, Third Edition, has testified over 1,500 times in court and taught over 100 CLE courses.
Lead Staff Attorney
Jessica Trease, a domestic relations attorney and Lead Staff Attorney for QDRO Group, has extensive experience in domestic relations law and is well versed in negotiating and drafting separation agreements and court orders that include the intricate provisions that are necessary to divide retirement assets in a divorce case. She is a graduate of University of Akron Law and has a special interest in legal drafting and assisting attorneys in negotiating divorce settlements that protect their client’s interests in divorce cases.
Staff Attorney
Erin Myers, a staff attorney for QDRO Group, has a special interest in providing legal services for the disadvantaged, especially in efficiently dividing limited retirement benefits and understanding the benefits available under Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Starting with volunteer time at Legal Aid in Western Ohio helping indigent individuals through divorce and dissolution actions, she has focused on developing the tools necessary to help this under-served population.
