Education
University of Virginia Law School, J.D., 2010
Notes Editor, Virginia Law Review
Princeton University, A.B., 2007
summa cum laude
Bar Admissions
State
Virginia (2010)
District of Columbia (2012)
Illinois (2014)
Partner
Email: gristuccia@islerdare.com
Grace H. Ristuccia is a Partner at IslerDare, P.C. Prior to joining the firm in 2022, Grace was a shareholder at Ogletree Deakins.
Grace provides employee benefit counsel that ranges from day-to-day compliance to strategic long-term planning and creative benefit designs. Her practice covers all aspects of employee benefits and executive compensation, routinely advising businesses on a variety of administration, plan design, fiduciary, and operational issues for all types of employee benefit plans: 401(k), profit sharing, defined benefit, deferred compensation, governmental, welfare, and multiemployer plans.
As employer side Fund Co-Counsel, Grace has advised Boards of Trustees on the operation of multiemployer pension and welfare plans. She counsels employers who contribute to multiemployer plans regarding payroll audit reports, withdrawal liability, and collective bargaining benefit issues.
Grace’s extensive experience includes plan governance structures, top hat plan filings, Internal Revenue Service self-correction, filings with the IRS Voluntary Correction Program, assistance with benefit claims, IRS and DOL audits, and service agreement negotiations. Additionally, Grace’s comprehensive experience with health and welfare plans includes counseling employers on the administration and operation of self-insured and fully insured health plans, Section 125 plans (Cafeteria Plans), flexible spending accounts (FSAs), health savings accounts (HSAs), health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), wellness programs, and other fringe benefits. She has provided advice on compliance with the Affordable Care Act, COBRA, HIPAA, and tax laws; drafted plan documents, summary plan descriptions, and benefit claim responses; negotiated service and business associate agreements; and successfully defended her clients in plan audits.
Grace served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Kenneth F. Ripple, United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit and resides with her husband, two sons, and daughter in Falls Church, VA.
Professional and Community Involvement
Bar Associations
American Bar Association
Virginia State Bar
District of Columbia Bar
Chicago Bar Association
Honors
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America© for work in the practice area of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law - 2024
Listed in Virginia Super Lawyers - Employee Benefits - 2022
LTC4 Technology Certified Legal Professional
Recognized as a Rising Star by Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers (2018-2020)
Recognized as a Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers (2018-2020)
Publications
Retirement Plans: Grab Bag Guidance for SECURE 2.0
Employee Benefits Update (March 2024)
Isler Dare 2024 Benefit Plan Compliance Calendar
Employee Benefits Update (February 2024)
IRS Announces 2024 Benefit and Contribution Limits
Employee Benefits Update (November 2023)
Tri-Agencies Issue Wave of Guidance Focusing on Compliance with MHPAEA
Employee Benefits Update (August 2023)
Isler Dare EBU Health and Welfare Roundup
Employee Benefits Update (July 2023)
Roundup of Recent Developments Impacting Health and Welfare Plans
Employee Benefits Update (February 2023)
2023 Isler Dare Benefit Plan Compliance Calendar
Employee Benefits Update (January 2023)
Highlights of SECURE Act 2.0 for Employers
Employee Benefits Update (January 2023)
2022 Year-End Compliance Check-List
Employee Benefits Update (November 2022)
IRS Announces 2023 Dollar Limits on Compensation and Benefits
Employee Benefits Update (October 2022)
No Surprises Act: Final Regulations and FAQs
Employee Benefits Update (September 2022)
Post-Dobbs: Employer and Benefit Plan Considerations
Employee Benefits Update (June 2022)
First Quarter 2022 Roundup of New Developments
Employee Benefits Update (April 2022)
Sixth Circuit rules interest rate methodology selected by plan actuary in withdrawal liability calculations violate ERISA
Westlaw Today (October 12, 2021)
Ninth Circuit’s Expansion of Successor Liability May Make Assets Purchases More Costly
Associated General Contractors of America (June 27, 2018)
MEDIA QUOTES
Pandemic Puts More Stress On Struggling Pension System
SHRM Online (June 5, 2020)
Professional / Continuing Legal Education Presentations
IslerDare Annual Benefits Client Seminar: SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022: What Employers Need to Know (March 2023)
IslerDare Annual Benefits Client Seminar: Managing Fiduciary Risk For Your Retirement Plans in Today’s Inflationary and Litigious Environment (May 2022)
AGC Labor and Employment Law Council: Strategies for Anticipating and Managing Potential Withdrawal Liability
(June 10, 2021)
Ogletree Deakins, Employee Benefits Symposium: Multiemployer Plans: Managing Employer Participation in Multiemployer Plans
(March 12, 2021)
ABA Labor and Employment Law Employee Benefits Committee: 2021 Midwinter Meeting: Healthcare Regulatory Update
(February 5, 2021)
Associated General Contractors of America Webinar: Ask the Experts: Impact of Coronavirus on Union Contractors
(Webinar; April 3, 2020)
Ogletree Deakins Podcast: Multiemployer Fund Withdrawal Liability
(December 18, 2019)
Ogletree Deakins Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Symposium: Making a Deal: Using Meaningful Benefits and Compensation Due Diligence to Further Your M&A Goals
(Las Vegas, NV; April 30, 2019)