ERISA stands for the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, federal legislation passed in the 1970’s that seeks to protect the pension funds of employees. This is a complex and multi-dimensional law that has both rights and regulations provisions. Many employee-sponsored retirement plans are not directly regulated under this law. These are called non-qualifying plans. They may be governed under state law or other federal law, however. ERISA lawyers represent both individuals and employers in various types of lawsuits and legal interpretations about whether a person is covered by the law or whether the law applies to a particular retirement plan.
