NORTHEAST OHIO - Annual Legal & Regulatory Update

Join Northeast Ohio WEB for Its
Annual Legal & Regulatory Update

Don’t miss Northeast Ohio WEB’s 2026 legal and regulatory update program for employee benefit professionals.  Our expert speakers will provide an overview of key changes in laws governing employee benefit plans and executive compensation arrangements as well as notable recent case law and litigation trends relevant to plan sponsors and their advisors and service providers.

Topics will include:

• Health and welfare plan update

• Qualified plan update

• ERISA litigation update

• Executive compensation update 

When and Where:

Thursday, March 19, 2026

Registration and breakfast begin at 7:30 AM
The program runs from 8:00 - 10:30 AM

Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association

1375 East 9th Street, Second Floor, Cleveland, OH 44114 
(Onsite early bird parking is available at a reduced rate.)

Presenters: 

The program speakers include:

• Preston Ridinger, Tax Senior Manager, CBIZ (covering Executive compensation)
       Preston specializes in employee benefits consulting and executive compensation. He advises clients on Section 409A and Section 280G compliance, long-term incentive plan design, succession planning, and excise tax mitigation strategies. He consults on the technical aspects of deferred compensation and has led complex compliance reviews, including large-scale Section 409A assessments for global financial institutions and due diligence projects for private equity transactions. He has extensive experience guiding clients through IRS correction programs and resolving Department of Labor audits.
       Preston's background also includes evaluating employment agreements, providing counsel on golden parachute calculation, corporate tax planning, succession planning, entity formation, and mergers and acquisitions. Preston is a frequent speaker and author on employee benefits topics, including executive compensation and incentive plan strategies.

• Erin E. Shick, Partner, Calfee (covering health and welfare plans)
       Erin has significant experience advising plan sponsors on compliance issues primarily relating to ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, the ACA and the Internal Revenue Code. She assists clients with the design, implementation and operation of qualified retirement, health and welfare, and fringe benefit plans, as well as ESOPs. She performs employee benefits due diligence in the context of mergers and acquisitions. Erin also handles executive compensation matters including 409A compliance, nonqualified plans and severance agreements. She regularly advises benefits committees, boards of directors and plan trustees regarding fiduciary and administrative obligations with respect to benefit plans.
       Erin earned her J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Cincinnati College of Law,where she was a member of the Order of the Coif honor society. She earned her B.A. in Politics, cum laude, from Hillsdale College.

• Mark E. Schmidtke, Shareholder, Ogletree Deakins (covering ERISA litigation)
       Mark is the Chair of Ogletree’s ERISA Litigation Practice Group, which was named as Best Lawyers in America 2020 National Law Firm of the Year for ERISA Litigation. Mark has represented clients in  employee benefits matters in state and federal courts throughout the United States for nearly 40 years. He has also authored several briefs and petitions at the United States Supreme Court, including amicus curiae briefs in important ERISA cases such as Hardt v. Reliance Standard, Black & Decker v. Nord and Yates v. Hendon.
       Mark also advises house counsel and business clients on document drafting and policy issues and has represented national and international companies in large class actions involving significant employee benefit issues. He has written numerous books and articles on employee benefit-related issues and is a frequent speaker at national seminars.

• Paul Hinderegger, Director of ERISA Consulting, Schwab Retirement Plan Services, Inc. (covering qualified plans) 
       Paul has been employed with Schwab for over 31 years and has extensive knowledge in monitoring and implementing legislative and regulatory actions, interpreting Internal Revenue Code and ERISA regulations, mergers and acquisitions,correction of plan errors, plan terminations, drafting and interpreting plan documents, compliance testing, plan design, and benchmarking.
       Paul is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Ohio. He holds Certified Pension Consultant (CPC) and Qualified Pension Administrator (QPA) designations through the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA). Mr. Hinderegger graduated from Miami University, Ohio, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accountancy.      

Program Materials & Continuing Education:

Program materials will be provided electronically by email prior to the program. 

Printed materials will be available by making an advance request to Jenny Hitchcock at jhitchcock@chelkogroup.com.

The program has been submitted for the following continuing education credits:  2.5 hours Ohio CLE (legal) and Ohio Insurance CE credit. Attendees may also self-submit for HRCI, SHRM, CEBS, ASPAA and accounting CPE credit, as appropriate.