Marla J. Kreindler advises clients on a broad range of fiduciary governance, regulatory, and investment matters affecting sponsors, fiduciaries, and service providers to US tax-qualified retirement plans. Marla represents and counsels corporate, nonprofit, and governmental plan sponsors on their institutional retirement plans, as well as major recordkeepers, consulting and investment management firms, insurance companies, banks, and financial firms on managing and investing employee benefit plan assets and tax-qualified retirement plans.
She serves as counsel to the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA) and the Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI) and has also advised the National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators, Inc. (NAGDCA). Marla is a regular speaker at national industry conferences (including those hosted by DCIIA and Pensions & Investments); before meetings sponsored by the Committee on the Investment of Employee Benefit Assets, the Worldwide Employee Benefits Networks, and Women Investment Professionals; at external co-hosted events with other leading providers; and at Morgan Lewis–sponsored presentations. Marla has represented clients in matters before the US Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service, the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and other US regulators; has testified in hearings at the Department of Labor and before the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) Advisory Council; and has served as a judge for the Eddy Awards sponsored by Pensions & Investments and the Excellence and Innovation Awards sponsored by Pensions & Investments and DCIIA. She has also been recognized as one of 401(k)Wire’s Most Influential People in Defined Contribution and was recognized as one of Pensions & Investments’ Most Influential Women in Institutional Investing in 2023, the inaugural year for this award.
Marla advises institutional retirement plan and financial institution clients on managing and investing billions of dollars of employee benefit plan assets (including 401(k) and defined benefit plans, as well as individual retirement accounts (IRAs), collective investment trusts (CITs), and other commingled investment vehicles). She counsels clients on fiduciary governance, legal compliance, risk management, legislative and regulatory developments and policy matters, and compliance with ERISA and related tax, banking, securities, and insurance law requirements; on new product development, documentation, and transactional investment matters; and on a range of investment products, services, and contracting matters across all asset classes. Marla’s clients include corporate, governmental, and nonprofit plans/sponsors; investment management firms; major recordkeepers; consulting firms; insurance companies; banks and other financial services firms; and industry associations.
Member, Law Firm of the Year, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Chambers USA (2019)
Member, Law Firm of the Year, Employee Benefits (ERISA Law), US News/Best Lawyers – Best Law Firms (2019)
Ranked, Labor & Employment: Employee Benefits & Compensation, Illinois, Chambers USA (2013–2024)
Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Chicago (2011–2020, 2022–2025)
Winner, Most Influential Women in Institutional Investing, Pensions & Investments (2023)
Awards Judge, Pensions & Investments, Eddy's Awards (2010–2017) and Innovators Awards (2012–2019)
Member, National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators, Legislative Committee (2019–present)
Counsel, Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association
Counsel, Employee Benefits Research Institute
Recognized, 100 Most Influential People in Defined Contribution, 401kWire (2013)
Member and Past President, Worldwide Employee Benefits Network (WEB), Chicago Chapter
Past Advisory Board Member, Pensions & Investments Defined Contribution Conferences
Member and Past Board Member, Women Investment Professionals