Byrne Decker is the Office Managing Shareholder in the firm’s Portland, Maine office. Byrne has one of the most extensive ERISA/employee benefits litigation defense practices in the nation. He defends, on a nation-wide basis, benefits cases in both ERISA and non-ERISA contexts, including in particular, complex benefits cases and class actions. Byrne has appeared in district courts in every federal judicial circuit and has an active appellate practice with respect to benefits issues. He has authored several briefs and petitions to the United States Supreme Court in important ERISA cases, including amicus curiae briefs such as Black & Decker v. Nord and Yates v. Hendon.
Byrne serves as national counsel to several major life and disability carriers. He consults with in-house and other outside counsel on litigation matters and advises in-house counsel and business clients on claims and policy issues. Byrne is a frequent speaker and writer on benefits and ERISA topics and is currently Chair of DRI's LHD/ERISA Committee.
