Barlow Coughran Morales & Josephson, P.S.

For nearly 40 years, Barlow Coughran Morales & Josephson, P.S. has provided consultation, collection, and litigation services to employee benefit plans and their fiduciaries. The firm represents a number of pension and profit-sharing plans (including 401(k) plans), health and welfare plans (including HRA plans), apprenticeship plans, vacation plans, and joint labor-management cooperative committees. The firm has clients in both the private and public sectors.

In the private sector, Barlow Coughran Morales & Josephson, P.S. provides legal services to numerous joint labor-management trust funds. These funds cover participants in a number of Western states including Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Alaska, and Montana. In keeping with the firm's regional practice, attorneys are admitted to practice in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Montana, and other jurisdictions. Representative Taft-Hartley clients include labor-management funds in the following industries:

Construction (Operating Engineers, Carpenters, Laborers, Plumbers, Ironworkers, Cement Masons and Plasterers, Bricklayers, Sheet Metal Workers and Asbestos Workers);
Fishing and Maritime (Longshoremen, Inland Boatmen, and Masters, Mates and Pilots);
Retail and Office Workers (Clerks, Meat Cutters, Bakers, Pharmacists, and Office Workers);
Manufacturing and Warehousing (Machinists, Metal Fabricators, Warehousemen, and Millmen); and
Transportation (Teamsters, Automotive Machinists).

The firm also provides legal services to various bargaining and non-bargaining single and multiple employer benefit programs.

In the public sector, the firm serves as special counsel to the Washington Education Association with respect to its fringe benefit programs, and the Portland School District, with respect to its jointly-administered health and welfare trust. Other public sector clients include the NEA-Alaska Health Trust, several police organizations, and fire districts.

In addition to its consultation practice, the firm provides collection services to over 40 Taft-Hartley clients. The Collection Department is staffed by two attorneys and their legal assistant. The Collection Department is familiar with all aspects of collection and has pursued matters in a variety of state and federal courts.

The attorneys in the firm work in-depth with the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 as amended (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code, the Taft-Hartley Act, relevant state statutes, and the related administrative regulations and court decisions.

The attorneys advise plan sponsors and fiduciaries on all aspects of plan administration, including governmental compliance and the establishment of new plans. They also have extensive experience in federal and state courts litigating fiduciary issues, denied benefits, plan design, prohibited transaction claims, withdrawal liability matters, and benefit plan issues. The firm has represented clients undergoing U.S. Department of Labor investigations and IRS audits, and has been specially retained by Taft-Hartley plans or their fiduciary insurers to defend a wide range of lawsuits.

Locations	No. of Attorneys
Seattle, WA	7

Practice Areas	No. of Attorneys
Bankruptcy	1
ERISA/Executive Compensation	1
Labor & Employment	5