Top ERISA Litigation Conferences (2026 Guide)

ERISA litigation moves fast: new appellate trends, evolving class action strategies, fiduciary process expectations, and a steady pipeline of fee and benefit denial disputes. If you practice in this space, the right conferences can function like an annual “case law reset,” plus a concentrated networking opportunity with opposing counsel, in-house teams, experts, and judges.

Below is a working guide to major ERISA litigation conferences (and a few adjacent events that ERISA litigators frequently attend). Because conference schedules and pricing can change year-to-year, the most reliable source for exact dates, agendas, and registration fees is each event’s official page. Where organizers publish pricing tiers and dates, they’re reflected there; otherwise, consider the cost notes below as typical ranges based on common CLE conference pricing models.

At-a-glance: key ERISA litigation conferences

• ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits Annual Conference (ABA Tax Section) – benefits-focused CLE with litigation and regulatory content

• American Conference Institute (ACI) ERISA Litigation Conference – litigation-forward programming (class actions, discovery, experts, settlements)

• Practising Law Institute (PLI) Employee Benefits Law Institute – deep technical benefits program with strong litigation and compliance overlap

• American College of Employee Benefits Counsel (ACEBC) Annual Meeting & Induction – invitation-only professional college; high-value networking

• National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) Annual Convention – plaintiff-side employment focus; ERISA often appears in benefits/retaliation/disability contexts

1) ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits Annual Conference

Organizer/Sponsor: American Bar Association (ABA), Section of Taxation, Joint Committee on Employee Benefits.

Official page: ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits Annual Conference

Dates/Location: Varies annually; see the ABA event listing for the current year’s dates, city, and whether a virtual option is offered.

Typical cost: Often tiered (ABA member vs. non-member; early-bird vs. standard; in-person vs. webcast). Expect a mid-to-high CLE conference price range depending on format and membership status.

Why ERISA litigators attend:

• Reliable annual update on regulatory and enforcement priorities

• Panels that often touch fiduciary litigation trends, prohibited transactions, health and welfare disputes, and remedies

• Networking with a broad mix of plaintiff, defense, and in-house benefits counsel

Planning tip: If your docket includes both retirement and health & welfare matters, this conference can be a strong “one-stop” annual update.

2) American Conference Institute (ACI) – ERISA Litigation Conference

Organizer/Sponsor: American Conference Institute (ACI).

Official page: ACI ERISA Litigation Conference

Dates/Location: Published on the ACI event page for each year (often in-person, sometimes with virtual components).

Typical cost: ACI conferences commonly use premium pricing with early-bird discounts and group rates. Budget accordingly, especially if you plan to send multiple attorneys.

What to expect (common agenda themes):

• Class action strategy: pleading standards, standing, class certification, and damages theories

• Discovery and experts: administrative record issues, privilege fights, statistical/financial experts

• Settlement dynamics: injunctive relief structures, fee negotiations, and settlement administration

• Hot topics: excessive fee litigation, managed account/recordkeeping issues, ESG and proxy-related claims, and evolving fiduciary process expectations

Who you’ll meet: A strong mix of national defense firms, plaintiff firms, and in-house counsel; it’s particularly useful if you want to benchmark how other litigators are handling the newest theories.

3) Practising Law Institute (PLI) – Employee Benefits Law Institute

Organizer/Sponsor: Practising Law Institute (PLI).

Official page: PLI Employee Benefits Law Institute

Dates/Location: Varies annually; check PLI for the current schedule and delivery format.

Typical cost: PLI programs are often premium-priced, with discounts for PLI members and law firm group registrations; webcast options may differ.

Why it’s valuable for litigators:

• Excellent for technical grounding that supports litigation (plan document interpretation, claims procedures, fiduciary governance)

• Often includes case law and enforcement updates that can be directly applicable to briefing and advising

• Useful if you straddle litigation and counseling or supervise teams that do both

Best fit: ERISA litigators who want deeper benefits “infrastructure” knowledge—especially helpful for disability/health claims litigation and complex plan interpretation disputes.

4) American College of Employee Benefits Counsel (ACEBC) – Annual Meeting & Induction Ceremony

Organizer/Sponsor: American College of Employee Benefits Counsel (ACEBC).

Official page: ACEBC Events (Annual Meeting & Induction)

Dates/Location: Posted on the ACEBC events page; attendance parameters may apply.

Typical cost: Varies; some events are tied to membership and may have separate registration fees for meetings, receptions, or guest attendance.

Why litigators prioritize it:

• High concentration of seasoned benefits lawyers (including many with national ERISA litigation practices)

• Networking tends to be exceptionally efficient for referrals, co-counsel relationships, and thought leadership

• Programming and discussions often reflect what senior practitioners are seeing before it shows up in published decisions

Practical note: If you’re eligible or aiming toward fellowship, treat this as both professional development and long-term relationship building.

5) National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) – Annual Convention

Organizer/Sponsor: National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA).

Official page: NELA Annual Convention

Dates/Location: Posted on NELA’s convention page.

Typical cost: Tiered by membership and registration timing; NELA also commonly offers add-on training tracks.

Why ERISA litigators attend:

• Strong plaintiff-side perspective, especially useful if your ERISA practice intersects with employment claims

• Potential coverage of disability benefits litigation, retaliation, severance disputes, and benefits-related damages

• Broader employment law networking can generate ERISA-adjacent referrals

Best fit: Plaintiff-side firms or mixed practices where ERISA claims arise alongside wage-hour, discrimination, or leave issues.

Other ERISA-adjacent events worth considering

If your goal is to stay current on litigation trends, you may also want to watch these event calendars (even when they’re not branded as “ERISA litigation”):

• Federal Bar Association (FBA) / local federal practice chapters: occasional programs featuring federal judges on civil procedure and class actions (helpful for ERISA class cases).

• ABA Labor & Employment Section meetings: sometimes include benefits litigation panels, especially when employment and benefits disputes overlap.

• Regional benefits councils and bar associations: many cities have employee benefits groups that host litigation-specific CLEs throughout the year.

Because these vary widely by region and year, the best approach is to set calendar reminders to check relevant bar association CLE calendars quarterly.

Budgeting, CLE credit, and travel: practical guidance

Even experienced ERISA attorneys can get surprised by conference “total cost.” When planning attendance, consider:

• Registration tiers: early-bird vs. standard; member vs. non-member; group discounts

• Format: in-person vs. webcast (webcast can reduce travel but may limit networking)

• CLE accreditation: confirm your state’s CLE credit and whether you must file paperwork

• Time away from docket: build in coverage for hearings, discovery deadlines, and client calls

Tip: If you’re attending primarily for business development, prioritize events with structured networking (receptions, roundtables, smaller breakouts) and consider arriving the night before to avoid missed sessions due to travel delays.

Regulatory context: where to track ERISA enforcement and guidance

Conference content is most useful when paired with primary sources. Two government resources ERISA litigators routinely monitor are:

• U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) for enforcement priorities, guidance, and litigation-related updates.

• IRS Retirement Plans for qualification requirements and correction programs that can become relevant in disputes.

Conclusion: pick the conference that matches your docket

The “best” ERISA litigation conference depends on your mix of cases and what you need most right now: cutting-edge class action strategy (ACI), broad annual benefits updates (ABA), technical depth (PLI), elite networking (ACEBC), or plaintiff-side employment overlap (NELA). Start by reviewing the current-year agendas and pricing on each official event page, then choose the one or two that most closely match your active matters and business development goals.

If you’re building a broader ERISA ecosystem—co-counsel, experts, and service providers—our directory can also help you identify related professionals such as ERISA attorneys and, on the plan-side, specialists like 401(k) auditors (useful context when cases involve Form 5500 filings and audit issues).

Related reading (plan operations context that sometimes surfaces in litigation): What is a Form 5500?, What Is a 401(k) Audit and When Do I Need One?, and The High Cost of Non-Compliance: Penalties for Late or Rejected Form 5500 Audits.