• Allison R. Klausner advises clients on employee benefits and executive compensation arrangements. Allison assists clients with the design, implementation, communication and ongoing administration of and third-party vendor management for qualified retirement plans, welfare plans, employment and severance agreements, deferred compensation arrangements, equity arrangements, and incentive plans, and counsels on ongoing compliance under ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, COBRA and other laws. She also advises on issues that arise in the context of corporate transactions, including drafting and negotiating transaction documents; assessing retirement, welfare and executive compensation plans; and coordinating post-closing transition issues.

    In addition to her work on behalf of clients, Allison has been actively engaged in employee benefits-related policy work as both a member and executive board chair of the American Benefits Council, a premier Washington, DC-based national trade association that advocates for employer-sponsored benefit plans on behalf of employers. On behalf of this organization as well as others, Allison has testified as an expert witness before numerous U.S. government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as various committees of both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. 

    Prior to joining Kramer Levin, Allison served as in-house employee benefits counsel and in government relations roles for companies in the manufacturing, financial services, fintech, entertainment, technology and human resources consulting sectors. She previously worked in the employee benefits and executive compensation practices of several global law firms. 

    Credentials

    Education

    • J.D., Boston University School of Law, 1989
      • American Jurisprudence Award in Criminal Law
      • Tauro Scholar
      • Member, Boston University Law Review
    • B.A., Psychology, Brandeis University, 1986

    Bar Admissions

    • New York
    • New Jersey

    Professional Affiliations

    • American Benefits Council
      • Executive Policy Board of Directors (2012 to present); Chair (2017)
    • The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) (Trade Association Advocating for Large Employers)
      • Chair, Lifetime Income Solutions Task Force (year)

    Focus Areas