With rising global competition, an increasingly mobile workforce, and the regulatory weight of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) shaping every decision, organizations face mounting pressure to design benefit programs that are both competitive and compliant. For HR leaders already stretched across recruitment, compensation and retention, the intricacies of employee benefits can feel daunting. Yet benefits remain a cornerstone of total compensation, often representing nearly half the cost of employing staff, and directly influencing employee satisfaction and loyalty. In this climate, the role of trusted legal counsel has never been more essential. Barley Snyder, a full-service law firm serving Pennsylvania and Maryland for nearly 70 years, has been assisting organizations grappling with these challenges. Known for its breadth of legal services, the firm has cultivated deep expertise in employee benefits and ERISA matters, helping clients navigate one of the most technical yet human-centered areas of business law. This practice, led by attorney Mark Smith, reflects the firm’s long legacy of innovation and commitment to client service.

Long before ERISA came into force, Barley Snyder recognized the importance of employee benefits law. Decades ago, it was one of the few firms in its region to dedicate legal resources to the field. When Smith joined in 2000, it was to lead the firm’s benefits practice with exclusive focus, ensuring clients had access to specialized guidance that could evolve alongside shifting regulations and market dynamics. Reflecting on this journey, Smith emphasizes the human dimension that often gets lost in technicalities: “At the end of the day, these benefit plans impact human beings… It’s their retirement income, their healthcare, their future.” That philosophy reinforces the firm’s approach, reminding both attorneys and clients that compliance is not just about statutes, but about protecting livelihoods.

What further distinguishes Barley Snyder is its culture of Practice Excellence®. While client service is a common promise in the legal world, the firm has embedded it into its DNA with programs designed to continually raise the bar. Attorneys across disciplines share knowledge internally, ensuring clients benefit from a holistic understanding of corporate governance, tax, HR, and benefits. Employees who develop innovative service improvements are recognized and celebrated, and the firm dedicates an entire month each year to reinforcing the principles of Practice Excellence® through education and internal collaboration. This relentless focus on doing better each day allows the firm not just to meet, but to consistently surpass, client expectations.

For Barley Snyder, the measure of success is not in chasing competitors but in delivering outcomes that matter most to clients. As Smith explains, “The way to stay ahead of your competition is to outperform your client’s expectations.” This client-first mindset is evident in the firm’s role as a problem solver. While third-party administrators can handle routine benefits management, it is often Barley Snyder that steps in when something goes wrong — a missed filing, a compliance gap, or a regulatory penalty that threatens a business’s stability. The firm takes on these challenges with a combination of technical knowledge, collaboration and empathy.

One striking case involved a small painting contractor with just a handful of employees who faced a staggering $150,000 IRS penalty for a missed filing. For that business owner, the penalty was catastrophic. While others had failed to resolve it, Barley Snyder quickly identified a correction program that eliminated the fines entirely. Years later, Smith recalls that the client still expresses immense gratitude, a testament to the life-changing impact of timely, knowledgeable legal guidance. “Something as simple as that still resonates with him,” he reflects. “He is incredibly grateful to this day that I helped  him avoid a $150,000 penalty.”

Stories like these reinforce how deeply benefits law can affect people’s lives, from small business owners to employees relying on secure retirement income. Another client, a mid-sized human services company, lost its third-party administrator who exited the business. Unfamiliar with the transition process and overwhelmed by regulatory requirements, the business owner transferred the pension assets to a business account to facilitate the participant distributions, inadvertently violating a number of significant legal requirements.  Fortunately, one of their advisors recommended that they contact Barley Snyder who stepped in to restore the plan assets and chart a course to address the plan’s compliance issues. Such interventions underscore the firm’s ability to combine legal acumen with practical problem-solving, ensuring clients are never left stranded.

Smith’s experience as both a practitioner and an educator also shapes the firm’s approach. As an adjunct professor at Penn State University’s Dickinson School of Law, he teaches employee benefits to students often encountering the subject for the first time. That experience of guiding newcomers through complex material mirrors his work with clients, many of whom lack internal benefits expertise. Translating legal jargon into plain language is a priority, and Smith credits his teaching background with helping him recognize when clients may be overwhelmed and need clarity. It is this commitment to communication — meeting clients where they are, simplifying the complex, and reinforcing trust — that has become a hallmark of Barley Snyder’s benefits practice.

In the long run, the firm is well-positioned to help organizations navigate the next wave of benefits innovation and regulation. With workforce trends shifting, compliance rules evolving, and global pressures reshaping compensation strategies, the demand for specialized legal support will only grow. Barley Snyder’s combination of technical mastery, collaborative culture, and people-first philosophy ensures it remains not just a law firm, but a trusted partner. Or, as Smith puts it, “It’s not about knowing something. It’s about using what you know to help people.”