January 23, 2025 • 21 mins
One-of-a-kind in both her personal and professional life, Meredith Sesser of Sesser Law dives into the world of ERISA and demonstrates to us why she is truly unstoppable.
Los Angeles native, Meredith Sesser is among the nation’s leading authorities on employee benefits law, ERISA and benefits taxation. With 25 years of experience, she walks us through everything there is to know about what ERISA is, its interconnectedness with estate planning, and why attorneys who specialize in it are so rare. From small businesses to large corporations, Meredith handles it all, along with 3 teenage boys at home!
Why are ERISA attorneys so rare? What even is ERISA? How does she juggle 100 clients a year, balancing both work and family life?
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Episode Transcript
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Announcer (00:00):
From Los Angeles.
This is the Echelon RadioNetwork.
Jerri Hemsworth (00:10):
Hi. This is Jerri Hemsworth with the Echelon
radio podcast. And today we'resitting with Meredith Sesser.
How you doing?
Meredith Sesser (00:19):
I'm doing great this morning.
Jerri Hemsworth (00:20):
Okay, so Sesser law, ERISA, that is your
specialty. E R, i, s, a.
Meredith Sesser (00:31):
I love it.
Jerri Hemsworth (00:32):
What is ERISA and not to be mistaken with a co
worker named ERISA? No, what isERISA?
Meredith Sesser (00:39):
So, ERISA just turned 50. It was passed in 1974
so this was a big milestone yearfor ERISA, and I've been
practicing 25 years, so half thelife of ERISA. But ERISA is the
Employee Retirement IncomeSecurity Act, and it's really a
(00:59):
bunch of rules that thegovernment passed to protect
people's retirement benefits.
Jerri Hemsworth (01:04):
Oh, wow.
Meredith Sesser (01:05):
So before that, there was a lot of sketchy
things going on with people'sretirement benefits, and they
weren't available when peopleretired. So now it's highly
regulated, so that when youretire, that pension is there
for you and you can live offwith it.
Jerri Hemsworth (01:20):
Wow. Now you and I were just talking ERISA
law, and attorneys whospecialize in ERISA is pretty
rare.
Meredith Sesser (01:30):
Very rare. And the part that's aging, or aging
with ERISA are the lawyers. It'sbeen around 50 years, and many
of these lawyers have beenpracticing 50 years when it was
passed, and they're getting tobe in their 80s and retiring.
Jerri Hemsworth (01:46):
And do you see a pipeline coming up, or is it
just an area of law that a lotof people don't know about?
Meredith Sesser (01:52):
Unfortunately, there's no class in law schools
called ERISA law. So there's nota pipeline of lawyers coming out
into this field. There's veryfew ERISA or pension lawyers,
and it's such a tight knitcommunity that we tend to all
know each other, because there'sso few of us. It is federal law,
so it's practiced the same inCalifornia as it is in New York.
Jerri Hemsworth (02:16):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (02:16):
So my clients are across the United States
because the rules are the same.
So it's an opportunity to workwith all kinds of employers on
their retirement plans.
Jerri Hemsworth (02:26):
And does it matter what size plan? It can
be, any size?
Meredith Sesser (02:30):
Any size plan.
So if you have one employee or40,000 employees, the rules are
the same.
Jerri Hemsworth (02:36):
Whoa.
Meredith Sesser (02:37):
So my clients range from small to large. And I
apply the law to, you know,their retirement plan issues,
and the IRS is the same whetherit's California or New York. And
therefore I'm able to representclients all over the country.
Jerri Hemsworth (02:54):
That's kind of cool, I would imagine. Because
usually, if you're practicinglaw in one state like
California, you pretty much haveto stay within the state first,
actually, you know, state law,but for federal that, that would
be kind of amazing and andbecause it's so rare in LA,
(03:15):
there's what a handful?
Meredith Sesser (03:17):
A handful of lawyers in LA that do what I do,
and even less women that do whatI do
Jerri Hemsworth (03:22):
Really?
Meredith Sesser (03:23):
Yeah. And so it's a keeps me busy,
Jerri Hemsworth (03:26):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (03:26):
Because there's so few people to call in this
area that understand it, and sofew people that were trained by
the gurus who've been doing itfor 50 years. And luckily, I was
trained by the top lawyers whounderstand this. However, this
law evolves. Every year, there'snew tax laws, new rules that
come into play. So you have tostay on your toes, and you know,
(03:49):
be aware of what's changing inthe law.
Jerri Hemsworth (03:51):
And when do when do clients call you? When
do they need you?
Meredith Sesser (03:55):
Well, I love for clients to call me ahead
before there's a problem.
Doesn't everybody? But a lot oftimes I get brought in when
there's a problem.
Jerri Hemsworth (04:04):
Okay, at the company level, or at the
employee level, or?
Meredith Sesser (04:08):
Usually at the company level, but sometimes
it's an employee that calls theemployer out on doing something
wrong.
Jerri Hemsworth (04:14):
Hang on.
Meredith Sesser (04:15):
Wait a minute.
What happened to my 401 K,money? It's gone. Or, something
doesn't seem right.
Jerri Hemsworth (04:22):
Yeah, so.
Meredith Sesser (04:23):
Or the IRS or Department of Labor comes in and
sends a letter.
Jerri Hemsworth (04:27):
That's a little knock, knock.
Meredith Sesser (04:28):
Knock knock, and they call me and say, "What
does this mean?" So there'sthose issues. And then sometimes
I get called in when a company'sselling, and they say, what
happens to all these benefitswhen we sell?
Jerri Hemsworth (04:40):
Transition.
Meredith Sesser (04:41):
Transition, or we bought a company. What are we
going to do now with all thesenew employees in the 401, K?
Jerri Hemsworth (04:48):
Oh, gosh, interesting. Okay, all right.
And there's, there's not a lotof people in California doing
what you're doing. And so I canimagine that's your, your how,
how many clients, new clientswould you say you get on a
monthly basis, an annual basis?
Meredith Sesser (05:08):
So at any one time, I am working on probably
20 or 30 clients, and every yearI'm bringing in about 100
clients to work on throughoutthe year.
Jerri Hemsworth (05:17):
Holy moly!
Meredith Sesser (05:18):
Yeah. There's a lot of problems, and some things
are quick, and some things couldtake years to resolve, so it
just depends. And some clients Iwork with kind of like of
counsel, type of in house, wherethey call me anytime something
comes up.
Jerri Hemsworth (05:34):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (05:35):
So I'm a resource to clients on an
ongoing basis, and then ones whohave a problem, who need to fix
or need hand holding.
Jerri Hemsworth (05:42):
And how did you get into ERISA? If you were
you've been doing this 25 years.
You don't look like you've beendoing this 25 years.
Meredith Sesser (05:50):
Thank you.
Jerri Hemsworth (05:53):
Wow, yeah. How did you get into ERISA? Since
it's so rare?
Meredith Sesser (05:57):
Yeah, it is so rare. And I did not go to law
school saying I want to be anERISA lawyer, let alone know
what ERISA was.
Jerri Hemsworth (06:03):
What kind of attorney did you want to be, did
you know?
Meredith Sesser (06:05):
I was going to be an estate planner.
Jerri Hemsworth (06:06):
Okay!
Meredith Sesser (06:07):
And I was doing
Jerri Hemsworth (06:09):
Kind of adjacent.
Meredith Sesser (06:10):
Yes, I'm adjacent, both ease. I worked
doing estate planning.
Jerri Hemsworth (06:15):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (06:15):
And the firm I was at also did ERISA corporate
and tax.
Jerri Hemsworth (06:20):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (06:21):
And after I graduated law school, I said,
you know, I think there's enoughestate planners and there's
enough corporate lawyers,definitely not enough ERISA
lawyers. At that time, therewere about a dozen in Los
Angeles.
Jerri Hemsworth (06:34):
That's it?
Meredith Sesser (06:35):
That was it.
Short list. And I said, You knowwhat? I'm going in that area.
And I didn't want to be a largelaw firm that was charging
$1,000 an hour for a quickquestion. You know, I'm a
believer that any size employerneeds counsel, and I wanted to
be that boutique law firm thatcould help smaller clients, the
mom and dad shop that has oneemployee, but they still have
(07:01):
that same 401k issue. They needrepresentation, and I want to be
able to help them as well.
Jerri Hemsworth (07:08):
Nice.
Meredith Sesser (07:09):
So that's part of you know who I am, is wanting
to help everybody, whetherthey're small or large, and
being a boutique firm, I'm ableto do that and work with clients
within their budget.
Jerri Hemsworth (07:21):
So nice.
Meredith Sesser (07:22):
Yeah, because the larger firms, you know, they
charge more, and they're good atwhat they do!
Jerri Hemsworth (07:28):
Right.
Meredith Sesser (07:28):
But it's very hard to keep the cost down.
Jerri Hemsworth (07:30):
Right. You were mentored by an attorney in LA
and do you see yourself becominga mentor to pass it, pass the
torch to somebody else?
Meredith Sesser (07:43):
Good question.
I was mentored by, by anoutstanding lawyer. He's
approaching 80, and he says thathe's so proud of me and how I
turned out. And I would love todo that one day. It would be
nice if one of my three sonswanted to be the person I
mentor. Unfortunately, it's notsexy to be an ERISA lawyer.
(08:04):
Everyone wants to be a Hollywoodentertainment type of lawyer.
Jerri Hemsworth (08:09):
Yeah, until they burn out of that.
Meredith Sesser (08:10):
Yeah.
Jerri Hemsworth (08:11):
Right?
Meredith Sesser (08:11):
And I don't even know if any of mine will be
lawyers my sons, but it would begreat. Unfortunately, you don't
get people coming out of lawschool saying, I want to be a
benefits lawyer.
Jerri Hemsworth (08:20):
Right, right.
Meredith Sesser (08:21):
And if they do it, then they say, you know,
this isn't for me. I'm going todo something more sexy than
ERISA law.
Jerri Hemsworth (08:27):
Well, isn't it interesting, because having
interviewed quite a number ofattorneys, a lot of people have
gone into law with one thoughtof being a certain type of
attorney, and then they get inand they see how it really
works, and either throughlitigation or transactions or
(08:48):
whatever it is, theyimmediately, they pretty quickly
realize, ah, that's not for me,I like this over here, and you
were lucky to be in a firm thathad the two different types of
of clients.
Meredith Sesser (09:03):
Yes.
Jerri Hemsworth (09:04):
And so that would be an interesting
conversation with youngerattorneys. Do you get a chance
to go and speak at classes oranything like that?
Meredith Sesser (09:16):
I do speak a lot, not in law school.
Unfortunately, most my speakingis educational, and I speak
across the country, educatingother people in this area.
Jerri Hemsworth (09:27):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (09:27):
So I usually go into Washington or Florida, I
was in Texas this year,educating other people about the
changes in law and about what Ido.
Jerri Hemsworth (09:38):
Yes.
Meredith Sesser (09:38):
But in law school, there's no ERISA
classes, it would probably be atax class. And,
Jerri Hemsworth (09:43):
Sure.
Meredith Sesser (09:44):
You know, they just not enough interest to get
people to sign up.
Jerri Hemsworth (09:49):
They don't even touch on it, one of those things
where you got to sort of, theyneed to spread the word, because
I don't think retirement plansare going away.
Meredith Sesser (09:58):
No, I think that they're going to be around
for a long time, the rules arealways going to keep changing. I
think you're right, and I thinkthat it's an important area of
law that people need to knowabout. There's just so much room
for mistake and error.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:12):
Oh, it's terrifying!
Meredith Sesser (10:13):
It's highly regulated.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:14):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (10:15):
The penalties are huge.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:16):
Wow.
Meredith Sesser (10:16):
But if you have good counsel, you can avoid all
that.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:19):
Sure.
Meredith Sesser (10:20):
I was always taught that a 401, K shouldn't
bankrupt a company. You know,you don't want someone to say, I
wish I never had this plan.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:27):
Right.
Meredith Sesser (10:28):
And the truth is, in California, if you have
employees, you have to have aplan, some sort of plan.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:33):
Yes.
Meredith Sesser (10:34):
And therefore, someone's got to advise on these
rules.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:36):
Right.
Meredith Sesser (10:37):
And my job is really to take something
complicated, like ERISA, andbring it back down to English,
so that employers understand,it's complicated.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:47):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (10:47):
I understand it. I try to speak in English,
not in code.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:51):
Now, where did you go to school?
Meredith Sesser (10:54):
I went to Loyola law school.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:56):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (10:56):
And for undergrad, I was at UCLA.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:58):
UCLA, what was your major at UCLA?
Meredith Sesser (11:00):
Actually a psychology major, which you
would think is not relevant, butactually is very relevant to
dealing with clients from theIRS.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:08):
Sure.
Meredith Sesser (11:09):
There's a lot of emotions in 401 Ks, I know it
sounds crazy.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:14):
No, you dealing with somebody's money!
Meredith Sesser (11:15):
But when you get a penalty letter for a
million dollars.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:18):
Yeah, hello!
Meredith Sesser (11:19):
That's a huge
Jerri Hemsworth (11:20):
Ouch!
Meredith Sesser (11:20):
issue.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:21):
Yes.
Meredith Sesser (11:21):
And if you can talk someone off a ledge and
explain to them what this reallymeans,
Jerri Hemsworth (11:25):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (11:25):
and how we'll get this abated. We'll figure
out what's wrong, we'll fix it,
Jerri Hemsworth (11:30):
Oh, wow.
Meredith Sesser (11:30):
you can calm people down.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:32):
They can breathe again.
Meredith Sesser (11:33):
And that what's that's what keeps me going.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:35):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (11:35):
There's thank you letters for thank you for
explaining it. Thank you forholding my hand and making this
go away.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:42):
What made you originally want to be an estate
planning attorney?
Meredith Sesser (11:47):
Yeah, it's a good question. I enjoyed the
estate planning class in lawschool, and I got the highest
grade in that class.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:53):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (11:54):
So I said, I'm meant to do this.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:55):
You knew? You were like, okay.
Meredith Sesser (11:57):
I meant to do this. And then I got there, and
while it's interesting,retirement plans are also very
large part of an estate.
Jerri Hemsworth (12:04):
Right.
Meredith Sesser (12:04):
It's a piece of it.
Jerri Hemsworth (12:05):
Absolutely.
Meredith Sesser (12:06):
And you need to know what happens to retirement
plans upon death as well. So Iwent from broad estate planning
to something smaller, which is apiece of it, retirement plans.
Jerri Hemsworth (12:16):
Right, because with when somebody retires,
you've got Social Security,you've got whatever investments
they've had, or 401 Ks, or anyof that. And I know from my own
experience in families, and whensomebody passes what happens,
and a lot of families don't knowall the inner workings of,
Meredith Sesser (12:38):
Correct.
Jerri Hemsworth (12:39):
what's going on
Meredith Sesser (12:40):
Or that they need a beneficiary. I have so
many people call with oldbeneficiaries, leaving it to
their ex spouse, or, you know,leaving it to someone other than
their spouse and not gettingconsent. Or, you know, people
don't always expect to die, andthey don't always have things
set up properly in advance, sothe retirement plan could be a
(13:02):
big asset in the estate, and youhave to pay attention to it.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:05):
Huge. So you having knowledge in estate
planning and estate law isreally super beneficial to you.
Meredith Sesser (13:14):
It actually does help.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:16):
My gosh.
Meredith Sesser (13:17):
Yes.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:17):
And psychology, like you said.
Meredith Sesser (13:19):
Absolutely helps, because your clients are
people.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:22):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (13:22):
They're not just businesses, and you really
sometimes have to calm peopledown, and once they understand
what all of this means, thenthey can be calm.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:33):
So you, you started your own firm.
Meredith Sesser (13:36):
I did. I started in 2018.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:38):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (13:39):
So I'm going on next year will be my seventh
year. I can't believe it.
Started my own firm, and I'm inEncino, California.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:48):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (13:49):
And it's been great. I've been very successful
and lucky.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:53):
And, and you mentioned your boys. You're a
mom of three boys who are nowteenagers.
Meredith Sesser (13:58):
Yes.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:59):
Late teens, actually.
Meredith Sesser (14:00):
Late teens, yes, my oldest is 19 in college,
and when I started practicing, Idid not have kids at all.
Jerri Hemsworth (14:09):
Right.
Meredith Sesser (14:09):
So I feel like these three boys have gone all
the way through with me, andthey probably still have no idea
what I do or what ERISA is, nordo they care.
Jerri Hemsworth (14:19):
They're like, "yeah, it's something like
that."
Meredith Sesser (14:21):
Yeah, my mom's a lawyer.
Jerri Hemsworth (14:22):
Yeah, my mom's an attorney.
Meredith Sesser (14:23):
Yeah, she's a lawyer. What does she do? I
don't know.
Jerri Hemsworth (14:26):
It's something complicated.
Meredith Sesser (14:27):
Yes, something complicated, but that's okay.
And my other two are my twins,are 16 in high school now.
Jerri Hemsworth (14:34):
And you, like you said, you weren't a mom when
you started this, and then youstarted your own firm, and you
were kind of like stay at homemom and running a business, how
and now that they'reindependent, how has that
changed you as a an attorney, asa mom, as a business woman,
(14:56):
because I know from my ownexperience, the brain is split
when they're young. You know.
Meredith Sesser (15:02):
Yes, absolutely.
Jerri Hemsworth (15:03):
And now you have a little more time to focus
on you and your firm. Do you seedifferences in how you've you've
grown or shifted?
Meredith Sesser (15:13):
I think I've always been a workaholic. I
remember working in the hospitalwhen my kids were born. I
remember being on bed rest forsix weeks with my twins, and I
worked from bed rest. You know,when you have deals that are
going through and they need you?
Jerri Hemsworth (15:29):
Sure.
Meredith Sesser (15:29):
I'm there. I think now that my kids are
independent and drive, itactually allows me to work more
and so, you know, with COVID andhaving home offices and other
offices, sometimes you workseven days a week.
Jerri Hemsworth (15:45):
Sure.
Meredith Sesser (15:46):
I'm that person that wants to get back to my
client right away, because I'dlike to have people get back to
me right away.
Jerri Hemsworth (15:53):
Sure.
Meredith Sesser (15:53):
So I'm able to do it. But as a mom of three
boys, I've learned to multitask,and multitasking is a great
quality, and I never put myclients second. You know, I love
my kids, but I'm able to doboth, and I always have.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:10):
Yeah, you've got that brain that allows you
to do that.
Meredith Sesser (16:12):
I don't know if it's a female thing, that's a
mom thing, but it allows me todo.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:17):
I think it's a I think it's a mom thing. I
think it's a female thing. Ithink it's a female thing. I
think it's a Meredith thing.
Meredith Sesser (16:22):
It is a Meredith thing.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:23):
You know, in that that not everybody can do
it, and you're just gifted to beable to.
Meredith Sesser (16:27):
Oh, thank you.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:28):
I mean, seriously.
Meredith Sesser (16:29):
I really try to get everything done, yeah,
including not missing my kidsbasketball games, but then maybe
working from the parking lot ona client case before I walk into
the game. It's no calls duringthe game.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:42):
You're in the, you're in the, you're in the
car.
Meredith Sesser (16:44):
Yes,
Jerri Hemsworth (16:44):
That's the other,
Meredith Sesser (16:45):
I'll make it happen.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:46):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (16:47):
Absolutely.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:48):
That's the beauty of running your own firm,
isn't it?
Meredith Sesser (16:50):
Exactly.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:50):
You have the ability to be there for your
kids.
Meredith Sesser (16:53):
Yeah.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:53):
They really need you.
Meredith Sesser (16:54):
And and working at a law firm before they
allowed me to be there for mykids, which was really nice. So
I would go to mommy and me andthen to the office.
Jerri Hemsworth (17:03):
Excellent.
Meredith Sesser (17:04):
Yes. So that multitasking,
Jerri Hemsworth (17:06):
Gymboree, hear me out, yeah.
Meredith Sesser (17:07):
Multitasking, you know, it's a, it's a big
quality I have.
Jerri Hemsworth (17:11):
Yes. So are you, I've heard you are really
involved with you UCLA alumnievents, or is it that you just,
you just promote UCLA. I'veheard you,
Meredith Sesser (17:24):
I love UCLA.
Jerri Hemsworth (17:25):
Love, love, love.
Meredith Sesser (17:26):
I do love UCLA.
None of my kids will probably gothere. That's okay.
Jerri Hemsworth (17:32):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (17:32):
But I think being that I went to Loyola and
UCLA in Los Angeles has beenhelpful to me for resources that
are in Los Angeles.
Jerri Hemsworth (17:41):
Yes.
Meredith Sesser (17:42):
Because I'm here, a lot of my clients are
here. So it's a good resourcefor alumni, for other lawyers,
you know, and networking, andthat's helpful.
Jerri Hemsworth (17:52):
A number of lawyers that I know now went to
UCLA,
Meredith Sesser (17:56):
Yeah,
Jerri Hemsworth (17:56):
and I can imagine the that that's a really
great resource.
Meredith Sesser (18:00):
Yeah, it's great being that I've been in
Los Angeles my whole life.
Jerri Hemsworth (18:04):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (18:04):
So that you run into people that maybe you went
to high school with, but nowthey're an accountant, and you
do work with them.
So I've beenvery fortunate. I have clients
Jerri Hemsworth (18:12):
Yeah.
that I've known since elementaryschool that became clients, and
I said, I remember you fromelementary school. So my
referral sources come, you know,from all over the place. A lot
of it's word of mouth, butsometimes it's another lawyer or
an accountant.
Right.
Meredith Sesser (18:31):
Or somebody I graduated school with, and they
refer me because you don'tusually Google ERISA lawyer and
find one.
Jerri Hemsworth (18:39):
Right.
Meredith Sesser (18:39):
And I'll tell you, if you Google it, you're
not going to get a whole list ofpeople, and you're not going to
find me on the back of a bus ora billboard.
Jerri Hemsworth (18:46):
Right, no.
Meredith Sesser (18:48):
So usually it's you need to know somebody who
can refer you in because your'reso specialized.
Jerri Hemsworth (18:53):
And the other a lot of those professionals know,
okay, there's not a lot ofthese, but I do know a couple.
Meredith Sesser (19:01):
I know a few, yeah. And the other thing that's
nice is that someone will say, Iremember you from 10 years ago.
You did something for me. I needyou again.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:09):
Wow.
Meredith Sesser (19:09):
So I get a lot of those calls as well.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:11):
That's nice.
Meredith Sesser (19:11):
Because they remember me, and there's just
not a lot, there's no one elseto call!
Jerri Hemsworth (19:16):
Yeah, right.
Meredith Sesser (19:17):
So I picked a good niche.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:19):
Nice.
Meredith Sesser (19:19):
Yes.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:20):
Well done, Meredith.
Meredith Sesser (19:21):
And I would love for somebody to take it
over one day.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:24):
I was going to say, the pipeline.
Meredith Sesser (19:26):
We will see.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:27):
Start the mentoring, yeah, start looking
for those mentees.
Meredith Sesser (19:30):
Yes.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:30):
Right?
Meredith Sesser (19:31):
Yes.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:31):
I hear you, 100%.
Meredith Sesser (19:33):
It's an exciting area of law. I really
enjoy it. It's almost like apuzzle..
Jerri Hemsworth (19:38):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (19:39):
It's not, yes, there's a manual, but the manual
is not black and white. Youdon't always know what it means.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:44):
That makes sense.
Meredith Sesser (19:45):
And so to me, it's a puzzle, and trying to
make it work and figure it outfor your clients, so it keeps
you on your toes.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:52):
And they've got to be so grateful,
Meredith Sesser (19:54):
I hope so.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:55):
I can't imagine being in their shoes,
Meredith Sesser (19:57):
Yeah.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:57):
and feeling desperate and frightened, and
didn't terrified, all that. Andhaving you on the case,
literally,
Meredith Sesser (20:06):
it helps to turn this, these issues, over to
someone who's an expert andunderstands it and says, "you
know what, you take care ofthis, so I can do my day job."
And that's what I'm here for. Isa resource to handhold, to
explain, to walk people through.
Jerri Hemsworth (20:21):
Excellent.
Thanks for being with me today.
I am so I amalways mystified at how you do
Meredith Sesser (20:24):
Thank you.
it, and I enjoy watching youdoing Thank you.
Jerri Hemsworth (20:34):
do this ERISA law, and because you and I have
known each other for years
Meredith Sesser (20:39):
Probably over 20 years.
Jerri Hemsworth (20:40):
Yeah, when you were at the other firm, and I
think even before you had kids,yeah, definitely, yes. So kudos.
Well done.
Meredith Sesser (20:48):
Thank you.
Jerri Hemsworth (20:49):
Thanks.
Announcer (21:01):
Presented by Echelon Business Development, more than
just networking, way more.
From Los Angeles.
This is the Echelon RadioNetwork.
Jerri Hemsworth (00:10):
Hi. This is Jerri Hemsworth with the Echelon
radio podcast. And today we'resitting with Meredith Sesser.
How you doing?
Meredith Sesser (00:19):
I'm doing great this morning.
Jerri Hemsworth (00:20):
Okay, so Sesser law, ERISA, that is your
specialty. E R, i, s, a.
Meredith Sesser (00:31):
I love it.
Jerri Hemsworth (00:32):
What is ERISA and not to be mistaken with a co
worker named ERISA? No, what isERISA?
Meredith Sesser (00:39):
So, ERISA just turned 50. It was passed in 1974
so this was a big milestone yearfor ERISA, and I've been
practicing 25 years, so half thelife of ERISA. But ERISA is the
Employee Retirement IncomeSecurity Act, and it's really a
(00:59):
bunch of rules that thegovernment passed to protect
people's retirement benefits.
Jerri Hemsworth (01:04):
Oh, wow.
Meredith Sesser (01:05):
So before that, there was a lot of sketchy
things going on with people'sretirement benefits, and they
weren't available when peopleretired. So now it's highly
regulated, so that when youretire, that pension is there
for you and you can live offwith it.
Jerri Hemsworth (01:20):
Wow. Now you and I were just talking ERISA
law, and attorneys whospecialize in ERISA is pretty
rare.
Meredith Sesser (01:30):
Very rare. And the part that's aging, or aging
with ERISA are the lawyers. It'sbeen around 50 years, and many
of these lawyers have beenpracticing 50 years when it was
passed, and they're getting tobe in their 80s and retiring.
Jerri Hemsworth (01:46):
And do you see a pipeline coming up, or is it
just an area of law that a lotof people don't know about?
Meredith Sesser (01:52):
Unfortunately, there's no class in law schools
called ERISA law. So there's nota pipeline of lawyers coming out
into this field. There's veryfew ERISA or pension lawyers,
and it's such a tight knitcommunity that we tend to all
know each other, because there'sso few of us. It is federal law,
so it's practiced the same inCalifornia as it is in New York.
Jerri Hemsworth (02:16):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (02:16):
So my clients are across the United States
because the rules are the same.
So it's an opportunity to workwith all kinds of employers on
their retirement plans.
Jerri Hemsworth (02:26):
And does it matter what size plan? It can
be, any size?
Meredith Sesser (02:30):
Any size plan.
So if you have one employee or40,000 employees, the rules are
the same.
Jerri Hemsworth (02:36):
Whoa.
Meredith Sesser (02:37):
So my clients range from small to large. And I
apply the law to, you know,their retirement plan issues,
and the IRS is the same whetherit's California or New York. And
therefore I'm able to representclients all over the country.
Jerri Hemsworth (02:54):
That's kind of cool, I would imagine. Because
usually, if you're practicinglaw in one state like
California, you pretty much haveto stay within the state first,
actually, you know, state law,but for federal that, that would
be kind of amazing and andbecause it's so rare in LA,
(03:15):
there's what a handful?
Meredith Sesser (03:17):
A handful of lawyers in LA that do what I do,
and even less women that do whatI do
Jerri Hemsworth (03:22):
Really?
Meredith Sesser (03:23):
Yeah. And so it's a keeps me busy,
Jerri Hemsworth (03:26):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (03:26):
Because there's so few people to call in this
area that understand it, and sofew people that were trained by
the gurus who've been doing itfor 50 years. And luckily, I was
trained by the top lawyers whounderstand this. However, this
law evolves. Every year, there'snew tax laws, new rules that
come into play. So you have tostay on your toes, and you know,
(03:49):
be aware of what's changing inthe law.
Jerri Hemsworth (03:51):
And when do when do clients call you? When
do they need you?
Meredith Sesser (03:55):
Well, I love for clients to call me ahead
before there's a problem.
Doesn't everybody? But a lot oftimes I get brought in when
there's a problem.
Jerri Hemsworth (04:04):
Okay, at the company level, or at the
employee level, or?
Meredith Sesser (04:08):
Usually at the company level, but sometimes
it's an employee that calls theemployer out on doing something
wrong.
Jerri Hemsworth (04:14):
Hang on.
Meredith Sesser (04:15):
Wait a minute.
What happened to my 401 K,money? It's gone. Or, something
doesn't seem right.
Jerri Hemsworth (04:22):
Yeah, so.
Meredith Sesser (04:23):
Or the IRS or Department of Labor comes in and
sends a letter.
Jerri Hemsworth (04:27):
That's a little knock, knock.
Meredith Sesser (04:28):
Knock knock, and they call me and say, "What
does this mean?" So there'sthose issues. And then sometimes
I get called in when a company'sselling, and they say, what
happens to all these benefitswhen we sell?
Jerri Hemsworth (04:40):
Transition.
Meredith Sesser (04:41):
Transition, or we bought a company. What are we
going to do now with all thesenew employees in the 401, K?
Jerri Hemsworth (04:48):
Oh, gosh, interesting. Okay, all right.
And there's, there's not a lotof people in California doing
what you're doing. And so I canimagine that's your, your how,
how many clients, new clientswould you say you get on a
monthly basis, an annual basis?
Meredith Sesser (05:08):
So at any one time, I am working on probably
20 or 30 clients, and every yearI'm bringing in about 100
clients to work on throughoutthe year.
Jerri Hemsworth (05:17):
Holy moly!
Meredith Sesser (05:18):
Yeah. There's a lot of problems, and some things
are quick, and some things couldtake years to resolve, so it
just depends. And some clients Iwork with kind of like of
counsel, type of in house, wherethey call me anytime something
comes up.
Jerri Hemsworth (05:34):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (05:35):
So I'm a resource to clients on an
ongoing basis, and then ones whohave a problem, who need to fix
or need hand holding.
Jerri Hemsworth (05:42):
And how did you get into ERISA? If you were
you've been doing this 25 years.
You don't look like you've beendoing this 25 years.
Meredith Sesser (05:50):
Thank you.
Jerri Hemsworth (05:53):
Wow, yeah. How did you get into ERISA? Since
it's so rare?
Meredith Sesser (05:57):
Yeah, it is so rare. And I did not go to law
school saying I want to be anERISA lawyer, let alone know
what ERISA was.
Jerri Hemsworth (06:03):
What kind of attorney did you want to be, did
you know?
Meredith Sesser (06:05):
I was going to be an estate planner.
Jerri Hemsworth (06:06):
Okay!
Meredith Sesser (06:07):
And I was doing
Jerri Hemsworth (06:09):
Kind of adjacent.
Meredith Sesser (06:10):
Yes, I'm adjacent, both ease. I worked
doing estate planning.
Jerri Hemsworth (06:15):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (06:15):
And the firm I was at also did ERISA corporate
and tax.
Jerri Hemsworth (06:20):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (06:21):
And after I graduated law school, I said,
you know, I think there's enoughestate planners and there's
enough corporate lawyers,definitely not enough ERISA
lawyers. At that time, therewere about a dozen in Los
Angeles.
Jerri Hemsworth (06:34):
That's it?
Meredith Sesser (06:35):
That was it.
Short list. And I said, You knowwhat? I'm going in that area.
And I didn't want to be a largelaw firm that was charging
$1,000 an hour for a quickquestion. You know, I'm a
believer that any size employerneeds counsel, and I wanted to
be that boutique law firm thatcould help smaller clients, the
mom and dad shop that has oneemployee, but they still have
(07:01):
that same 401k issue. They needrepresentation, and I want to be
able to help them as well.
Jerri Hemsworth (07:08):
Nice.
Meredith Sesser (07:09):
So that's part of you know who I am, is wanting
to help everybody, whetherthey're small or large, and
being a boutique firm, I'm ableto do that and work with clients
within their budget.
Jerri Hemsworth (07:21):
So nice.
Meredith Sesser (07:22):
Yeah, because the larger firms, you know, they
charge more, and they're good atwhat they do!
Jerri Hemsworth (07:28):
Right.
Meredith Sesser (07:28):
But it's very hard to keep the cost down.
Jerri Hemsworth (07:30):
Right. You were mentored by an attorney in LA
and do you see yourself becominga mentor to pass it, pass the
torch to somebody else?
Meredith Sesser (07:43):
Good question.
I was mentored by, by anoutstanding lawyer. He's
approaching 80, and he says thathe's so proud of me and how I
turned out. And I would love todo that one day. It would be
nice if one of my three sonswanted to be the person I
mentor. Unfortunately, it's notsexy to be an ERISA lawyer.
(08:04):
Everyone wants to be a Hollywoodentertainment type of lawyer.
Jerri Hemsworth (08:09):
Yeah, until they burn out of that.
Meredith Sesser (08:10):
Yeah.
Jerri Hemsworth (08:11):
Right?
Meredith Sesser (08:11):
And I don't even know if any of mine will be
lawyers my sons, but it would begreat. Unfortunately, you don't
get people coming out of lawschool saying, I want to be a
benefits lawyer.
Jerri Hemsworth (08:20):
Right, right.
Meredith Sesser (08:21):
And if they do it, then they say, you know,
this isn't for me. I'm going todo something more sexy than
ERISA law.
Jerri Hemsworth (08:27):
Well, isn't it interesting, because having
interviewed quite a number ofattorneys, a lot of people have
gone into law with one thoughtof being a certain type of
attorney, and then they get inand they see how it really
works, and either throughlitigation or transactions or
(08:48):
whatever it is, theyimmediately, they pretty quickly
realize, ah, that's not for me,I like this over here, and you
were lucky to be in a firm thathad the two different types of
of clients.
Meredith Sesser (09:03):
Yes.
Jerri Hemsworth (09:04):
And so that would be an interesting
conversation with youngerattorneys. Do you get a chance
to go and speak at classes oranything like that?
Meredith Sesser (09:16):
I do speak a lot, not in law school.
Unfortunately, most my speakingis educational, and I speak
across the country, educatingother people in this area.
Jerri Hemsworth (09:27):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (09:27):
So I usually go into Washington or Florida, I
was in Texas this year,educating other people about the
changes in law and about what Ido.
Jerri Hemsworth (09:38):
Yes.
Meredith Sesser (09:38):
But in law school, there's no ERISA
classes, it would probably be atax class. And,
Jerri Hemsworth (09:43):
Sure.
Meredith Sesser (09:44):
You know, they just not enough interest to get
people to sign up.
Jerri Hemsworth (09:49):
They don't even touch on it, one of those things
where you got to sort of, theyneed to spread the word, because
I don't think retirement plansare going away.
Meredith Sesser (09:58):
No, I think that they're going to be around
for a long time, the rules arealways going to keep changing. I
think you're right, and I thinkthat it's an important area of
law that people need to knowabout. There's just so much room
for mistake and error.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:12):
Oh, it's terrifying!
Meredith Sesser (10:13):
It's highly regulated.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:14):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (10:15):
The penalties are huge.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:16):
Wow.
Meredith Sesser (10:16):
But if you have good counsel, you can avoid all
that.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:19):
Sure.
Meredith Sesser (10:20):
I was always taught that a 401, K shouldn't
bankrupt a company. You know,you don't want someone to say, I
wish I never had this plan.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:27):
Right.
Meredith Sesser (10:28):
And the truth is, in California, if you have
employees, you have to have aplan, some sort of plan.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:33):
Yes.
Meredith Sesser (10:34):
And therefore, someone's got to advise on these
rules.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:36):
Right.
Meredith Sesser (10:37):
And my job is really to take something
complicated, like ERISA, andbring it back down to English,
so that employers understand,it's complicated.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:47):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (10:47):
I understand it. I try to speak in English,
not in code.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:51):
Now, where did you go to school?
Meredith Sesser (10:54):
I went to Loyola law school.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:56):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (10:56):
And for undergrad, I was at UCLA.
Jerri Hemsworth (10:58):
UCLA, what was your major at UCLA?
Meredith Sesser (11:00):
Actually a psychology major, which you
would think is not relevant, butactually is very relevant to
dealing with clients from theIRS.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:08):
Sure.
Meredith Sesser (11:09):
There's a lot of emotions in 401 Ks, I know it
sounds crazy.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:14):
No, you dealing with somebody's money!
Meredith Sesser (11:15):
But when you get a penalty letter for a
million dollars.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:18):
Yeah, hello!
Meredith Sesser (11:19):
That's a huge
Jerri Hemsworth (11:20):
Ouch!
Meredith Sesser (11:20):
issue.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:21):
Yes.
Meredith Sesser (11:21):
And if you can talk someone off a ledge and
explain to them what this reallymeans,
Jerri Hemsworth (11:25):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (11:25):
and how we'll get this abated. We'll figure
out what's wrong, we'll fix it,
Jerri Hemsworth (11:30):
Oh, wow.
Meredith Sesser (11:30):
you can calm people down.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:32):
They can breathe again.
Meredith Sesser (11:33):
And that what's that's what keeps me going.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:35):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (11:35):
There's thank you letters for thank you for
explaining it. Thank you forholding my hand and making this
go away.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:42):
What made you originally want to be an estate
planning attorney?
Meredith Sesser (11:47):
Yeah, it's a good question. I enjoyed the
estate planning class in lawschool, and I got the highest
grade in that class.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:53):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (11:54):
So I said, I'm meant to do this.
Jerri Hemsworth (11:55):
You knew? You were like, okay.
Meredith Sesser (11:57):
I meant to do this. And then I got there, and
while it's interesting,retirement plans are also very
large part of an estate.
Jerri Hemsworth (12:04):
Right.
Meredith Sesser (12:04):
It's a piece of it.
Jerri Hemsworth (12:05):
Absolutely.
Meredith Sesser (12:06):
And you need to know what happens to retirement
plans upon death as well. So Iwent from broad estate planning
to something smaller, which is apiece of it, retirement plans.
Jerri Hemsworth (12:16):
Right, because with when somebody retires,
you've got Social Security,you've got whatever investments
they've had, or 401 Ks, or anyof that. And I know from my own
experience in families, and whensomebody passes what happens,
and a lot of families don't knowall the inner workings of,
Meredith Sesser (12:38):
Correct.
Jerri Hemsworth (12:39):
what's going on
Meredith Sesser (12:40):
Or that they need a beneficiary. I have so
many people call with oldbeneficiaries, leaving it to
their ex spouse, or, you know,leaving it to someone other than
their spouse and not gettingconsent. Or, you know, people
don't always expect to die, andthey don't always have things
set up properly in advance, sothe retirement plan could be a
(13:02):
big asset in the estate, and youhave to pay attention to it.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:05):
Huge. So you having knowledge in estate
planning and estate law isreally super beneficial to you.
Meredith Sesser (13:14):
It actually does help.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:16):
My gosh.
Meredith Sesser (13:17):
Yes.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:17):
And psychology, like you said.
Meredith Sesser (13:19):
Absolutely helps, because your clients are
people.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:22):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (13:22):
They're not just businesses, and you really
sometimes have to calm peopledown, and once they understand
what all of this means, thenthey can be calm.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:33):
So you, you started your own firm.
Meredith Sesser (13:36):
I did. I started in 2018.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:38):
Okay.
Meredith Sesser (13:39):
So I'm going on next year will be my seventh
year. I can't believe it.
Started my own firm, and I'm inEncino, California.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:48):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (13:49):
And it's been great. I've been very successful
and lucky.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:53):
And, and you mentioned your boys. You're a
mom of three boys who are nowteenagers.
Meredith Sesser (13:58):
Yes.
Jerri Hemsworth (13:59):
Late teens, actually.
Meredith Sesser (14:00):
Late teens, yes, my oldest is 19 in college,
and when I started practicing, Idid not have kids at all.
Jerri Hemsworth (14:09):
Right.
Meredith Sesser (14:09):
So I feel like these three boys have gone all
the way through with me, andthey probably still have no idea
what I do or what ERISA is, nordo they care.
Jerri Hemsworth (14:19):
They're like, "yeah, it's something like
that."
Meredith Sesser (14:21):
Yeah, my mom's a lawyer.
Jerri Hemsworth (14:22):
Yeah, my mom's an attorney.
Meredith Sesser (14:23):
Yeah, she's a lawyer. What does she do? I
don't know.
Jerri Hemsworth (14:26):
It's something complicated.
Meredith Sesser (14:27):
Yes, something complicated, but that's okay.
And my other two are my twins,are 16 in high school now.
Jerri Hemsworth (14:34):
And you, like you said, you weren't a mom when
you started this, and then youstarted your own firm, and you
were kind of like stay at homemom and running a business, how
and now that they'reindependent, how has that
changed you as a an attorney, asa mom, as a business woman,
(14:56):
because I know from my ownexperience, the brain is split
when they're young. You know.
Meredith Sesser (15:02):
Yes, absolutely.
Jerri Hemsworth (15:03):
And now you have a little more time to focus
on you and your firm. Do you seedifferences in how you've you've
grown or shifted?
Meredith Sesser (15:13):
I think I've always been a workaholic. I
remember working in the hospitalwhen my kids were born. I
remember being on bed rest forsix weeks with my twins, and I
worked from bed rest. You know,when you have deals that are
going through and they need you?
Jerri Hemsworth (15:29):
Sure.
Meredith Sesser (15:29):
I'm there. I think now that my kids are
independent and drive, itactually allows me to work more
and so, you know, with COVID andhaving home offices and other
offices, sometimes you workseven days a week.
Jerri Hemsworth (15:45):
Sure.
Meredith Sesser (15:46):
I'm that person that wants to get back to my
client right away, because I'dlike to have people get back to
me right away.
Jerri Hemsworth (15:53):
Sure.
Meredith Sesser (15:53):
So I'm able to do it. But as a mom of three
boys, I've learned to multitask,and multitasking is a great
quality, and I never put myclients second. You know, I love
my kids, but I'm able to doboth, and I always have.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:10):
Yeah, you've got that brain that allows you
to do that.
Meredith Sesser (16:12):
I don't know if it's a female thing, that's a
mom thing, but it allows me todo.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:17):
I think it's a I think it's a mom thing. I
think it's a female thing. Ithink it's a female thing. I
think it's a Meredith thing.
Meredith Sesser (16:22):
It is a Meredith thing.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:23):
You know, in that that not everybody can do
it, and you're just gifted to beable to.
Meredith Sesser (16:27):
Oh, thank you.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:28):
I mean, seriously.
Meredith Sesser (16:29):
I really try to get everything done, yeah,
including not missing my kidsbasketball games, but then maybe
working from the parking lot ona client case before I walk into
the game. It's no calls duringthe game.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:42):
You're in the, you're in the, you're in the
car.
Meredith Sesser (16:44):
Yes,
Jerri Hemsworth (16:44):
That's the other,
Meredith Sesser (16:45):
I'll make it happen.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:46):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (16:47):
Absolutely.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:48):
That's the beauty of running your own firm,
isn't it?
Meredith Sesser (16:50):
Exactly.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:50):
You have the ability to be there for your
kids.
Meredith Sesser (16:53):
Yeah.
Jerri Hemsworth (16:53):
They really need you.
Meredith Sesser (16:54):
And and working at a law firm before they
allowed me to be there for mykids, which was really nice. So
I would go to mommy and me andthen to the office.
Jerri Hemsworth (17:03):
Excellent.
Meredith Sesser (17:04):
Yes. So that multitasking,
Jerri Hemsworth (17:06):
Gymboree, hear me out, yeah.
Meredith Sesser (17:07):
Multitasking, you know, it's a, it's a big
quality I have.
Jerri Hemsworth (17:11):
Yes. So are you, I've heard you are really
involved with you UCLA alumnievents, or is it that you just,
you just promote UCLA. I'veheard you,
Meredith Sesser (17:24):
I love UCLA.
Jerri Hemsworth (17:25):
Love, love, love.
Meredith Sesser (17:26):
I do love UCLA.
None of my kids will probably gothere. That's okay.
Jerri Hemsworth (17:32):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (17:32):
But I think being that I went to Loyola and
UCLA in Los Angeles has beenhelpful to me for resources that
are in Los Angeles.
Jerri Hemsworth (17:41):
Yes.
Meredith Sesser (17:42):
Because I'm here, a lot of my clients are
here. So it's a good resourcefor alumni, for other lawyers,
you know, and networking, andthat's helpful.
Jerri Hemsworth (17:52):
A number of lawyers that I know now went to
UCLA,
Meredith Sesser (17:56):
Yeah,
Jerri Hemsworth (17:56):
and I can imagine the that that's a really
great resource.
Meredith Sesser (18:00):
Yeah, it's great being that I've been in
Los Angeles my whole life.
Jerri Hemsworth (18:04):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (18:04):
So that you run into people that maybe you went
to high school with, but nowthey're an accountant, and you
do work with them.
So I've beenvery fortunate. I have clients
Jerri Hemsworth (18:12):
Yeah.
that I've known since elementaryschool that became clients, and
I said, I remember you fromelementary school. So my
referral sources come, you know,from all over the place. A lot
of it's word of mouth, butsometimes it's another lawyer or
an accountant.
Right.
Meredith Sesser (18:31):
Or somebody I graduated school with, and they
refer me because you don'tusually Google ERISA lawyer and
find one.
Jerri Hemsworth (18:39):
Right.
Meredith Sesser (18:39):
And I'll tell you, if you Google it, you're
not going to get a whole list ofpeople, and you're not going to
find me on the back of a bus ora billboard.
Jerri Hemsworth (18:46):
Right, no.
Meredith Sesser (18:48):
So usually it's you need to know somebody who
can refer you in because your'reso specialized.
Jerri Hemsworth (18:53):
And the other a lot of those professionals know,
okay, there's not a lot ofthese, but I do know a couple.
Meredith Sesser (19:01):
I know a few, yeah. And the other thing that's
nice is that someone will say, Iremember you from 10 years ago.
You did something for me. I needyou again.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:09):
Wow.
Meredith Sesser (19:09):
So I get a lot of those calls as well.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:11):
That's nice.
Meredith Sesser (19:11):
Because they remember me, and there's just
not a lot, there's no one elseto call!
Jerri Hemsworth (19:16):
Yeah, right.
Meredith Sesser (19:17):
So I picked a good niche.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:19):
Nice.
Meredith Sesser (19:19):
Yes.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:20):
Well done, Meredith.
Meredith Sesser (19:21):
And I would love for somebody to take it
over one day.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:24):
I was going to say, the pipeline.
Meredith Sesser (19:26):
We will see.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:27):
Start the mentoring, yeah, start looking
for those mentees.
Meredith Sesser (19:30):
Yes.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:30):
Right?
Meredith Sesser (19:31):
Yes.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:31):
I hear you, 100%.
Meredith Sesser (19:33):
It's an exciting area of law. I really
enjoy it. It's almost like apuzzle..
Jerri Hemsworth (19:38):
Yeah.
Meredith Sesser (19:39):
It's not, yes, there's a manual, but the manual
is not black and white. Youdon't always know what it means.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:44):
That makes sense.
Meredith Sesser (19:45):
And so to me, it's a puzzle, and trying to
make it work and figure it outfor your clients, so it keeps
you on your toes.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:52):
And they've got to be so grateful,
Meredith Sesser (19:54):
I hope so.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:55):
I can't imagine being in their shoes,
Meredith Sesser (19:57):
Yeah.
Jerri Hemsworth (19:57):
and feeling desperate and frightened, and
didn't terrified, all that. Andhaving you on the case,
literally,
Meredith Sesser (20:06):
it helps to turn this, these issues, over to
someone who's an expert andunderstands it and says, "you
know what, you take care ofthis, so I can do my day job."
And that's what I'm here for. Isa resource to handhold, to
explain, to walk people through.
Jerri Hemsworth (20:21):
Excellent.
Thanks for being with me today.
I am so I amalways mystified at how you do
Meredith Sesser (20:24):
Thank you.
it, and I enjoy watching youdoing Thank you.
Jerri Hemsworth (20:34):
do this ERISA law, and because you and I have
known each other for years
Meredith Sesser (20:39):
Probably over 20 years.
Jerri Hemsworth (20:40):
Yeah, when you were at the other firm, and I
think even before you had kids,yeah, definitely, yes. So kudos.
Well done.
Meredith Sesser (20:48):
Thank you.
Jerri Hemsworth (20:49):
Thanks.
Announcer (21:01):
Presented by Echelon Business Development, more than
just networking, way more.
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