Amanda E. Layton
Associate
Duane Morris LLP
30 South 17th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4196
USA

Phone: +1 215 979 1850
Fax: +1 215 405 2613
Email: alayton@duanemorris.com

Amanda E. Layton is an associate in the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Group of Duane Morris LLP.

Ms. Layton represents a diverse client base of both corporate and government entities in all aspects of employee benefits law, including tax qualified retirement plans, nonqualified retirement plans, executive compensation arrangements and health and welfare plans. She represents clients in benefit matters related to corporate merger and acquisition transactions. In addition, she represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") and the United States Department of Labor ("DOL") in examination proceedings. Ms. Layton has recently represented clients in IRS examinations of 401(k) plans and in DOL examinations of both tax qualified retirement plans and health and welfare plans.

Ms. Layton has been recognized as a "Rising Star" in the field of employee benefits law by Philadelphia magazine and Law and Politics. She is a frequent speaker on employee benefits topics and teaches courses in several areas, including courses on 401(k) plan disclosure requirements and benefit issues impacting employer use of independent contractors; compliance with Internal Revenue Code Section 409A; consumer-driven healthcare options (health savings accounts (HSAs) and health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs)); and employer-sponsored wellness programs. She has been featured on Kiplingers.com and BusinessWeek.com and in The Legal Intelligencer.

In addition to her law practice, Ms. Layton is actively involved in the South Jersey community. She is a member of the Borough Council in Riverton, New Jersey, and formerly served as a trustee of Burlington County College in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

Ms. Layton is a cum laude graduate of Rutgers School of Law-Camden, received her M.B.A. from Rutgers School of Business and is a graduate of Villanova University.

Areas of Practice

• Employee Benefits Law
• Employment Law

Professional Activities

• Philadelphia Bar Association
  - Employee Benefits Committee

Admissions

• Pennsylvania
• New Jersey

Education

• Rutgers School of Law - Camden, J.D.
• Rutgers University School of Business, M.B.A.
• Villanova University, B.A.

Civic and Charitable Activities

• Burlington County Republican Committee
  - Member, 2003-present
• Burlington County Community College, Mount Laurel, N.J.
  - Trustee, 2008-2011
• Burlington County Task Force/Advisory Committee for School Consolidation and Shared Services
  - Member, 2009-2011
• Borough Council, Riverton, New Jersey
  - Councilwoman, 2012-present

Honors and Awards

• Listed in Pennsylvania Rising Stars and Super Lawyers, 2008 and 2010

Selected Publications

• Contributor, "Leased Employees and Benefit Plans," Insights & Strategies Magazine, February 2012
• Quoted in "Grandfathered Status Rule's Impact on Group Health Care" by Allen Smith, HR Magazine, June 22, 2010
• Co-author, "An Employer Checklist of 401(k) Plan Responsibilities Under ERISA," The Legal Intelligencer, May 26, 2010
• Co-author, "One Month After Healthcare-Reform Legislation: Update on the New Regulatory Guidance," Duane Morris Alert, May 11, 2010
• Co-author, "IRS Offers Relief for Government-Sponsored Pension Plans in Determination Letter Process," Duane Morris Alert, August 17, 2009
• "Expert Provides Tips for Employers Who Are Maintaining or Implementing Work/Life Programs," CCH Employment Benefits Management, February 24, 2009
• Co-author, "Marriage, Civil Unions, Domestic Partnerships and Health Insurance Benefits," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, September 2008
• Co-author, "Fulfilling the Duty to Inform Employees of Their Rights in the Multilingual Workplace," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, July 2007
• Co-author, "Employers Considering Wellness Programs Are Advised to Look Before Leaping," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, November 2007

Selected Speaking Engagements

• Keynote Speaker, "Striking the Balance in Your Benefit Plans," NJ/Eastern PA/Delaware Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, December 6, 2011
• Presenter, "Healthcare Reform and the Impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on Employer Health Plans," Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, March 9, 2011
• Presenter, "Get Ahead for the Fall—Healthcare Reform in 60 Minutes," Penjerdel Employee Benefits and Compensation Association's Healthcare Reform Meeting, August 3, 2010
• Presenter, "Health Care Reform: What's the Big Deal?" 2010 Northeastern Regional Conference of NAPABA
• Presenter, "Employer COBRA Compliance," 2008 National Conference for the Society for Human Resource Management
• Co-Presenter, 2007 American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA) Mid-Atlantic Benefits Conference on the Pension Protection Act of 2006

Selected Client In-House Workshops

• Presenter, "Benefit Issues in Employment Agreements," January 2012
• Presenter, Duane Morris Institute, "Fixing it Under 409A," July 2011
• Presenter, Duane Morris Institute, "Independent Contractor Status Under Assault," February 2010
• Presenter, "COBRA and the new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009," March 2009