Employee Benefits Attorney J.J. Conway Named to ‘Leaders in the Law Class of 2021 by Michigan Lawyers Weekly
Royal Oak, Mich.— December 1, 2021— John J. (J.J.) Conway, a nationally recognized employee benefits and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) attorney and founder of Royal Oak-based J.J. Conway Law, has been named to the Leaders in the Law Class of 2021 by the legal trade publication, Michigan Lawyers Weekly. The publication identifies the Leaders in the Law as those who are setting the standard for other lawyers through their outstanding contributions to the practice of law and the justice system in Michigan, who have demonstrated tremendous leadership and who offer a wealth of expertise in diverse areas of the law. The full list of honorees can be found here. They will be celebrated on December 2 at the Detroit Marriott Troy.
With more than 22 years of experience, Conway fights for his clients to secure the employee benefits rightfully owed to them. In legally navigating the complexities of disability and retirement benefits, he has led his clients to recover more than $65 million in benefits and won landmark class-action lawsuits in favor of families and retirees.
Conway is a trailblazer in securing healthcare benefits for children. He successfully litigated the first federal autism benefits healthcare action against an employee benefit plan where the court held that denying medical treatment for autism was “arbitrary and capricious.” He has also been co-lead class action counsel for multiple cases, including the first autism class action settlement that provided a specific course of healthcare treatments for children with autism, two nationwide class actions against insurers for their denial of healthcare benefits for children with autism, and a class action counsel for a nationwide class action of 22,000 military families seeking healthcare treatment for children with autism.
Conway served as co-lead class action counsel for 9,000 pension plan participants against the City of Detroit’s Pension Fund, its trustees, and advisors seeking protection of the funds themselves which resulted in a multi-million-dollar settlement and major structural reforms concerning the investment of pension monies in unregulated investments. He has been involved in similar class action litigation protecting the pension rights of police, fire, and sheriff deputies from improper financial investments by their pension plan trustees.
Additionally, he has represented hundreds of employees, including physicians, attorneys and investment professionals who have been deemed occupationally disabled in securing their monthly disability benefits from their insurance companies and plans. Conway is the author of “Hitting You When You Least Expect It: A Basic Guide to ERISA for Non-ERISA Lawyers,” which is a top-searched piece about employee benefits claims. He is also a co-author of the Michigan Basic Practice Handbook published by the Institute for Continuing Legal Education.
In addition to Leaders in the Law, Conway has been the recipient of multiple awards throughout his career, including the Thomas P. Moore Leadership in Philanthropy Award from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the State Bar of Michigan Champion of Justice Award. He has also been recognized as a Michigan Super Lawyer and Leading Lawyer.
Conway obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Marquette University before going on to obtain his Juris Doctor at University of Detroit Mercy, where he graduated early and second in his class. He is a member of Member of American Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan and State Bar of Arizona. He has also been elected to membership in the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation and the Fellows of the Michigan State Bar Foundation.
About J.J. Conway Law
J.J. Conway Law was founded by John Joseph (J.J.) Conway in 1999 to work with individuals seeking full access to the employee benefits they have earned. The firm has been involved with nationally significant employee benefit, disability and pension cases, including class action lawsuits for such landmark decisions as requiring Michigan private insurers to cover autism health treatments for children through age 18 and protecting the pension rights of City of Detroit employees, police and firefighters as well as Wayne County employees by holding their trustees accountable for investment decisions. The firm’s motto is “Conquer Tomorrow®” and is dedicated to making tomorrow easier for their clients across the United States. Learn more on the firm’s website.
Media Contact: Barbara M. Fornasiero, EAFocus Communications; barbara@eafocus.com; 248.260.8466