Expansion strengthens HBL's national ERISA, Employee Benefits, and Executive Compensation platform

GREENSBORO, N.C. and CLEVELAND, April 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Hall Benefits Law (HBL) announced the opening of new offices in North Carolina and Ohio, expanding the firm's national footprint and deepening its senior ERISA and employee benefits bench. Joining HBL are Wendy J. Baker in North Carolina and Jeremy J. Sharp in Ohio, bringing decades of experience advising employers, executives, recordkeepers, plan committees, and fiduciaries on benefits strategy, governance, compliance, and risk management.

"We are excited to welcome Wendy and Jeremy and to establish local hubs in two important markets for employer plan sponsors," said Anne Tyler Hall, Founder and Managing Partner of Hall Benefits Law. "Their combined experience reflects exactly what clients need now: practical ERISA judgment, business fluency, and the ability to translate complex benefits rules into durable governance processes."

Ms. Baker is an executive-level ERISA attorney with 30 years of experience in regulatory compliance, retirement plan design, fiduciary rules, training, legal writing, and cross-functional leadership. She most recently served as Associate General Counsel, Product and Compliance at Human Interest Inc., where she acted as a lead in-house ERISA legal expert for a 401(k) recordkeeper servicing more than 40,000 defined contribution plans. Her background also includes senior ERISA and legal roles with Ascensus, BB&T now Truist, Buck Consulting, Aon Consulting, and Ernst & Young.

Mr. Sharp is a benefits and compensation attorney and ERISA counsel with extensive in-house and law firm experience advising corporations, executives, and plan governance committees. He most recently served as Senior Benefits Attorney at Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., counseling benefits, compensation, and HR teams on ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, HIPAA, plan documentation, governmental filings, audits, vendor selection, contract negotiation, fiduciary governance, and labor-related benefits issues. His experience also includes benefits counsel roles at FirstEnergy Corp. and The Scott Fetzer Company, as well as prior practice with Walter Haverfield, Baker & Hostetler, Duvin, Cahn & Hutton, and Ernst & Young.

The North Carolina and Ohio offices enhance HBL's ability to support employers managing multi-state workforces, evolving retirement plan obligations, complex health and welfare programs, executive compensation arrangements, and increasing fiduciary scrutiny. The expansion also adds depth in recordkeeper operations, plan committee training, vendor oversight, M&A benefits diligence, government audits, correction programs, and plan design strategy.

"HBL's model is built around senior-level counsel, practical guidance, and proactive risk mitigation," said Ms. Baker. "I am pleased to join a team focused on helping plan sponsors and fiduciaries act with confidence."

"Employers need benefits counsel who understand both the law and the operational realities of running complex plans," said Mr. Sharp. "I look forward to helping clients strengthen governance and reduce risk."

About Hall Benefits Law

HBL is an ERISA and employee benefits law firm delivering proactive counsel from experienced Partners to business clients nationwide. The firm advises on health and welfare plans, retirement plans, executive compensation, ESOPs, multiemployer issues, and benefits in corporate transactions. HBL's value-based solutions—including TPA Negotiator® and PBM Negotiator™ services—help employers reduce costs and strengthen fiduciary governance. HBL clients have benefited from more than $410 million in direct penalty abatement and over $41 million in negotiated benefit plan service provider fee concessions.

To learn more, visit hallbenefitslaw.com or call 678-439-6236.

Media Contact:
Robert Friedman
Chief Marketing Officer, Hall Benefits Law
470-217-0167
413170@email4pr.com

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SOURCE Hall Benefits Law