James Goodfellow

Mr. James C. Goodfellow is an associate in the Labor & Employment Department of Seyfarth Shaw LLP, and is a member of one of the leading ERISA litigation practice groups in the nation. He has experience representing employers, employee benefit plans, and fiduciaries in a broad range of employment and employee benefits litigation.

He successfully has handled litigation from pre-lawsuit negotiation and evaluation through dispositive motions, and as well as appeals. In addition to his litigation experience, Mr. Goodfellow also is a skilled negotiator who has shepherded difficult cases through alternative dispute resolution.

Mr. Goodfellow focuses his practice in the area of litigation under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). He successfully has litigated hundreds of single plaintiff ERISA lawsuits on behalf of employee benefits plans and insurers in federal courts across the country.

He also has handled other complex ERISA class action lawsuits involving pension and welfare benefit claims, plan design, plan administration, 401(k) fees, “stock drop” claims, and fiduciary responsibility. Mr. Goodfellow also has experience litigating matters outside of the ERISA context.

He has represented different types of employers, from Fortune 500 companies to small, closely held corporations, in matters involving contract disputes, insurance coverage, unfair trade practice and consumer protection act claims, bad faith insurance claims handling, federal and state law race and gender discrimination claims, federal and state law age discrimination claims, federal and state law wage and hour claims, the Family Medical Leave Act, vicarious liability, RICO, OSHA, and the Delaware Limited Partnership Act.

He counsels various clients on day-to-day employment law matters and assists clients with revisions to employee policies and employment applications. Mr. Goodfellow also has experience litigating unfair labor practice charges and contract interpretation matters. Mr. Goodfellow’s previous experience also includes serving as a law clerk to Justices Barry R. Schaller and David M. Borden, both retired, of the State of Connecticut Supreme Court.

Education:

• J.D., University of Connecticut School of Law (2007)
  • Editor-in-Chief, Connecticut Journal of International Law
  • Member, Connecticut Moot Court Board
  • Joseph Glick Prize Winner for Contribution to the Study of International Law
• B.S., Georgetown University (2000)