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Professional background
Biography image

Katherine B.Kohn

Partner

Katie is a partner in the firm’s Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation group. Katie advises clients on all aspects of qualified retirement plan compliance. Katie's practice encompasses a broad range of counseling, from day-to-day compliance issues under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code, to complex or strategic matters where creativity is necessary. As a former attorney with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), she has a unique background concerning single and multiemployer defined benefit pension plan issues. Katie also represents clients in federal court and arbitration involving single and multiemployer retirement plans.

Ranked In Chambers USA 2026
Recognized in Best Lawyers 2027
Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer 2026

Focus Areas

  • “Walking Away: Withdrawal Liability and What Employers Need to Know,” Thompson Hine 2026 Brown Bag Benefits Webinar Series, July 2026
  • “The Fiduciary Governance Playbook: Building a Best-in-Class Committee Process,” Thompson Hine 2026 Brown Bag Benefits Webinar Series, May 2026
  • “Layoffs, Furloughs & RIFs: What Employers Need to Know in an Uncertain Economy,” Thompson Hine Webinar, January 2026
  • “Navigating the SEC Regulatory Landscape and Exploring Opportunities in 401(k) Plans,” Thompson Hine Investment Management Coffee Chat Webinar Series, Session 5, September 2025
  • “Late Breaking Developments,” Conference of Consulting Actuaries Annual Meeting, October 27, 2025
  • “When Pension Funded Status Comes Up Snake Eyes,” Conference of Consulting Actuaries Annual Meeting, October 28, 2025
  • “Pension Regulations Post-Chevron,” 2025 Enrolled Actuaries Conference, May 7, 2025
  • “Withdrawal Liability – Interest Rates and Beyond,” 2025 Enrolled Actuaries Conference, May 5, 2025
  • Co-presenter, “Navigating DOL Investigations: Enforcement Trends and Practical Strategies,” Ohio Society of CPAs Employee Benefit Plan Audit Conference, April 22, 2025
  • “Regulatory Update,” ABA Labor & Employment Section, Employee Benefits Committee Midwinter Meeting, February 8, 2025
  • “2024 Ethics for Retirement Actuaries,” Society of Actuaries, December 12, 2024
  • “Successfully Working With the PBGC,” Conference of Consulting Actuaries Annual Meeting, October 30, 2024
  • “SCOTUS Ruling in Loper Bright v. Raimondo: Impact on ERISA, Employee Benefits, and Executive Compensation,” Strafford, September 17, 2024
  • “Benefit Plan Governance: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You,” Association of Corporate Counsel, National Capital Region, July 24, 2024
  • “Ethical Considerations For Benefits Attorneys in M&A Transactions,” 2024 Employee Benefits in Mergers & Acquisitions Institute, May 23, 2024
  • “Ethics,” 2024 Enrolled Actuaries Conference, March 12, 2024
  • “Ethics for Retirement Actuaries,” Society of Actuaries, December 6, 2023
  • “Working With PBGC,” Conference of Consulting Actuaries Annual Meeting, October 18, 2023
  • “Fiduciary Issues Under SECURE 2.0,” ABA ERISA Fiduciary Institute, September 12, 2023
  • “Pension Plans Need Love, Too!” Thompson Hine SECURE 2.0 Deep Dive Webinar, September 2023
  • Panelist, “Working With the PBGC,” Conference of Consulting Actuaries Annual Meeting, October 19, 2022
  • “Controlled Group and Successor Liability for Defined Benefit Pension Plans: Best Practices and Potential Pitfalls,” February 9, 2022
  • Panelist, “A Practical Guide to Dealing with PBGC Issues,” Conference of Consulting Actuaries Annual Meeting, October 27, 2021
  • “A Challenge to Actuarial Assumptions in Defined Benefit Plans,” September 23, 2020
  • “Furloughs and Layoffs: Pension and Health Plan Issues and Other Critical Legal Implications,” July 30, 2020
  • “Controlled Group Liability and Successor Employer Rules after PBGC v. Findlay Industries Inc.,” March 4, 2020
  • Panelist, “ERISA Litigation and Enforcement Trends,” Conference of Consulting Actuaries Annual Meeting, October 29, 2019
  • Selected for inclusion in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Washington, D.C., 2025, 2026
  • Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025-2027 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
  • Received a 2024 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America recognition for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
  • Recommended in Legal 500 in Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation, 2025 and 2026

Professional Associations

  • American Bar Association

Education

  • University of Maryland School of Law, J.D., 2009
  • College of William and Mary, B.A., 2006,

    summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa

Bar Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • Maryland