Pedro Herrera’s practice focuses on employee benefits law, public pension law, ERISA and labor law. He has focused his practice on representing public and private sector pension, VEBA and health and welfare benefit plans. Pedro achieved an “AV Preeminent” rating, or top rating, from Martindale-Hubbell.
He serves as general counsel to the Boards of Trustees of governmental employee benefit plans that provide pension, death, disability and health benefits for public sector employees, including general employees, police officers and fire fighters. Pedro assists the trustees in complying with all regulatory and legislative matters governing such institutional trust funds. Pedro frequently serves as resource working with municipal plan sponsors, legislative agencies, labor groups and pension plan staff on all operational and legal matters related to the benefit plan.
Pedro’s practice also includes representing multiemployer Taft-Hartley pension and health and welfare benefit plans advising on relevant ERISA, Internal Revenue Code and trust law principles. He counsels clients concerning fiduciary responsibility matters such as conflict issues, duties of directed trustees, co-fiduciary liability, and the application of prohibited transaction rules.
His practice includes planning, drafting and updating qualified and nonqualified retirement and health and welfare plans, as well as advising his clients ensuring compliance with the IRS, Department of Treasury, Department of Labor, and the Florida Division of Retirement. His knowledge and expertise garnered at the Wharton School of Business provide unique insight and ability to successfully advise, negotiate and secure actuarial, custodial, administrative agreements, investment policies, investment management agreements, and complex alternative investment vehicle subscriptions. He has successfully finalized subscriptions for institutional mandates investing in equities, fixed income, venture capital, private equity, hedge funds, commodities, MLP’s, as well as various private and commingled real estate products.
Pedro also works in identifying special issues and potential problems with employee benefits in corporate and partnership reorganizations, mergers, acquisitions and securities transactions.
Mr. Herrera has been selected to speak before various organizations including, the State of Florida Division of Retirement; the Harvard Trustee Leadership Forum for Retirement Security; The Institute for Law and Economic Policy; the Florida Public Pension Trustees’ Association (“FPPTA”); the Florida Government Finance Officers Association; and the Florida Professional Firefighters (FPF). Most recently, Pedro joined the faculty of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans’ (IFEBP) Certificate of Achievement in Public Plan Policy (“CAPPP”) certification program where he teaches the Legislative and Regulatory Development Course to various pension plan professionals and trustees.
Mr. Herrera is active in the Miami community where he serves on the Board of Directors for the Coral Gables Bar Association as well as being an active member of the Cuban American Bar Association. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Peace Education Foundation, a not-for-profit organization which strives to educate children and adults on the dynamics of conflict resolution. Pedro also volunteers his time working with Amigos for Kids, an organization providing opportunities for at-risk and impoverished youth in the greater Miami community.
Pedro is a cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was a Senior Editor on the Journal of International Economic Law. Mr. Herrera also received a degree in Business and Public Policy Management from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed coursework specifically geared towards providing an improved understanding of the relationship and strategic interaction between the private and public sectors. Pedro Herrera graduated summa cum laude with a double major from the University of Miami.