Author — Collecting Employer Contributions: The ERISA Litigation Guide
Published by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
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Partner
Travis J. Ketterman
Partner at McGann, Ketterman & Rioux, devoted to representing multiemployer trust funds in employee benefits law and ERISA litigation.
Employee benefits lawERISA litigationMultiemployer trust fundsLabor organizations
Travis J. Ketterman is a Partner at McGann, Ketterman & Rioux, where his practice is devoted to representing multiemployer fringe benefit trust funds in all aspects of ERISA, employee benefits, fiduciary compliance, contribution collection, and related litigation. He regularly advises trustees, administrators and service providers on complex issues involving fund administration, fiduciary responsibilities, governance, plan compliance and federal litigation.
Mr. Ketterman graduated from Marquette University in 1993 with a triple major in Political Science, Philosophy, and Criminology. He received his Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1996.
Mr. Ketterman is a frequent speaker around the country, conducting trustee training and discussing employee benefit topics. He authored Collecting Employer Contributions: The ERISA Litigation Guide, published by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, and wrote various chapters in the Foundation's seventh and eighth editions of the Trustee Handbook, including chapters on Collection Litigation and Trustee Expense and Educational Policies. Mr. Ketterman also contributed to the second edition of Payroll Auditing: A Guide for Multiemployer Plans and has published numerous articles in various bar journals.
The Illinois State Bar Association awarded Mr. Ketterman the Lincoln Legal Writing Award, and he was named one of the "Rising Stars" and a "Super Lawyer" of the Illinois legal community by Chicago Magazine.
For more than two decades, Mr. Ketterman served as an adjunct professor for the Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he taught appellate advocacy. He holds certifications in Negotiation and Mediation Skills from Northwestern University and the designation of Certified Employee Benefits Specialist from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He served two different terms on the International Foundation's Professionals Committee, for a total of seven years of service.
Mr. Ketterman is also a certified mediator through Northwestern University and holds the designation of Certified Employee Benefits Specialist from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He serves as a court-appointed arbitrator and mediator in Cook County and Kane County, Illinois, and is a mediator for the Western Division (Rockford) of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Publications & Honors
Recognized voice in ERISA practice.
Contributor — Trustee Handbook, 7th & 8th editions
Chapters on Collection Litigation and Trustee Expense & Educational Policies
Lincoln Legal Writing Award · Super Lawyer · Rising Star
Illinois State Bar Association · Chicago Magazine
Adjunct Professor — Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Taught appellate advocacy for 21 years
Credentials & Service
Scholarship that meets the bench.
A career built across the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Wharton, Northwestern, and Loyola — translated into results for the funds and unions he represents.
- Certified Employee Benefits Specialist — Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- Negotiation & Mediation Skills certifications — Northwestern University
- International Foundation Professionals Committee — two terms, seven years
- J.D. — Loyola University Chicago School of Law
- B.A. — Marquette University (Political Science, Philosophy, Criminology)
- Contributor — Payroll Auditing: A Guide for Multiemployer Plans, 2nd edition
- Bar Admissions — Federal Trial Bar, the Illinois Appellate Lawyers Association, and the Federal Bar Association
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
Mr. Ketterman has maintained an active role within the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans throughout his career. He previously served two separate terms on the Foundation's Professionals Committee, totaling seven years of service. He currently serves on the Foundation's Apprenticeship, Training and Education Committee and participates on numerous educational committees, including the steering committee for the Foundation's annual Collections Procedures Institute.
New Trustees 2.0 Program
The International Foundation selected Mr. Ketterman as one of six employee benefit professionals—including attorneys, administrators, actuaries and auditors—to develop the curriculum for its nationally recognized New Trustees 2.0 Program. Following development of the curriculum, the committee members were invited to serve as the faculty for the program, which has been presented to sold-out audiences since its inception in 2017.
Illinois State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education
Mr. Ketterman also served as Chair of the Illinois State Bar Association's Continuing Legal Education programs addressing federal civil practice. In that capacity, he worked with the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois for six years to coordinate and moderate the court's annual federal litigation seminar. At the request of the Chief Judge, Mr. Ketterman also chaired a committee responsible for reviewing the ethics code governing attorneys, judges, and litigants practicing in the federal courts.
Community Leadership
Mr. Ketterman was elected to two terms on the Geneva Public Library and served five years as the Chair of the Governing Board for Rosary College Prep High School.
Mr. Ketterman is a frequent lecturer for the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and regularly presents educational programs throughout the United States on ERISA, multiemployer plans, fiduciary responsibilities, contribution collection, apprenticeship programs and employee benefits litigation.
In 2008, the International Foundation published Mr. Ketterman's book, Collecting Employer Contributions: The ERISA Litigation Guide, which has become a leading resource on ERISA contribution litigation.
Mr. Ketterman authored the chapter on Collection Litigation in the Foundation's Trustees Handbook (2011) and contributed to the Foundation's Payroll Auditing: A Guide for Multiemployer Plans (2013). In the 2016 edition of the Trustees Handbook, he authored two chapters addressing Collection Litigation and Trustee Expenses.
In addition to his work with the International Foundation, Mr. Ketterman has published numerous articles in bar journals and professional publications on federal civil practice, ERISA litigation, fiduciary responsibilities, and employee benefits law. He is a frequent speaker for attorneys, trustees, administrators, and employee benefit professionals on emerging issues affecting multiemployer plans.
The Illinois State Bar Association awarded Mr. Ketterman the Lincoln Legal Writing Award.
