Robert Wayne Kistler

Robert Kistler concentrates his practice in the area of employee benefits and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) compliance and litigation. Working with employers, plan administrators and service providers, he advises on plan design and administration, fiduciary responsibilities, plan compliance and plan corrections. He also works with clients on benefit laws including Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Affordable Care Act.

He has represented clients before the International Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) regarding plan determinations, corrections and audits and has assisted veterans with appeals before the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Bob has also advised clients on design and administration of employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and on the formation of tax-exempt organizations and voluntary employee beneficiary trusts (VEBAs).

Prior to joining Barrett McNagny, Bob worked for nearly a decade at a large national firm where he was a frequent speaker to state and national associations on the topic of employee benefits. Before law school, he worked for several years at Newell Rubbermaid in logistics and operations planning roles, and he is a ten year veteran of the U.S. Army where he served in various leadership and staff positions.

Bob is a member of the Allen County, Indiana and American Bar Associations. He is an Indiana State Bar Association’s Leadership Development Academy (LDA) graduate and has been a member of the LDA committee since 2014. He chaired the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee from 2012 to 2013. In 2014, he received the Pro Bono Publico Award from the Indiana Bar Foundation and the Indiana Pro Bono Commission for his work aiding veterans. He is a volunteer and advisor to Honor Flight of Northeast Indiana and is a past board member(2010-2012).

He graduated from the University of South Dakota with a B.S. in business administration with highest honors in 1995 and received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Toledo College of Law in 2007. While in law school, Robert was a member of the Order of the Coif, participated in the Jessup International Law Moot Court Regional Competition and received the Fornoff Moot Court Competition Solicitor’s Award. He is admitted to practice before the Indiana state courts and the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern District of Indiana.