Partner Michael Rakower co-published “Failing to Heed ERISA’s Claims Procedure: A Fast-Track to Court and De Novo Review” in the November 5, 2021 edition of the New York Law Journal. The article explores the consequences of an administrator’s failure to follow the claims procedure of an ERISA-governed benefits plan. First, the administrator’s neglect permits claimants to skip their plan’s internal appeal process and go straight to court. Second, it shifts the court’s standard of review of a benefits denial from arbitrary and capricious to de novo.