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Michael R. Odoca

Partner

Mr. Odoca graduated summa cum laude with Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Southern California in 2005. He received his Juris Doctorate degree in 2008 from the University of San Francisco School of Law where he earned CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Legal Ethics and Wills and Trusts.

Mr. Odoca joined Wohlner Kaplon Cutler Halford & Rosenfeld in 2011 as an associate in the firm’s employee benefits practice and became a partner in 2019.  Mr. Odoca advises Taft-Hartley multiemployer health and welfare and pension plans in all aspects of plan administration and ERISA compliance.  He assists clients with drafting and revising summary plan descriptions and plan documents, drafting plan amendments, reviewing and negotiating service provider agreements, DOL investigations, plan determination letters, fiduciary issues, HIPAA, COBRA, and ACA matters. Mr. Odoca also advises labor management cooperation committees with respect to labor compliance matters.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Odoca investigated health and pension plans at the U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration. He was a recipient of the U.S. Department of Labor Worker Protection Award for his investigative work in health plans. In law school, Mr. Odoca externed at the Los Angeles and San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, U.S. Department of Labor, and a labor law firm.

Mr. Odoca is admitted to practice in California and is a member of the Orange County Bar Association and the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. He is also a member of the AFL-CIO Lawyer’s Coordinating Committee.   He is a firm believer in the labor movement.  His interest in the movement was sparked when he took a class taught by Dolores Huerta as an undergraduate student at USC.  Mr. Odoca was born and raised on the U.S. island territory of Guam. Outside of the office, he enjoys spending sunny days outdoors with his wife, kids, and shih tzu.