Two University of Oklahoma College of Law Professors Receive Prestigious Award from the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel

WASHINGTON, D.C. – University of Oklahoma College of Law professors Jonathan Forman and Donald Bogan were inducted as Fellows of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel.  This prestigious honor recognizes them for their significant contributions to the advancement of the employee benefits field. 

“As one of the nation’s premier public law schools, we strive to attract and retain the nation’s top faculty,” OU Law Dean Joseph Harroz, Jr. said.  “Professor Forman and Professor Bogans’ years of dedication to the field of employment benefits law make them very deserving of this award.  We are privileged to have them as part of the OU Law faculty.”  

The Board of Governors of the College presented this prestigious award at it 2014 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, October 25th.  

 “Your election to the College reflects a careful judgment by prominent employee benefits practitioners that you meet demanding criteria, emphasizing both excellence in the quality of practice and serious contributions to the public’s understanding and appreciation of employee benefits law. Your record of notable achievement and dedication reflects the type of activities that the College was created to honor,” said ACEBC President James R. Raborn.  

Professor Forman is the Alfred P. Murrah Professor of Law at the University of Oklahoma, where he teaches courses on tax and pension law.  Professor Forman recently served in Washington, DC, as the Professor in Residence for the Internal Revenue Service Office of Chief Counsel for the 2009-2010 academic year, and he was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) from 2003 through 2011.

Professor Forman is also active in the American Bar Association, the American College of Tax Counsel, the Association of American Law Professors, and the National Academy of Social Insurance.  Professor Forman has lectured around the world, testified before Congress, and served on numerous federal and state advisory committees. 

Professor Forman has more than 300 publications including Making America Work (Urban Institute Press 2006).  In addition to his many scholarly publications, Professor Forman has published op-eds in Barron’s, the Los Angeles Times, the Dallas Morning News, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Washington Times, the Daily Oklahoman, and numerous other newspapers and magazines.  Professor Forman earned his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1978, and he has Master’s degrees in economics and psychology.  Also, prior to entering academia, it was his privilege to serve in all three branches of the federal government, including as Tax Counsel to the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY).

Professor Bogan is the Thomas P. Hester Presidential Professor at the University of Oklahoma and Professor of Law. Professor Bogan joined the faculty at the College of Law in 2000, following a year as a Visiting Professor. He was appointed Director of Clinical Education at OU in 2001 and served as Clinic Director through 2006. Professor Bogan teaches Health Law, Alternate Dispute Resolution, and various practical skills course. Additionally, Professor Bogan teaches Law & Medicine at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.

Professor Bogan practiced law in Greensboro, NC for 15 years, specializing in consumer litigation, with an emphasis on health law, ERISA, and insurance law issues. While in private practice, Bogan participated in the work of the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, and he remains active in various professional organizations. 

Professor Bogan has written numerous articles on various ERISA issues, with particular focus on ERISA’s preemption of state laws regulating health insurance. Additionally, Professor Bogan has contributed to the ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law ERISA treatise, Employee Benefits Law (Lewis, Rumeld, LeBeau, eds., 3d ed. 2009).

Professor Bogan earned his undergraduate degree from Brown University in 1974 and his J.D. from the Wake Forest University School of Law in 1979.