DeBofsky
DeBofsky Law is a plaintiff-side employee benefits and ERISA litigation firm representing individual claimants against large insurance carriers over wrongful denials of disability, health, life, retirement, and long-term care benefits. It operates from Chicago and Seattle, litigating cases in federal courts nationwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What DeBofsky does
DeBofsky Law is a plaintiff-side employee benefits and ERISA litigation firm founded by Mark DeBofsky. The firm represents individual employees and beneficiaries in disputes against large insurance carriers and plan administrators over wrongful denials of disability, health, life, accidental death, retirement/pension, and long-term care benefits. It operates from a Chicago headquarters and a Seattle office, litigating cases in federal courts nationwide against insurers including Aetna, Unum, MetLife, Prudential, and Sun Life.
The firm's core service offering is contingency-fee legal representation, supplemented by hourly and flat-fee arrangements for consulting matters such as proactive disability claim assistance and post-recovery ERISA disputes. It emphasizes appellate litigation, citing nearly 100 published appellate decisions and over 200 published articles as evidence of expertise and thought leadership. The team is led by founding partner Mark DeBofsky, a nationally recognized ERISA authority, with attorneys Marie Casciari and Matthew Maloney supporting a practice that spans occupational and condition-specific disability claims, health insurance medical-necessity disputes (including proton beam therapy and residential mental health treatment under MHPAEA), and retirement/401(k) fiduciary matters.
The go-to-market relies on organic content marketing (a deep SEO-driven article library plus a YouTube channel), client testimonials and referrals, and direct phone intake for free initial consultations. The firm does not sell software, platforms, or technology products; its differentiation rests on legal talent, precedent-setting case law, and a national federal court practice. Revenue mechanics are entirely fee-for-service legal work with no disclosed subscription, SaaS, or licensing component.
DeBofsky firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DeBofsky
- Legal name
- DeBofsky Law, Ltd.
- Website
- https://debofsky.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- DeBofsky Law is a plaintiff-side employee benefits and ERISA litigation firm representing individual claimants against large insurance carriers over wrongful denials of disability, health, life, retirement, and long-term care benefits. It operates from Chicago and Seattle, litigating cases in federal courts nationwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DeBofsky industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Employee Benefits Law
- NAICS
- Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Claims Advocacy & Loss Recovery Services (FSAEADAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Behavioral Health Claims Administration & Payment Integrity (HLAEAHAH)
Keywords
Where DeBofsky is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
DeBofsky business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Legal Fees - Contingency: DeBofsky Law handles disability, ERISA, and employee benefits cases on a contingency fee basis, where the firm charges a percentage of the recovery only if the case is successful. This arrangement is described as allowing clients to pay nothing for legal services unless the claim succeeds. The firm covers out-of-pocket costs such as medical records during the case.
- Legal Fees - Hourly: The firm also offers hourly fee arrangements for certain matters, including consulting on disability claims and cases where underlying benefits have already been received (such as ERISA health insurance disputes). Hourly rates are discussed during the initial consultation.
- Legal Fees - Flat/Fixed: Some matters may be handled on a flat or fixed fee basis depending on the nature and complexity of the case. The firm discusses all fee structure options openly during the initial consultation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Contingency fee representation - no fee unless successful recovery |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Hourly legal consulting for proactive claim assistance |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
DeBofsky product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DeBofsky Law is a plaintiff-side employee benefits and ERISA litigation firm that represents individual employees and claimants in disputes over disability, health, life, accidental death, retirement, and long-term care insurance benefits. The firm handles claims filing, administrative appeals, and federal court litigation against insurance carriers and plan administrators, with offices in Chicago and Seattle serving clients nationwide. Services are delivered via contingency, hourly, and flat-fee arrangements, supported by free initial consultations.
Product overview
DeBofsky Law is an employee benefits and insurance litigation law firm offering legal services across multiple practice areas. The firm provides representation in disability benefits (short-term, long-term, and individual disability insurance), health insurance benefits (including medical necessity, experimental treatment denials, proton therapy, and residential treatment), ERISA litigation, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment claims, retirement/pension benefits, and long-term care insurance. The firm operates with offices in Chicago and Seattle, serving clients nationwide in disputes with insurance companies and employers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Disability Benefits Legal Services Legal representation for short-term, long-term, and individual disability insurance claims, including claims filing, appeals, and litigation against insurance carriers. Intended for employees and individuals whose disability benefits have been denied or terminated.
- Health Insurance Benefits Legal Services Legal counsel for health insurance claim denials, including disputes over medical necessity, experimental or investigational treatments, proton beam therapy, and residential mental health or substance use treatment coverage. Intended for individuals whose health insurance claims have been denied.
- ERISA Litigation Legal representation in Employee Retirement Income Security Act cases involving disability, health, life, and retirement benefit disputes with employers and plan administrators. Intended for individual claimants seeking federal court remedies against wrongful benefit denials.
- Life Insurance Legal Services Legal representation for beneficiaries and policyholders in life insurance claim denials, including disputes over beneficiary designations, contestability, and policy lapse issues. Intended for beneficiaries of employer-sponsored or individual life insurance policies.
- Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Legal Services Legal representation for beneficiaries in accidental death and dismemberment insurance claims, including disputes over whether deaths qualify as accidental under the policy. Intended for beneficiaries of AD&D insurance policies.
- Retirement Benefits Legal Services Legal representation for pension and 401(k) benefit claims, including disputes over retirement plan benefits and fiduciary duty violations. Intended for employees and surviving spouses denied ERISA-governed retirement benefits.
- Long-Term Care Insurance Legal Services Legal representation for long-term care insurance claims, including disputes over in-home care or senior facility coverage denials. Intended for policyholders and families facing long-term care coverage disputes.
- Short Term Disability Legal Services Legal representation for short-term disability insurance claims, typically providing 3-6 months of income replacement for temporary disability. Intended for workers denied short-term disability benefits.
- Individual Disability Insurance Legal Services Legal representation for individual disability insurance policies purchased privately, which offer different rights than employer-sponsored group coverage, including state court litigation and bad faith claims. Intended for individual policyholders with private disability income policies.
- Medical Necessity Legal Services Legal counsel specifically for challenging health insurance denials based on alleged lack of medical necessity for treatments and procedures. Intended for patients denied coverage for medically necessary care.
- Proton Therapy Insurance Denial Legal Services Legal representation for proton beam therapy insurance denials, challenging claims that the treatment is experimental or not medically necessary for cancer treatment. Intended for cancer patients and families denied proton therapy coverage.
- Residential Treatment Legal Services Legal representation for residential mental health and substance use disorder treatment claims, including challenges under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). Intended for patients and families denied coverage for residential treatment.
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly 100 published appellate decisions
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use DeBofsky
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
DeBofsky technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
DeBofsky partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- National organizations advocating for patient rightsminorDeBofsky Law has partnered with numerous organizations advocating for patient rights, as referenced in the firm's overview of its advocacy work. The firm has also testified before Congress and federal agencies to promote better access to justice for employees and claimants. Specific partner organization names are not identified in the source material.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
DeBofsky competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- McKennon Law Group PC: Specialized plaintiff-side disability insurance and ERISA litigation firm. McKennon competes directly with DeBofsky for long-term disability claimants nationwide, with a comparable contingency fee model and focus on individual and group disability denials.
- Seltzer & Associates: Disability insurance denial firm handling individual and group disability claims for claimants. Comparable plaintiff-side focus on challenging insurer terminations and denials under similar contingency fee arrangements.
- Kantor & Kantor LLP: Plaintiff-side employee benefits and disability insurance litigation firm with a national practice. Kantor & Kantor is one of the closest direct competitors to DeBofsky, sharing the same contingency model, target clients (wrongfully denied disability/ERISA claimants), and federal court litigation strategy.
- Dell & Schaefer: Disability insurance denial law firm representing claimants against major insurers. Overlaps directly with DeBofsky's core LTD/STD and individual disability practice, with similar content-marketing-driven client acquisition and federal court representation.
- Bryant Legal Group: Disability insurance and ERISA litigation firm representing claimants against insurance companies. Targets the same denied-claimant population with similar federal court litigation and contingency fee approach.
- Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick: Plaintiff-side disability and veterans benefits litigation firm with significant federal court appellate practice. While veterans-focused, CCK's ERISA and disability litigation model, appellate bench, and contingency structure closely mirror DeBofsky's.
- Pilzer Klein: Plaintiff-side ERISA and employee benefits firm representing claimants in disability and retirement disputes. Directly comparable niche, target client base, and litigation focus to DeBofsky.
Broad incumbents
- Reed Smith (Employee Benefits / ERISA): Global law firm with a substantial ERISA and employee benefits practice representing plan sponsors and insurers. Represents the institutional defense side of the disputes DeBofsky's plaintiff practice is built to litigate.
- Goodwin Procter (ERISA Litigation): Major law firm with a deep employee benefits and ERISA practice. Represents insurers and plan sponsors, providing the well-resourced opposing counsel that DeBofsky and other plaintiff firms regularly face in federal court.
- Morgan Lewis & Bockius (ERISA Litigation): Large full-service law firm with a nationally recognized ERISA and employee benefits litigation practice. Represents plan administrators and insurers (rather than claimants) but competes for the same legal talent and operates across the same federal court ERISA docket.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
DeBofsky social profiles
Digital presenceDeBofsky financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DeBofsky leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
DeBofsky funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DeBofsky M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DeBofsky
What does DeBofsky do?
DeBofsky Law is a plaintiff-side employee benefits and ERISA litigation firm that represents individual employees and claimants in disputes over disability, health, life, accidental death, retirement, and long-term care insurance benefits. The firm handles claims filing, administrative appeals, and federal court litigation against insurance carriers and plan administrators, with offices in Chicago and Seattle serving clients nationwide. Services are delivered via contingency, hourly, and flat-fee arrangements, supported by free initial consultations.
Is DeBofsky a public or private company?
DeBofsky is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was DeBofsky founded?
DeBofsky was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is DeBofsky based?
DeBofsky is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does DeBofsky make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Legal Fees - Contingency is the primary driver. The others are legal Fees - Hourly and legal Fees - Flat/Fixed.
Who are DeBofsky's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are McKennon Law Group PC, Seltzer & Associates, Kantor & Kantor LLP, Dell & Schaefer, Bryant Legal Group, Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick and Pilzer Klein. Broad incumbents are Reed Smith (Employee Benefits / ERISA), Goodwin Procter (ERISA Litigation) and Morgan Lewis & Bockius (ERISA Litigation).
Does DeBofsky have an API?
No public API is recorded for DeBofsky.
What industry is DeBofsky in?
DeBofsky's product category is Employee Benefits Law. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEADAH, Claims Advocacy & Loss Recovery Services, with a secondary code of HLAEAHAH, Behavioral Health Claims Administration & Payment Integrity. Its NAICS code is 5242 and its SIC code is 8111.