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McGinnis Lochridge LLP Savings Plus Plan
The McGinnis Lochridge LLP Savings Plus Plan is the defined-benefit pension vehicle for McGinnis Lochridge, an Austin-founded law firm that traces its roots to...
McGinnis Lochridge LLP Savings Plus Plan
The McGinnis Lochridge LLP Savings Plus Plan is the defined-benefit pension vehicle for McGinnis Lochridge, an Austin-founded law firm that traces its roots to 1927. The plan was formally established in 1986 to provide retirement security for the firm's attorneys, paralegals, and administrative personnel. Carl Galant, who assumed the role of Managing Partner on January 1, 2026, succeeding fifteen-year managing partner Doug Dodds, oversees the firm that sponsors the plan — though plan trustees, not firm management, hold fiduciary responsibility for the pension assets. As a single-employer private-sector plan, the vehicle's investment mandate centers on capital preservation and actuarial funding adequacy rather than growth-seeking venture deployment. The plan's roughly $61 million in estimated assets (Altss estimate) are deployed across a conservative mix typical of small corporate pensions: fixed-income core, domestic large-cap equities, and likely a modest allocation to diversified alternatives through commingled vehicles. The plan itself does not disclose its asset allocation or manager roster, but its size and sponsor profile suggest limited internal investment staff and heavy reliance on third-party consultants or OCIO arrangements. The plan's sponsor, McGinnis Lochridge, operates from its Austin headquarters at 600 Congress Avenue and maintains additional offices in Dallas, Houston, Decatur, and McAllen. The firm participates in SCG Legal, a global network of over 145 independent law firms, and holds Mansfield Rule certification from Diversity Lab. Its practice strengths include energy law — Galant and management committee member Melissa Sykes both work in the Electric Energy group, while Jonathan Baughman chairs the Oil & Gas Practice Group — alongside litigation, government relations, and real estate. The pension plan covers participants across all five Texas locations. What distinguishes this plan structurally is its complete integration with a single mid-market law partnership. Unlike large corporate pensions that can absorb market volatility across thousands of participants, a plan of this size faces acute concentration risk — its funded status is tied to the ongoing viability and headcount of one law firm. Plan fiduciaries must therefore maintain a liquidity posture that can accommodate benefit distributions even during partner departures or economic pressure on the firm's billable revenue, a constraint that shapes the plan's investment committee decisions more than any published investment policy statement would suggest.
General information
Firm type
Private Sector Pension Plan
Year founded
1986
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Austin
Corporate office
Austin, TX, United States
Principals
Carl Galant
Managing Partner
Doug Dodds
Former Managing Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who holds fiduciary responsibility for the plan's investment decisions?
The plan operates under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, which requires named fiduciaries — typically a board of trustees or an investment committee appointed by the law firm's partnership — to manage plan assets solely in the interest of participants and beneficiaries. McGinnis Lochridge does not publicly name its plan trustees, a common practice among private single-employer plans. The firm's managing partner, currently Carl Galant, may serve as a plan fiduciary or have appointment authority, but the plan's governing documents control the exact structure.
Is the plan's $61 million in assets accessible to creditors of the law firm?
No. Under ERISA, plan assets must be held in trust and are legally segregated from the sponsoring employer's operating assets. Creditors of McGinnis Lochridge LLP cannot reach the pension plan's assets, and the plan's funded status is reported separately from the firm's partnership financials. The $61 million Altss estimate represents plan assets only.
Does the plan make direct investments or commit to private funds?
The plan does not publicly disclose its investment policy, but single-employer pension plans of this size rarely pursue direct private investments, given the governance burden and liquidity requirements. If the plan holds alternative assets, they are almost certainly accessed through registered commingled funds or via a discretionary OCIO mandate rather than through direct co-investments or bespoke separate accounts.
What is the relationship between McGinnis Lochridge's SCG Legal membership and the pension plan?
The two are separate. SCG Legal is a global network of independent law firms that facilitates cross-border client referrals — it has no role in the plan's investment or administrative functions. McGinnis Lochridge participates in SCG Legal to serve clients with multinational legal needs, not to source investment opportunities or pension services.
How does the change in law firm leadership affect the pension plan?
Carl Galant's elevation to Managing Partner in January 2026 could shift the composition of the plan's investment committee if the managing partner historically held appointment power. However, ERISA's fiduciary duties run to the plan participants — not to firm management — so any new appointees remain bound by the same prudent-investor standards. The plan's funded status and asset allocation are driven by actuarial requirements, not by the strategic preferences of firm leadership.
Where does the plan's funding come from?
As a defined-benefit plan, the McGinnis Lochridge Savings Plus Plan is funded by employer contributions calculated by an enrolled actuary to meet current and future benefit obligations. Plan participants — the firm's attorneys and staff — do not contribute to the plan. Employee deferrals, if offered, would sit in a separate 401(k) vehicle, not in this defined-benefit trust.
Is the plan subject to Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation coverage?
Yes. As a private-sector defined-benefit plan, it is covered by the PBGC, which insures participant benefits up to statutory limits in the event of plan termination with insufficient assets. The PBGC does not publish individual plan-level data for non-distressed plans, so the plan's current funded ratio is not publicly available.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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