Illinois › Professional, scientific and technical services › 250 to 499 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Feb 2024 to 31 Jan 2025
Winston & Strawn LLP Cash Balance Plan
Sponsored by Winston & Strawn LLP, Chicago, IL
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. Form 5500 contains no individual account balances. Look up the original filing at EFAST2.
Winston & Strawn LLP of Chicago, Illinois sponsors Winston & Strawn LLP Cash Balance Plan, a cash balance pension plan. Its Form 5500 for the plan year ending 31 Jan 2025 shows 379 participants (354 active) and $148M in net assets.
Net assets came to $391,719 per participant, well above the $87,254 median for defined benefit plans with 250 to 499 participants and well above the $176,808 median for defined benefit plans in professional, scientific and technical services. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
Employer contributions were $33.8M for the year ($95,604 per active participant) and benefits paid were $13.5M. In a defined benefit plan the employer's contribution follows funding rules rather than a match formula, so it can swing widely from year to year.
Schedule C lists 1 service provider organisation paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $102K: $270 per participant, well below the same-size median of $413. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $102K. Schedule C does not capture every cost: fees netted from fund returns and fees the employer pays directly are outside it.
Across the filings on record, net assets went from $14.4M in 2018 to $148M in 2024 (up 932%), and participants from 364 to 379 (up 4%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified).
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DB plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $391,719 | $87,254 | $176,808 | $86,221 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $95,604 | $11,032 | $35,855 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $270 | $413 | $450 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.07% | 0.51% | 0.30% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $270 | $596 | $596 | $527 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined benefit plans with 100 or more participants: 250 to 499 participants (873 plans), professional, scientific and technical services (277) and all US plans (5,308). Fee medians cover plans that report an amount.
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 379 | $148M | $391,718 | $33.8M | $0 | $102K |
| 2023 | 399 | $119M | $298,033 | $34.1M | — | $0 |
| 2022 | 378 | $87.6M | $231,656 | $37.7M | — | $0 |
| 2021 | 343 | $61.5M | $179,426 | $19.2M | — | $0 |
| 2020 | 352 | $45.4M | $128,881 | $13.2M | — | $32K |
| 2019 | 364 | $33.3M | $91,555 | $19.5M | — | $0 |
| 2018 | 364 | $14.4M | $39,508 | $14.4M | — | $0 |
Years in which the plan filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants, from 2009. Plan year is the year in which the plan year began.
Statement for the year
- Net assets, beginning of year$118,914,682
- Employer contributions$33,843,851
- Participant contributions$0
- Rollovers and other contributions$0
- Total contributions$33,843,851
- Total income, including investment results$43,152,887
- Benefits paid$13,503,970
- Administrative expenses$102,227
- Total expenses$13,606,197
- Net income$29,546,690
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$148,461,372
Participants
- Active participants354
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits0
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits25
- Total participants, end of year379
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merrill Lynch | Investment management | $102,227 | $0 |
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. Individuals named on Schedule C (plan employees, individual trustees) are never shown and their compensation is excluded. Eligible indirect compensation disclosed by formula carries no dollar amount. See how to read Schedule C fees.
Administrative expenses on Schedule H
- Investment advisory and management fees$102,227
- Total administrative expenses$102,227
Investment structure
Assets at year end by Schedule H category. The form shows the kind of vehicle holding the money, not the funds on the menu.
- Registered investment companies (mutual funds)$63.7M · 42.9%
- U.S. Government securities$22.3M · 15.0%
- Receivables$19.7M · 13.3%
- Corporate debt instruments$18.6M · 12.5%
- Cash (interest and non-interest bearing)$13.8M · 9.3%
- Corporate stocks$10.3M · 7.0%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)No
- Accounting firmDeloitte & Touche LLP
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $20,000,000
- Blackout period during the year—
These are the plan administrator's own answers on Schedule H, Part IV. A reported late transmittal is the filer's disclosure of a timing lapse, usually corrected through the Department of Labor's voluntary program; the amount is the total involved, not a loss.
Plan characteristics
1ABenefits are primarily pay related1CCash balance or similar plan3BPlan covering self-employed individuals
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 541110: Offices of Lawyers.
Other plans of Winston & Strawn LLP
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| Employee Savings Plan of Winston & Strawn LLP | 3,005 | $1.25B |
Similar plans in Illinois
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Tilly Advisory Group Parent, LP Market Based Cash Balance Plan | Baker Tilly Advisory Group Parent, LP | 457 | $47.4M | $103,800 |
| Seyfarth Shaw LLP Legacy Pension Plan | Seyfarth Shaw LLP | 317 | $12.3M | $38,857 |
| Accenture United States New Pension Plan | Accenture LLP | 548 | $234M | $426,811 |
| Mayer Brown LLP U.S.A. Cash Balance Pension Plan | Mayer Brown LLP | 297 | $235M | $791,632 |
| Sidley Austin LLP Cash Balance Retirement Plan for Partners | Sidley Austin LLP | 691 | $606M | $876,439 |
| Mw&e Cash Balance Plan | McDermott Will & Schulte LLP | 278 | $201M | $723,755 |
Defined benefit plans in professional, scientific and technical services closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Winston & Strawn LLP Cash Balance Plan?
379 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Jan 2025, of whom 354 were active employees, with net assets of $148,461,372. Among defined benefit plans that places it in the 250 to 499 participants band, which held 873 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Winston & Strawn LLP contribute per participant?
The filing reports $33,843,851 in employer contributions for the year, which is $95,604 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $11,032 in plan year 2024. Form 5500 reports the total only. It does not state the match formula, and the per-participant figure is an average, not any one person's contribution.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports $102,227 in compensation to service provider organisations, $270 per participant or 0.07% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $413 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $102,227. Investment costs deducted inside mutual funds and other pooled vehicles are not itemised on Form 5500, so these figures are a floor rather than a full cost.
Who runs the plan?
The sponsor is Winston & Strawn LLP. Investment advisory or management: Merrill Lynch. The financial statements were audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP. Form 5500 also names the plan administrator's signer and other individuals; this site publishes organisations only.
Was the audit opinion unqualified?
The filing reports an unmodified (unqualified) opinion. Unmodified (formerly "unqualified") is the standard clean opinion.
How current is this, and does it show my balance?
This is the Form 5500 for the plan year 1 Feb 2024 to 31 Jan 2025, received by the Department of Labor on 14 Nov 2025. Filings are due seven months after the plan year ends, or nine and a half with an extension, so the public record always runs a year or more behind. It contains plan-level totals only: no individual balances, contributions or names of participants exist in the data.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C) for plan years 2009 to 2025, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 36-1975990, plan 004, received 14 Nov 2025; an amended filing replaces it at the next build. Medians and percentiles are computed by this site; see the methodology. Report an error through corrections.