Julia provides plan sponsors of all types with strategic counsel in complying with and navigating the complex federal laws and regulations governing employee benefit plans. Her experience includes a broad range of employee benefits matters including plan administration and design, legal compliance, employee plan governance, fiduciary obligations and executive compensation.
In her practice, Julia focuses on:
- Ensuring plan compliance under the Internal Revenue Code and ERISA
- Assisting clients with COVID-19 era legislation, Affordable Care Act (ACA), COBRA, Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance and strategic planning
- Resolving disputes related to IRS Employer Shared Responsibility Payments
- Preparing participant communications such as summary plan descriptions
- Correcting plan failures in accordance with the IRS Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS) procedures
- Drafting qualified, non-qualified, and health and welfare employee benefit plans
- Counseling employers with legal issues associated with establishing wellness programs
- Advising on employee benefits compliance issues associated with employment, bonus, separation/severance, and professional employer organization (PEO) agreements
Julia first joined Michael Best as a summer associate and then as a law clerk. While pursuing her law degree, she was a legal research assistant focusing on employee benefits and employment-related matters and also served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Annette Kingsland Ziegler and the Honorable N. Patrick Crooks in the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Julia gained experience working as a general counsel intern for Bemis Company, Inc. and previously served as a human resource generalist and wellness coordinator for a group of nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities in Wisconsin and Michigan.