My Why

What powers my practice

I find it deeply rewarding to help organizations support their people in meaningful ways, from retirement savings to health benefits to compliance strategies. Behind the scenes, my work strengthens systems that touch lives every day. My goal is to help clients navigate challenges with confidence and make their jobs easier so they can focus on supporting their employees and advancing their organizations. 

Overview

Leah advises public and private employers on complex employee benefits matters, with a focus on legal and regulatory compliance, fiduciary governance, and risk management. She counsels clients through the full lifecycle of benefits planning and administration, including plan design, operational compliance, fiduciary oversight, and litigation strategy.

Leah has extensive experience advising on health and welfare plan compliance under ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), HIPAA, and the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). She regularly assists clients with navigating regulatory scrutiny, designing defensible compliance frameworks, and aligning benefit programs with organizational objectives while mitigating risk. 

She also brings a unique perspective to fiduciary compliance in the emerging area of ERISA cybersecurity. Leah advises plan sponsors and fiduciaries on evolving cybersecurity standards applicable to employee benefit plans and develops innovative yet practical compliance strategies to address regulatory and litigation risk. Her experience includes assisting in the successful defense of one of the first ERISA cybersecurity litigation matters, positioning her to guide clients through this expanding area of fiduciary responsibility. 

Experience

Solutions in action

Examples of Leah’s experience include: 

  • Designing and preparing ERISA fiduciary governance materials, including committee charters. 
  • Recommending and drafting amendments to retirement plans and health and welfare plans. 
  • Implementing corrections to retirement plans and health and welfare plans for compliance with ERISA and the Code. 
  • Developing ERISA cybersecurity governance, monitoring, and documentation frameworks designed to mitigate regulatory and litigation risk. 
  • Drafting and guiding plan fiduciaries through Non-Quantitative Treatment Limitations (NQTL) comparative analyses, as required under MHPAEA. 
  • Advising plan sponsors on HIPAA privacy and security obligations in connection with health plan administration. 

Credentials

  • University of Wisconsin Law School, Juris Doctor (J.D.), Note & Comment Editor, Wisconsin International Law Journal, Mock Trial Team, 2021, cum laude
  • University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Psychology and Criminal Justice, 2018, with highest honors

  • Wisconsin
  • United States District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin
  • United States District Court, Western District of Wisconsin

  • Best Lawyers®, “Ones to Watch” (Madison Area)
    • Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, 2026-present
    • Labor and Employment Law – Management, 2026-present

Engagement

  • Member, American Bar Association
  • Member, State Bar of Wisconsin
  • Member, Dane County Bar Association
  • Member, National Association of Women Lawyers

 

Insights

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