See individual biographies for licensure details
Practice: Employee Benefits
Crystal Armstrong helps hospital systems and health care providers navigate complex state and federal regulations and challenges, developing robust, growth-oriented legal strategies for streamlined operations and risk-averse structures for long-term compliance. Within her multidisciplinary practice, she also guides businesses and nonprofits through complex tax law and corporate M&A matters, supporting strategic and financial objectives with integrative counsel on tax structuring and regulatory adherence.
As the leader of the firm’s Employee Benefits Practice Group, Greg Ash helps his clients maximize the value and minimize the risks inherent in their benefit plans. With more than 30 years of experience, Greg translates complicated legal issues under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code into meaningful decision points for employers. He forecasts risk and identifies opportunities to help his clients meet their business objectives.
Laura Fischer dedicates herself to delivering a high level of service to her clients as an experienced employee benefits attorney. She provides guidance to various employee benefit plan sponsors regarding an array of benefit plan matters. Laura is equipped to advise plan sponsors on a variety of compliance issues, including ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, and various health care reform mandates. With her counsel, clients can more adeptly navigate the complex and ever-changing regulations regarding the administration and distribution of employee benefits.
Kerry Hodges focuses his practice on employee benefits, corporate, tax, and labor law. Primarily serving clients in the construction industry, Kerry devotes a substantial part of his practice to representing trustees of Taft-Hartley multiemployer plans, including pension, defined contribution, health and welfare, vacation, and apprenticeship trust funds. He advises trustees in virtually all facets of plan operations, helping them fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities in a complex, ever-shifting legal environment. He also utilizes the firm’s cross-discipline experience to provide clients access to qualified attorneys in other practice groups relevant to their needs—matching legal strategy to each client’s unique objectives.
Dan Lacomis works closely with his clients to develop the most effective strategies to manage all aspects of employee benefits, from helping clients design and structure retirement, welfare benefit, and executive compensation plans to representing them in IRS and U.S. Department of Labor audits. In his broad employee benefits practice, Dan represents multiemployer / Taft-Hartley, governmental, tax-exempt, and private plan sponsors.
Mary Mason counsels business leaders and management personnel on the full range of employee benefits solutions, crafting tailored plans that adhere to specific business needs, mitigate risk and personal liability, and abide by all federal compliance and regulatory obligations.
Beth Miller is a member of the Employee Benefits team. She helps clients by identifying practical solutions to a wide variety of legal matters in the areas of employer-sponsored retirement plans, executive compensation, fiduciary obligations, and advisory services.
Eric Miller guides clients through all aspects of employee benefits law, prioritizing tailored business objectives geared toward long-term success and profitability as he strategizes plans, guidance, and best practices which adhere to evolving legal and regulatory landscapes.
Kaleb Rasmussen is a data-driven attorney who advises organizations on complex state and federal laws governing transactions, compliance, and reimbursement. Serving both health care and employee benefits clients, he provides legal solutions grounded by data so they can make confident decisions amid risk.
Steve Rickles practices in the employee benefits, estate planning, and business and tax exempt organizations areas.
Ashley Selwyn’s practice focuses on employee benefits law, corporate governance, and commercial litigation. She is experienced in the design, implementation, and compliance of employee pension and welfare benefit plans, including defined benefit pension plans, defined contribution retirement plans, 401(k) plans, health and welfare benefit plans, apprenticeship training trusts, and vacation plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).
Douglas Selwyn helps employers, employee benefit plan administrators, and fiduciaries navigate complex employee benefits and ERISA matters so they can maintain compliance, manage risk, and achieve organizational objectives.
Ravi Sundara assists mainly tax-exempt organizations with corporate and tax matters, regulatory compliance, deferred and direct charitable giving, and employee benefits.
John Utz utilizes a deep understanding of his clients’ business models to build and implement effective and legally compliant employee benefit programs and executive compensation packages. He provides services critical to success, profitability, and employee recruitment and retention. He has vast experience with more than four decades handling matters affecting pension, profit sharing, and 401(k) plans, health and welfare programs, as well as ESOPs, Section 403(b) tax-sheltered annuities, Section 457 plans, stock options, nonqualified deferred compensation, incentive pay, and severance pay.
Katherine Utz Hunter advises employers on the design, governance, and compliance of employee benefit programs, helping clients navigate the legal, regulatory, and transactional issues affecting retirement, health and welfare, executive compensation, and other employee benefit plans. She partners with plan sponsors across a broad range of industries to develop practical, compliant solutions tailored to their business objectives.
Julia Vander Weele is an employee benefits attorney who also serves as Office Managing Partner of the Spencer Fane Kansas City office.
Stephen A. Weinstein knows how important employee benefits are when it comes to attracting and retaining good employees. He leverages his experience in this area to make sure that these benefit programs actually do what they are designed to do – contribute to the long-term success of the client and its employees.
Martin Wing helps employers and tax-exempt organizations navigate complex benefits, tax, and governance matters so they can maintain compliance, manage risk, and achieve their organizational objectives.