Overview
Julie concentrates in employee benefits and health care law. She helps clients to navigate complex compliance challenges while furthering their business goals. Specifically, she focuses her practice on:
Employee Benefits Law
- Assisting with the design, maintenance, and implementation of qualified retirement plans (such as 401(k) plans, defined benefit plans, and 403(b) plans) and welfare benefit plans (such as group health plans, VEBAs, MEWAs, cafeteria plans and group benefit plans) to ensure compliance with ERISA and IRS requirements.
- Advising group health plan sponsors regarding compliance with health care reform, COBRA, HIPAA, and other relevant laws.
- Facilitating the correction of benefit plan operational errors under formal IRS and DOL correction programs.
- Providing guidance to employers regarding benefit plan administration issues, including the review of QDROs and EDROs, analysis of benefit coverage issues, and nondiscrimination testing.
Health Care Law
- Advising healthcare providers on a wide range of regulatory issues, including fraud and abuse laws, HIPAA and other privacy laws, and Medicare and Medicaid regulations.
After earning her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in mathematics, Julie earned a full tuition scholarship to Saint Louis University School of Law. While in law school, Julie served as the managing editor of the Saint Louis University Law Journal, completed a judicial externship with the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and interned with the United States Attorney's Office in St. Louis. Julie graduated summa cum laude, earning the highest overall ranking in 10 courses.
Honors & Recognitions
Best Lawyers® in America "One to Watch", Health Care Law, 2021-2025
Affiliations
Memberships & Affiliations
Legal Affiliations:
- State Bar of Michigan
- Health Care Law Section
Industry & Professional Associations
- American Health Lawyers Association
- American Benefits Council
Community Activities
- Girls on the Run of Kent and Muskegon Counties, Board Member
- Junior League of Grand Rapids
Communications
Recent Blog Posts
BizTech Law Blog
- IRS Announces 2025 Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Retirement Plans and for Health and Welfare Benefit Plans
- Is it Time to Update and Restate Your Summary Plan Description?
- IRS Makes it Easier to Correct Certain Retirement Plan Compliance Issues
- 2021 Arrives with Additional Flexibility for Flexible Spending Accounts
- HIPAA Compliance Considerations During the Pandemic
- New Safe Harbor Announced for Electronic Disclosures Required by ERISA
Estate Planning & Elder Law Blog
Health Care Law Blog
Publications
- What You Need to Know About SECURE 2.0, Foster Swift Business & Tax Law News, February 23, 2023
- Employee Benefits Considerations After Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization: Foster Swift Highlights Options Available to Employers, Foster Swift Employee Benefits Law E-blast, July 7, 2022
- House Bill to Lower Prescription Drug Costs, Foster Swift Health Care Law E-blast, February 24, 2022
- Recent IRS Guidance and Clarification for the COBRA Subsidy Imposed by ARPA, Foster Swift Business & Tax Law News, June 3, 2021
- The Benefits of Adopting a Pre-Approved Plan, Foster Swift Business & Tax Law News E-blast, August 11, 2020
- HIPAA Business Associate Agreements - What Are They and When Are They Required?, Foster Swift Health Care Law News E-blast, July 29, 2020
News & Events
News
- Seven Foster Swift Attorneys Listed as Best Lawyers® "Ones to Watch" 2025, Best Lawyers in America, August 15, 2024
- Preparing Women Business Leaders for 2024 Legal Challenges, Meltwater Newswire, February 20, 2024
- Foster Swift Best Lawyers® 2024 "Ones to Watch", Best Lawyers in America, August 17, 2023
- Foster Swift Best Lawyers® 2023 "Ones to Watch", Best Lawyers in America, August 18, 2022
- New Virtual Program Addresses Legal Strategies for Women Business Leaders, Michigan Business Network, March 28, 2022
- Foster Swift Best Lawyers® 2022 "Ones to Watch", August 19, 2021
- Foster Swift Elects Six Shareholders in 2021, January 13, 2021
Practice Areas
Education
Saint Louis University School of Law, J.D., 2014, summa cum laude
University of Notre Dame, B.S., 2010, cum laude, Mathematics
Bar and Court Admissions
Michigan