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Kara

Kara Backus

Shareholder

Kara Backus' practice is exclusively in the areas of employee benefits and executive compensation. Kara enjoys working with clients to help them better understand and solve their often complex employee benefits issues.

She has experience with qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, health and welfare benefit plans, executive compensation issues, and the employee benefits aspects of mergers and acquisitions. Kara counsels clients to design and draft benefit plans, monitor compliance with new legislation, analyze regulatory guidance under the Internal Revenue Code and ERISA, and to interact with the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Labor regarding plan issues. Kara also advises clients on COBRA and HIPAA issues, fiduciary responsibility, and prohibited transaction requirements.

Outside of work, Kara enjoys reading fiction, gardening, and getting outside in rain or shine with her husband and young son.

Professional Experience

Lane Powell PC

Shareholder (2021-Present)
Associate (2012-2015)

Bullard Law, Shareholder (2015-2021)

Jones Day, Associate (2008-2012)

Community Involvement

Portland Chapter of the Western Pension & Benefits Council

Member (2015-Present)
President (2014-2016)

Oregon Retirement Savings, Board Member (2015-Present)

Oregon State Bar, Member (2011-Present)

State Bar of California, Member (2008-Present)

Thought Leadership

June 1, 2023News
Lane Powell Again Ranked Among Top Firms in 2023 Chambers® USA
Awards & Honors
March 8, 2023Publication
ACA Anti-Discrimination Rules May Apply To 3rd-Party Admin
Law360
January 27, 2023Publication
Third-Party Administrators May Be on the Hook for Affordable Care Act’s Anti-Discrimination Rules
Labor, Employment & Benefits Legal Update
October 13, 2022Event / CLE
'Best Practices for Best Employers™' Labor & Employment Seminar
Lane Powell | Seattle, Washington
August 18, 2022News
The Best Lawyers in America© 2023 Recognizes 90 Lane Powell Attorneys
Awards & Honors
July 27, 2022Publication
Abortion Coverage as an Employee Benefit: The Supreme Court Forces Employers Into the Fray
Labor, Employment & Benefits Legal Update
June 1, 2022News
Lane Powell Again Ranked Among Top Firms in 2022 Chambers® USA
Awards & Honors
October 6 - December 8, 2021Event / CLE
'Best Practices for Best Employers™' Webinar Series
Lane Powell | Virtual
December 1, 2021Event / CLE
COVID-19 and Employee Benefits Plans: Making Sense of the New Legislation and Guidance
Lane Powell 'Best Practices For Best Employers™' Webinar Series | Virtual
November 17, 2021Event / CLE
New Strategies for Managing Remote Workers During the Pandemic Era (Part Two)
Lane Powell 'Best Practices For Best Employers™' Webinar Series | Virtual
September 3, 2021News
Kara Backus Featured in Law360 Article ‘Employee Benefits Attorney Rejoins Lane Powell in Portland’
In the News
September 1, 2021News
Experienced Employee Benefits Attorney Backus Rejoins Lane Powell
Firm Announcement

Practices & Industries

Labor, Employment & Benefits
Corporate, Securities, and M&A
ERISA, Life, Health & Disability
Senior Living & Long Term Care
Tax
Wage & Hour

Education

University of Southern California, Gould School of Law , J.D., 2008
- Interdisciplinary Law Journal, Executive Articles Editor
- All Saints Church and the Argument for a Goal-Driven Application of Internal Revenue Service Rules for Tax-Exempt Organizations, 17 S. Cal. Interdisc. L.J. 301
Amherst College, B.A., English and German, 1996
- Academic All-American and “Friends of Amherst” honors

Admissions

Oregon
California

Language

German (Proficient)

Honors

Chambers® USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (2020-2023)

“Oregon Super Lawyer,” Thomson Reuters, Employee Benefits (2017-2018)

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